Rotten Cotton Candy (RCC) is a four-member Rock N Roll band born out of the DFW Metroplex in 2021. While RCC boasts a punk rock style, its members enjoy bending genres to blend nostalgic and fresh elements into the band’s overall feel. The band’s hard-hitting lineup draws on nu metal, grunge, and even blues.
“We’re willing to be adaptive with different styles of music and not just purely on punk,” says vocalist Keri Simpson. “Each of us can bring what our strengths are to the table without someone saying you can’t do that because this is a certain style. We are a mesh of styles with no holds barred. We want people to feel high energy…to move when they hear us.”
The original Rotten Cotton Candy line-up consisted of “Rebel” Brittany Clark on vocals, Robert Carson on guitar, Joe Sanchez on bass, and the founder of RCC, “Rob Noxious” on drums. All of which assisted in writing their first single, “Candy Eyes”, which was later recorded in 2023 with guitarist George Chavez and re-released in 2025 with the new vocalist, Keri Simpson.
RCC features the talents of vocalist Keri Simpson (formerly of Lost Lust, Koppur Thief, and From Then On), guitarist George Chavez, bassist Carey Ingram (formerly of Before the War), and drummer Robert “Rob” Acocella (formerly of Mary Tyler Whores).
This is a band built on second chances. Drummer Rob Acocella and guitarist George Chavez found early success playing the Whisky a Go Go in Los Angeles, California. However, after a disagreement with the lead singer at the time, Acocella and Chavez returned to Dallas and eventually reformed the band with bassist Carie Ingram and vocalist Keri Simpson in January 2025.
“I had to put music on the back burner because of work and stuff, but then it found me again, so it’s obviously meant to be,” says guitarist George Chavez, who has been playing since age 11.
Bassist Carey Ingram agrees. “I’ve been playing since I was about 15. I started a band called Before the War in the San Francisco Bay Area, California, and played in that band for 12 years. When I came to Houston to play in a band, I fell and broke my hand, and that put my music career on hold for 20-plus years. One day, a mutual friend of mine and Rob’s told me that Rob was looking for a bass player. I started hanging out with him and going through his music, and it really reignited the whole bug I had when I was a kid.”
Vocalist Keri Simpson is excited that this band gives each member of the band the ability to breathe a second life into some of their older work. “I’m able to bring these songs [like ‘Run’ and ‘Pull Me Through’] from the archives and give them a new take.”
Simpson adds. “I’ve been in a band where they solely treated it like a business, and it takes the fun out of everything. You lose the passion for it, you lose your fire, and I felt I had to water down my personality. I don’t feel like that with these guys. They’re my legit friends. We all respect each other and have fun at the same time.”
“We are just here to Rock N Roll!” says drummer Rob Acocella. “We want people to have a good time and party and let loose.”
-Interview- (11/13/25)
1. How did you get started with music and how did you develop your sound?
Our sound comes from each individual member having different roots in music. Each of us comes from different styles and genres that we grew up listening to. We bring that mix to Rotten Cotton Candy, we don’t like to be classified as a specific genre. We just come in and play Rock N Roll. That’s our sound, that’s what we are; we don’t belong to any specific genre. Carey Ingram, the bass player, comes from the old 80’s goth scene. George Chavez, the guitarist, comes from the late 60s, 70s, and beyond to today’s modern styles. Keri Simpson, the vocalist, comes from anywhere from oldies, pop, grunge, industrial pop, and nu metal. Rob Noxious, the drummer, his sound is from punk and metal.
2. What do you want people to take away from your music?
We want everyone to have a good time. When we write a song and when we play our songs, we’re having a good time. Our idea is, it’s fun-time, Party! Let’s get down, let’s have fun. We play Rock N Roll, we can multi-genre, everyone who comes to our show will hear something they can resonate with.
3. How would you describe your sound to the average listener?
Rock N Roll. Our sound is Rock N Roll. If you like Rock N Roll, whether it's punk rock, blues-rock, heavy metal, nu metal, you name it. We got it all. If you come to a Rotten Cotton Candy show, we will have something for you.
4. Who are three bands you’d like to tour with?
The Distillers, Bad Religion and Suicidal Tendencies.
5. What's your thoughts on AI generated music?
No comment. LOL. It’s not Punk.
6. What’s your take on the current state of Rock?
We need to get back to the roots. Rock N Roll is Rock N Roll. Quit trying to give everything a genre. If I go to a show to see Rock N Roll, I expect to see: Metal, Blues-Rock, nu metal, punk rock. Nowadays, you are losing the audience if you play the same style throughout a set. Just get up there and play Rock N Roll. Labels are ruining music. Stop giving everything a label. Rock N Roll is Rock N Roll, no matter how it comes out.
7. What’s the current music scene like there in Texas?
Business is picking back up since we have seen it decrease here in the DFW. More venues have been popping up. Back in the day here in Deep Ellum, you could find a show nearly every day and weekend. Nowadays, you have to plan for and post it when, in the past, people would just put up flyers, and people would just go. It’s definitely gotten harder today with technology, having to worry about algorithms, if you are being seen, as well as human interaction; no one talks to each other anymore.
8. What’s your take on the royalties that streaming services pay out to artists?
If you are paying for a streaming service, that streaming service should pay the artists it has on it. PERIOD. They are making money off the consumer using our art, our material, our creation. So if someone’s paying you to hear our stuff, you should be paying us.
For the amount of royalties that the artists actually receive, the consumers should be able to listen to songs on the streaming services, but if you want to create a set list and download it, you have to pay the artist to show you supported them.
9. What’s next for Rotten Cotton Candy?
Rotten Cotton Candy will be all over the place in 2026. We are doing some shows out of state, some major shows in state, but most importantly, introducing RCC to the rest of the world with hopes of releasing an album, which we are considering crowdfunding to raise money and offer special incentives to our supporters. If there is a way to track the city where the most money was raised, perform the city where the most funding came from. We will also be performing at Rocklahoma in 2026 at Camp Roklaholics on the Rokavet: Music is medicine stage on opening day, Thursday.
10. Any shoutouts?
Our main locals, long-time followers, our promoter friends, Medusa Dawn, Brim Manson, Coven Underground, Sillygoose Productions, Reno’s Chop Shop, Tree’s, Haltom Theater, Chaz Knight, Jay Gavit, Eric Wilson, Jeff Tucker, Shane Guns, James Smith, Awaiting Abigail, JessXtine and The Chaos Queens, Midnight Murder Show, Hedonistic Punk Vatos, Die-A-Beat-Us, Thyroids, Zativah Kid, Channel Planet, Vein, Raid, Against All Odds and Electric Vengeance.
