<style name="Theme.BandsintownManager.Invite" parent="Theme.BandsintownManager.Main">
        <item name="android:actionBarStyle">@style/Widget.BandsintownManager.Main.ActionBarInvite</item>
    </style>

    <style name="Widget.BandsintownManager.Main.ActionBarInvite" parent="Widget.BandsintownManager.Main.ActionBar">
        <item name="android:itemTextAppearance">@style/InviteActionBarMenuAppearance</item>
        <item name="android:actionMenuTextAppearance">@style/InviteActionBarMenuAppearance</item>
    </style>

<!-- neither of the above work, but if i put something like android:background inside of the above style it will work, which tells me that the problem isnt the style itself not being read by the activity -->

    <style name="InviteActionBarMenuAppearance">
        <item name="android:textColor">@color/red</item>
    </style>