Just a Taste Of… The Tourist
by Fred Churchville (Business), published June 24th 2010
In a recent interview with the up-and-coming Berklee based band The Tourist, I asked them if they had one word to describe their group.
‘Harmoneez. With a z,’ said guitarist Ty Larson.
This one word is a great way to show what The Tourist are: a band that maintains traditional style, but finds an interesting and intricate way to put a spin on the classics. Larson describes their genre as ‘progressive pop, with a dash of rock.’
The group consists of, in addition to Larson, Brandon Tuzio on lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Andrew Kline on bass and Jesse Trepiak on drums, all of whom are students at Berklee. In fact, Trepiak, who entered Berklee as a guitar player, picked up the drums for the band and now plans on making it one of his concentrations.
Each member of the band definitely brings their own style and sense of exploration, as singer and guitarist Brandon Tuzio puts it, to their music.
‘We’re able to pool all of our influences into a nice mix,’ says Tuzio. And their influences are definitely varied.
For instance, Tuzio himself is heavily influenced performance-wise by Incubus and lyrically by artists such as Wilco, Elvis Costello, and Deerhunter. Tuzio also (interestingly enough) possesses a voice quite comparable to Incubus’ Brandon Boyd.
Kline, however, gets his influence from artists like Incubus bassist Ben Kenney, who originally played for the Roots, allowing for a little bit of hip-hop influence in the mix, as well to add a solid foundation to their tracks.
Finally, think of Larson’s influence a little of the indie band Grizzly Bear and a lot of the legendary shredder Joe Satriani, which helps him bring an intricate variety to the band’s sound.
But, as Kline points out, it is not just the musical sense of the word harmony that allows the group to work well together. ‘We are all in harmony with each other,’ he states.
‘There are so many musicians at Berklee that I’ve known before I met these guys, and you can just tell when you’re collaborating well’¦it’s like a sixth sense.’
Kline brings an important aspect to the band in an engineering sense. He has been studying sound engineering at Berklee, from where he will graduate next year. He hopes to open his own recording studio soon in order to truly tap in to his skills as a musical engineer and to contribute these skills to help the band succeed.
‘Andy is our secret weapon,’ says Tuzio.
The group hopes to release their first album by the end of 2010. But the band is definitely in no rush, still being students at Berklee. Time is definitely one of the band’s greatest resources, in addition to their commitment and focus as a group.
As Larson puts it: ‘We have nothing but time.’
About The Tourist
The tourist does what every other red-blooded, middle-class male does: he plays the guitar. What's the incentive, then, to listen to yet another dime a dozen, suburban kid who has "feelings" and "loves" things and obviously is way too "self-effacing" for his own good, you ask? Cash. That, and he's better than a lot of them. -From The Tourist's MySpace - The Tourist is also a Post-Hardcore Band from Düsseldorf, Germany! You can download their debut Album on their Facebook page for free. CHECK IT!