The Brian Travis Band
Los Angeles, California, United States
Music
Press
Recorded in Santa Cruz with Andy Zenczak as engineer, Past the Breakers is the newest offering from Santa-Cruz-escapee-turned-L.A.-success-story Brian Travis.
Travis and band strip their friendly, folky style of rock down to the bare wood, flaunting catchy melodies, tight playing and backing vocals that make the choruses pop up like islands on a relief map. Guitarist Jason Gonzales' leads are showy, but not cheesy, and in spite of some nasal moments, Travis delivers his messages-many of which resonate deeply in the psyche-with conviction and clarity.
A few key lines: "Even when it's bad, it's good to be alive"; "I'll see you in the afterglow where rock and roll lives forever"; "Nothing goes as you expect/No matter which road you select/You gotta buy yourself a toaster if you want a guarantee." Even the painfully wholesome "Crush On Molly"-a tale of one singer's infatuation with another-proves captivating. At the song's conclusion, the object of Travis' desire shoots him down, eliciting the deathless line, "I guess that's why they call it a crush."
"Here in LA" is a perfect choice of closing track, beautifully capturing the dusky, somber mood of sundown in the City of Angels. Lap steel marinated in melancholy-not to mention a catchy verse-colors the narrative. "It's impossible to see exactly what this town is gonna take from me," Travis sings.
One thing L.A. has apparently done to Travis is turn him into a top-notch storyteller; the songs on Past the Breakers keep a kung fu grip on the listener's attention while summing up basic truths in an effortlessly entertaining way. Catch the Brian Travis Band Friday, March 4th at the Aptos Club, where this CD will be available for purchase.
-Damon Orion, Good Times / March 2005 - Good Times
Material: Socially aware, politically correct and optimistically exuberant, Brian Travis sings about the foibles of society and humanity without wallowing in the negative. Songs like "Temporary", "Gasoline", and "Perfect Day" remind the listener to keep a fresh and positive outlook while traveling the many roads of life. Meanwhile, songs like "Shallow Grave" and "Here In LA" remind us that the material things on Earth are often the least important.
Musicianship: Although the songs have a laid back feel, the music couldn't be tighter. Travis provides straightforward vocals and steady rhythm guitar enhanced with soulful harmonica. Gonzales is a skillful guitarist, weaving parts of the melody lines and riffs into his leads. The rhythm section is equally as good. Turco's bass is more felt than heard, while Wiseman's drums are dynamically tasteful.
Performance: Resembling a young John Lennon or John Denver, Brian Travis projects an organic bravado that reflects his talent. His groovy, earthy, clean cut appearance is bound to make pre-teens swoon and old ladies pinch his stubbly cheeks. Clad in denim and cotton, his shoulder length blond hair swayed and his eyes flashed joyously behind rimmed glasses. All in all, Travis was a ball of energy with infectious enthusiasm.
Summary: Experiencing the Brian Travis Band is a lot like breathing clean air while sunshine beats down on your face. The songs are catchy and the players are endearing. Though some critics might slight the material as overly poppy and perky, Travis delivers a full set of wholesome, feel-good music layered with insightful lyrics and tight playing.
-Jenny Sherwin, Music Connection
- Music Connection
House unquestionably in pocket, Brian rocked with an acoustic version of his full band (Frank on Percussion, Thaddius on drums, Jason on Lead Guitar & backing vocals, Brian on Rhythm guitar and vocals).
Anything but "Defeated", this seasoned pop/rock quartet with a political sensibility and an almost melancholy edge kept an upbeat, uplifting pace complete with tight, infectious mini jams and guitar solo's that were nothing short of stellar.
My personal favorites included "Wider" and a slightly augmented cover of Dave Sharp's "Hard Drivin' Rain", a classic freight train blues shuffle complete with tasty slide guitar solo's and a barely veiled message or two. Catch them quick at the Rainbow (March 30th) before they go back in to the studio to record! - Night Owl
Discography
There From Here - 2000 release
Past The Breakers - 2004 release
Photos
Bio
After completing a number of independent tours up and down the California coast, The Brian Travis Band stormed the UK playing numerous dates in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland prior to releasing their debut CD, “Past The Breakers” in 2004. The UK touring culminated in a support slot for welsh folk-rockers, The Alarm that put Brian Travis on stage performing alongside Mike Peters, JJ Gilmore of The Silencers and Bruce Watson of Big Country during the encore in front of legions of new fans.
The group are currently based in Los Angeles and frequently play The Hotel Café, Molly Malones and The Silverlake Lounge, however the band have spent a lot of time in Northern California and have also written, recorded, and performed a great deal of music in Santa Barbara, most recently working with Americana producer, Cyrus Clarke on a collection of forthcoming acoustic material bearing the title, “Sense Of Place”.
KCSN has debuted advance cuts from the forthcoming acoustic effort in early August, and Santa Barbara college radio stations have also been spinning tracks.
It’s a good thing that summertime in California seems to last all year long. Without such temperate weather, Brian Travis, the bandleader and one of three songwriters for The Brian Travis Band, might not be inspired to compose the laid back, warm, soaring California melodies that he does. The
California influence doesn’t stop there either. The “high lonesome’’ lap steel playing of Jason “Ace” Gonzalez conjures up images of the setting sun in the west coast desert juxtaposed against the tension and release of LA rush hour gridlock. The rest of the band, showcasing 5 singers and a majestic, classic rock influenced pianist (who seems to be able to play any song you can think of at the drop of a hat) are as interconnected as the moon and tide, waxing and waning as one entity.
The group perform both acoustic and electric, as comfortable using 100% acoustic instruments such as the upright bass, slide dobro and naked harmony vocals as they are careening across upbeat tempos with guitars crunching thru vintage tube amplifiers.
In a nutshell, they are 5 accomplished musicians that make really good, sincere, heartfelt and engaging rock music…and they all sing.
Brian Travis also plays the harmonica at the same time as he plays the guitar. It’s really cool.
For complete details on Brian Travis Band tour dates and other news, check the calendar at www.thebriantravisband.com
For booking information please contact:
LTS Management Group / P.O. Box 5921 / Playa Del Rey, California 90296
Phone: 310.821.8380 / Fax: 310.822.5453
Email:ltsmanagement@yahoo.com
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