The Tint

Tint’s True Colors
Jonathan Perry
Boston Globe
December 4, 2003

Even though his band the Tint has a totally different sound, singer-guitarist Evan Ouellette and Co. draw inspiration from the adventurous roots-pop group Wilco.

“Were big fans of those guys, and the four of us are really drawn to the way they approach their craft,” Ouellette says. “They’re not really pop gods to lok at: They’re kind of scruffy and out of shape, and, if you saw them on the street, you probably wouldn’t look twice at them. But they’re a band that always challenges themselves to make the best record they can and uses that [approach] as a guide.”

The last part of that sentiment might also be said about the members of the Tint, who look neither scruffy nor out of shape on the back cover of their new release, “The 11th Hour EP.” This brainy Boston-based pop band of four former ska-punks joined forces are their old outfits folded a few years ago. A well-received 2002 debut album, “Captain,” was recorded in bits and pieces during whatever time they could grab in the studio.

The new EP, which comes out Tuesday on the upstart Cambridge indie label Primary Voltage, shows a broader range of moods and wider sonic palette that (pardon the pun) tints the band’s bright neo-New Wave songs with darker colors this time around.
Ouellette’s vocal style is one of smooth, radio-friendly earnessness, but an undercurrent of unease and dislocation threads through seemingly straightforward alt-rock tracks such as the keyboard-driven “Bad Mood” or the fuzz—toned electric guitar noise of “Splinter.”

Elsewhere, hints of Wultitzer, electronic loops, and moody synth lines shape the material. All told, the Tint – Michael Geher (bass), Sean Greene (drums), and Sean Will (keyboards), and Ouellette – covers a lot of ground in six songs that clock in at just under 25 minutes. Listeners will be able to sample the new material live at the band’s EP-release party Dec. 11 at the Middle East Upstairs. The bill also includes performances by Baby Ray, the Charms, and Fooled by April.

“I deliberately don’t want us to be a one-trick pony,” says Ouellette, whose stage name, Evan Evans, was hatched partly as a joke to quell his bandmates’ grumbling that his last name had “too many vowels.”

“The guys in the band are incredibly capable musicians, and there’s a weird part to being a songwriter where you start to subconsciously write songs that the band will really be able to shine on,” he says. “I think that’s starting to come through with this EP. It’s incredibly satisfying when you go into a rehearsal, are excited about having a new song, and the guys you bring it to give something back and take it to a whole new level – maybe something different than what you had envisioned, but something equally great.”
- The Boston Globe

Boston-based The Tint plays New Wave Café tonight
Cameron j. Woods
The Standard-Times
New Bedford, MA
July 13, 2003

Having survived the release of their first album, “Captain,” the edgy punk/rock band The Tint has compiled even more angst and anguish for their second release, due out this fall, “The 11th Hour.” This is a band that has risen above and beyond the Boston bar scene and will undoubtedly be one of the heavy rotation favorites this fall.

With not a single song touching five minutes in length, The Tint’s music has a tremendously energetic feel to it. They avoid one of the greatest pitfalls of their music genre, in that though their songs are short, they all carry a message, and not a single track has more chorus than verse.

Led by front man/songwriter/guitarist Evan Evans, The Tint consists of keyboardist Sean Will, drummer Sean Greene, and bassist Mike Geher. The Tint looks, at least on the surface, like an average bar band. But when the music plays there is no doubt that this quartet means business.

The title track of their fortcoming CD has a heavy early Weezer influence and is a vivacious call for action, even if it is only to get up and thrash around, “What am I chasing down? Who am I chasing after? I have got to get the hell out of town because the frames are always moving faster.”

Though the band has survived its initiation, one must wonder if The Tint has that something special it takes to get beyond the gray sophomore phase that so many “good” bands get lost in. Their sound is an interesting mix of ‘70s rock, classic punk, Squeeze, and ska that at times has an amazing synergy, that hints at some as of yet untouched level of music. But on the same not there are segments of the keyboard-heavy tunes that seem to lack composure and sound as if each musician is playing a different style and trying to be louder than the rest.

There is no question about this band’s talent or passion’ their only potential downfall at this point is their target audience. No doubt the young teen age group needs music, but it is an ago group that has made and broken bands with its musical tastes. With a few songs with more of an aim at a crowd their own age, The Tint could be a band with a long career ahead.
- [New Bedford] Standard Times

The Providence Journal
February 13, 2003

The Tint goes beyond the college-rock brew

By VAUGHN WATSON
Music Scene Writer

The debut disc from Boston-area band The Tint, Captain, tosses the Atari-pop sound of Squeeze and early Weezer behind non-stop drumming and lyrics about teenage heartbreak.

“It doesn’t really matter if you care,” Evan Evans sings on “Next Best Thing,” “’cause I’m sick and tired of being the one whop gets left halfway there.”

The college-rock brew is more than the stuff you’d hear in every second bar from here to Cambridge. Evans is a witty songwriter. And songs make a smooth transition from propulsive punk-and-rockabilly (“Second Looks”) to Johnny Cash country rock (“Hanginontonothing.”)

Thank drummer-percussionist Sean Greene and bassist Mike Geher for the groove-laden low-end sound. - Providence Journal

The Lowell Sun
January 16, 2003

Taking bad reviews in stride—that’s The Tint

By AUSTIN O’CONNER
Sun Staff

It’s hard not to like a band that includes both good and bad notices in the press kits they send to area media in hopes of garnering mentions for an upcoming show.

The Tint’s debut album Captain won me over on first listen, filled as it is with short, catchy nuggets of pop punk. But the accompanying biographical material for the group, which plays Evos Arts Institute on Middle Street tomorrow night, was a bit unorthodox.

Included among the usual collection of positive reviews for the Boston-based band’s first album, released by new label Primary Voltage Records, was one completely vitriolic, completely negative write-up.

“My eternity in hell will be me in a furnished room with a CD player on the table that plays nothing but this crap,” wrote the uncredited reviewer for the Boston underground publication The Noise.

It makes you wonder what had what had prompted the guy’s dyspeptic mood, not to mention why he thinks Hell would include “nicely furnished” rooms. Anyhow, it’s a testament to The Tint’s confidence, and sense of humor, that they’d include such a review at all.

You’ll have the chance to decide how off-base (or on target) that bad notice was on Saturday night, when singer/guitarist Evan Evans leads The Tint – keyboardist Sean Will, drummer Sean Greene and bassist Mike Geher – through a few fridat night sets on Middle Street. Pushed by Will’s distinctive organ grinds, songs like “Next Best Thing” and “Universal” have earned the group heavy rotation on college radio stations throughout the Northeast.

None of the songs on Captain runs longer than four minutes, lending the album a sort of stream-of-consciousness feel, a throwback to late-70’s-era rock as siphoned through a gaggle of Ritalin-addled Gen Y-ers. Not every Tint tune is a keeper, but they hit more than they miss on their debut release, and there’s enough potential evident to make a trip to Evos a good bet. Maybe even a Hell of a good bet.
- The Sun [Lowell, MA]

THE SETONIAN
The Tint
CD Review

by Scott Fitzgerald
Staff Writer
fitzgesc@shu.edu

Turning eyes to a less publicized band, The Tint's debut album, "Captain," is being played at colleges around the area. Within a year of signing with their label, the newest band from Boston has created a decent record.

The Tint is known for songs that focus on "seesaw relationships, the unresolved urgency of being part of the "me-generation," and the frustration with the necessary evils of corporate America."

The Tint has a rock and roll record on their hands that is energetic, creative and most importantly, fun to listen to. The lyrics aren't terrific, but most of the songs have a decent chorus.

The music is quite original, incorporating an analog and organ into their band.

Although the band is relatively new, the members of the band have been involved with groups such as The Brass Monkeys and Big Lick.

While The Tint is a new band that is still struggling in some areas, "Captain" is a fairly good album for the alternative rock music lover.
- The Setonian [Seton Hall Univ.]

SALEM EVENING NEWS

Elastic bands: 2 unique groups stretch their sounds with rare North Shore double-bill

By Christine Gillette

Evan Evans, one fourth of The Tint, delivers most of the songwriting for his band, which recently released "The 11th Hour," a CD that label Primary Voltage calls "dark," "loud," "catchy," "raw" that goes in a different direction from previous release, "Captain."

"I think in the beginning, I had a very specific idea what I wanted the band to sound like," says Evans, a Methuen native whose real last name is Ouellette, "going for a British sound like Elvis Costello, The Clash. Tightly written songs, fast, up-tempo. Now, the songs are getting a little bit deeper, a little bit slower."

Evans, who's been playing guitar for most of his 27 years and got serious about at 16, compared The Tint's sound to Wilco and Broken Social Scene.

"We're a rock band, first and foremost," he said. "Our lyrics tend to be a little less superficial than a lot of rock bands. I don't tend to talk about fast cars or drinking, all of those classic (subjects) of rock songs."

Instead, Evans said he reaches in for personal feelings and experiences when the time comes to put out music and lyrics.

The Tint's songs start with him, the lyrics and vocal melodies and some of the instrumental parts. Evans said he used to be "a lot more fascist" about composing, even making demos for bandmates of what each instrument should sound like. Now, he says, he's more apt to let the band weigh in on a song, a process that takes longer but that Evans believes offers better results.

"I think the favorite song that we've recorded thus far is 'Bad Mood,'" he said. The song, from "The 11th Hour," came together quickly and the version on the CD features what Evans says is a great performance from the band.

"We all bring something different to the table," he says of bandmates Sean Will (keyboard), Sean Greene (drums) and Tim Lyons (bass). "Everyone brings their own taste in music, maturity that comes from playing with a lot of bands. ... I think everyone in the band is all about making good music first; everything else is secondary."

Tomorrow night's show at Doc Ryan's is The Tint's first in Salem over its three years of playing gigs.

"A lot of bands do an endless tour around Boston and Cambridge," Evans said. "We're excited to get out of town and play some other places. Sometimes people are a little more open to hearing new music" in other cities.

Evans is looking forward to sharing the bill with The Pills.

"The Pills are a great band," he said. "If people are saying there's no good music right now, then they're not looking in the right place."
- Salem [Mass.] Evening News

The Tint prevails in 'The 11th Hour'
By Jen Pollack
Published: Tuesday, January 27, 2004

New to the Boston music scene is The Tint, consisting of Evan Evans (vocals, guitar), Sean Will (keyboard), Sean Green (drums) and Mike Geher (bass). The band is hoping that its second album on Cambridge's Primary Voltage Records, entitled The 11th Hour, will be its big break. While the songs seem typical to those one would hear on the radio, I didn't find anything mind-blowing about this album. In the press releases sent with the CD, The Tint was often classified as a punk-rock band. When I think of punk, however, I think of hard guitar with a vocalist who screams and yells more than he actually sings. Therefore, if I was going to classify this band, it would be more of a mellowed out Green Day-type punk.

The main thing that stands out about The Tint is the interesting keyboarding that appears most obviously in the title track and throughout the rest of the album. This aspect of the band sets them apart from other punk groups. The songs are catchy, and it is very possible that the title track could become a radio single. However, their overly-familiar sound prevents them from being exceptional. Besides the innovative addition of a keyboard, The Tint's music could pass for that of many other bands. Along with Green Day, they sound similar to Sugarcult and the small Long Island band, The Reunion Show.
Yet, not "mind-blowing" does not necessarily mean "not good." The guitar sound is more distinctive than I have heard in recent bands, and their songs display some variety-some tracks have a good dance beat while others are more melancholy.

However, sometimes the rhythm and the lyrics of a song do not match. For example, the title track, "The 11th hour," talks about being left behind, feeling a little lost and perhaps needing to start over, but the music is surprisingly upbeat. Though it's not a requirement, I would expect the lyrics to mesh with the sound of the song.
In spite of a few setbacks, this album has potential. The songs are catchy and easily got stuck in my head, particularly "Bad Mood," which I found myself singing at a later time. Some lyrics are convincingly heartfelt. In "Splinter," for example, after repeated listening, you can start to feel the longing in Evans' voice.

Regardless of the occasional catchy tracks, this band also has the potential to fade in to the background due to the already too-familiar sound of the songs. On the positive side, The Tint does have the talent to develop their style. Evans has a lot of room to expand on the guitar, and could be great if he took some more risks with his method. The drumming from Green gives the band its punk sound. It's a little more frantic than your average rock song, giving some songs a much-needed edge.

Their lyrics are also a little smarter than normal rock lyrics. While still broaching normal topics like heartbreak, it's more of a "this is how I feel about it" approach instead of "how could you do this to me?"

If The Tint's songs make it to the radio, they have a good chance of going far. Fan of mellower punk or alternative rock will find this band up their alley. With some growth and maturing, The Tint has the potential to become an established punk band.
- The Justice [Brandeis Univ.]

FM Sound
The Tint, Captain
Grade: A+
The Tint way be a baby in the music world having only formed in Boston in 2001, but they certainly don’t sound that way. Mixing pop and rock in the most delightful way, the band’s debut Captain is one of the best albums I’ve heard this year. Led by songwriter/singer/guitarist Evan Evans (now there’s a name you won’t quickly forget), bassist Michael Geher, drummer Sean Greene and keyboardist/organist Sean Will round out this smooth, energetic sound that you won’t be able to get out of your head for days. From the album’s catchy opener “Universal” to the pure pop of “Aidan Byrnne,” all 12 tracks are tight, well-constructed and delightful. And what I like best is the obvious lack of over-production—this is what these guys honestly sound like and I like what I’m hearing. —C.E. Pelc
- FM Sound E-Zine

EARLASH
THE TINT
Captain
2002
by Michael Grigelevich


On their debut release Captain, Boston's Tint refuse to adopt cooler-than-thou attitudes and let honesty, humor, and urgency rule. The result is 12 songs of indestructible power-pop laced with bits of Squeeze and late 70's-era Elvis Costello.
The music on Captain is sharply constructed and unpredictable. Singer/guitarist Evan Evans' vocals slice through the wonderfully dense and keyboard-heavy sounds and gets right to the point, which is usually an indifferent and/or unstable woman.
"Next Best Thing" is the obvious choice for a single, although nearly every song on Captain possesses the necessary ingredients and hooks. Other stand-outs include "Mind Painted Red," "No Disguise," and "Before you Save."
Keeping the humorous angle sharp, the album is decorated with clever airplane-related artwork. The insert contains safety instruction to be followed while listening to the album. There's also a ridiculously funny cartoon drawing of the band dressed in pilot uniforms.
Captain is the second release from the Boston-indie label Primary Voltage. The label has also released Define Worth Waiting, which is the debut EP from Boston's always outstanding Good North. Hopefully Primary Voltage will continue to let good taste prevail and deliver some more high quality records soon.
For more check out www.thetint.net and www.primaryvoltage.com
- Earlash E-Zine