tinmouth
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tinmouth

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | Established. Jan 01, 2012 | SELF

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States | SELF
Established on Jan, 2012
Band Rock Indie

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"Top 5 Philly music discoveries of 2014"

This is what you call a power trio, folks. tinmouth’s angular indie rock jams aren’t fancied up with loop stations and keyboard sounds.

In terms of sound, these folks hit hard; in terms of songwriting, they look to the DIY scene of the 80s, channeling Yo La Tengo, Mission of Burma and a little bit of R.E.M. It’s poppy, but properly punchy, offering some grit with the sweet. Their debut LP says is out early next year, and you should make it a point to see tinmouth live the next opportunity you can. - WXPN


"The Key Studio Sessions: Tinmouth"

Fittingly, I first had a conversation with tinmouth‘s Timothy Tebordo at a house show. It was the first night of OK Fest at Golden Tea House this summer, and Tebordo wound up standing near my wife and I; he recognized us from having been at a couple of his own concerts, and we killed time between sets talking about music.

His band has a very distinct, vintage DIY sound; it draws from influential artists that would have been playing the Golden Tea Houses of the early 80s. In their Key Studio Session, you’ll hear a sharp Mission of Burma and Gang of Four edge (“same noise”), a catchy Yo La Tengo-style sense of pop (“prevent defense”), and a bit of R.E.M. contemplation (“what more can i do,” which nods lyrically to “Pretty Persuasion” and on which Tebordo’s voice sounds positively Michael Stipe-ian). Anchoring this tasteful blend is Alyssa Shea’s asskickery on the drums, with Tebordo’s evocative guitar screams and Aaron Sternick steady bass and vocal harmonies filling the mix out.

tinmouth is gearing up to release its debut LP Says early next year – per Facebook, the vinyl test pressing was successful – and the band just popped a third preview track up on their Bandcamp called “physician, heal yrself” (listen here). On Friday, the band plays its last show of 2014 at Kung Fu Necktie; tickets will be available at the door, more information can be found at the show’s Facebook event page. Below, give a listen to and grab a download of tinmouth’s Key Studio Session.

https://soundcloud.com/wxpnfm/same-noise-by-tinmouth?in=wxpnfm/sets/the-key-studio-sessions-tinmouth - XPN's The Key


"Soak Up tinmouth's Riotous New Single "prevent defense""

Philly rock trio tinmouth has been kicking around the city for a couple of years now, playing bills with the likes of Eternal Summers, Free Time, and Dent May while refining their brand of fuzzy, college rock. A self-described bunch of “reformed romantics, somewhere beyond Missed Connections and Casual Encounters,” the band both distills and pays tribute to classic rock tropes, creating something exciting and warmly familiar.

They’re now fresh out of the studio, having just finished recording their debut LP Says with local producer Jeff Zeigler (Kurt Vile, The War on Drugs). The full record won’t be out until the fall—but in the meantime, they’ve shared “Prevent Defense”—a warm, ramshackle slice of noise-pop that recollects all your fave ‘90s bands (think: Pavement, YLT, GBV) and has us seriously psyched for the rest of the record. They play Johnny Brenda’s tonight, opening for the equally delightful Bishop Allen; below soak up their sounds, then get ready for an evening of breezy, summer pop. - WXPN's the Key


"MP3 - "prevent defense" - tinmouth"

It’s okay to fall totally freakin in love with the debut single from tinmouth. The trio of Philly-based indie rockers worked with producer Jeff Zeigler (Kurt Vile, War On Drugs) over a period of six months, bringing together “noise rock aesthetics with a pop sensibility.” It’s one of those rare listening experiences where everything comes completely together in continual bouts of crunchy, noisy and even lovable surprises. Keep your eyes on these ones, guys and look for their full length debut Says. - The Grey Estates


"Song of the Moment: tinmouth "prevent defense""

Do you like '90s rock and bands like YLT, GBV, and Sebadoh? (Do I even need to ask?) If so, you're be all about tinmouth's new tune, "prevent defense" -- head over to The Key to read more about it, and give it a spin. - Underwater Explosion


"tinmouth - "the avon fisher demos""

Self-producing independent musicians, take note: Rawness is a good thing.

I mean, polished production is nice. But a lot of times the naked imperfection of D.I.Y. recording is infinitely preferable. Obviously, it depends on the kind of music you’re playing, but if your goal is to connect with your listeners on an emotional level, a recording that feels well-worn, even damaged, can be a beautiful thing. It feels more textured and, by extension, more real.

Case in point: Philly-based jangle-pop rock band tinmouth’s latest release, “the avon fisher demos.” Reportedly recorded in a basement as a way of feeling out a direction for the band’s next professional-level album (set to begin recording, hopefully, in early 2014), the sound captured on “the avon fisher demos” is actually superior in many ways to that featured on preceding EP “one more revelation.”

Giving tinmouth a more palpable air of grit, the lo-fi nature of “the avon fisher demos” feels more heartfelt and untamed. For a band whose greatest strength may be its multi-layered emotional resonance, that’s certainly a good thing.

On top of that, the songs on “the avon fisher demos” display definite growth for the band, slight though it may be. The hooks are stronger, the rock parts are heartier and the interplay between hard and soft is more striking. The rhythm section is still standout, with the drippy bass showcasing more sensuality and the drums left off the leash to run as wild as they want.

Tracks like “repeat the refrain,” “unified theory” and “prevent defense” flaunt a greater punk influence than anything on “one more revelation” did. And while final track “my demise” hews closer to the sadder sound off the previous EP, it lets the shimmery guitar chords ring out and reverberate with more weight, and additionally peppers in some entrancing subaqueous flourishes.

Ultimately, the taste this release provides of where tinmouth will go with its next release is strong, but it is still just that: a taste. “the avon fisher demos” is a snapshot of a band in mid-flight.

I’m looking forward to seeing where they touch down. - 570 Mine Fire


"tinmouth Finds its Voice"

Not too long ago, Timothy TeBordo had been performing under the “ridiculous name” of Jeremiah Tattlebaum, but now, with tinmouth, he’s part of a tightly knit trio playing “classic era indie rock,” influenced by bands like Yo La Tengo and Pavement.


The 31-year-old Philadelphian was always the drummer in his brother’s bands, but when his drum set was too cumbersome to transport to college, he started playing acoustic guitar. After cycling through various band members and striking out on his own, he found bassist Aaron Sternick and drummer Alyssa Shea through a Craigslist ad. It’s been a year since and the singer/guitarist has no complaints.


“Because we had all experienced failure in bands past, I kind of had full band demos and I said, ‘Look, I am ready to start playing live, day one.’ And so literally we played our first show I think two and half weeks after our first full band practice,” TeBordo recalled.


“It was a steep learning curve, and there’s definitely been a refinement of the sound, but they both know what they like. I think we learned each other pretty quickly. We know what the other is capable of, and we definitely like to push a little bit. But thing one was playing live and being ready to play live, and so that’s always been the goal.”


Their sound has grown by “leaps and bounds” since then, recording one studio-quality EP, “one more revelation,” earlier this year and another demo EP, “the avon fisher demos,” just recently.


“We were kind of going nuts. We had 12 songs that we hadn’t even played live, and we didn’t even know how they sounded, so I was like, ‘Look, my wife’s parents are away for the weekend, so we go into her basement, we record everything we have, and whatever sounds good we can kind of put up and let it be a mile marker for where we’re at,’” TeBordo said of “the avon fisher demos,” named after the cross streets of the home they recorded in.


“I really like the sound of a good rhythm section in a band, and so now a lot of our songs really kind of start from that, kind of start from the bass and drums, and the guitar just kind of hangs over it and the vocals are off on their own doing whatever.”


Whenever songwriting inspiration strikes, TeBordo says he just follows where it leads, which takes him to some interesting places, attempting to find meaning in “an era where only terrible, vapid things can be done.”


“A lot of times, I’ll just be like, ‘I wonder if I could make this work.’ There’s the song ‘miserable little cannon’ from ‘one more revelation’ where I was like, ‘I wonder if I could have something that kind of evokes a Gary Glitter beat, but then go from that and make it a little bit more earthier or a little bit grittier than that, and so a lot of times it’ll just be a personal challenge, but a lot of times, that song ‘Withered on the Vine,’ I actually wrote while riding my bike. I started singing along to just the sound of my bike on the road,” he explained.


“I hope it’s more than just sonic wallpaper. If it makes (listeners) think, if somebody says, ‘Hey, you know, I had never thought of it this way,’ that would be satisfying for me. When people ask me what something meant or tell me that a particular lyric meant something to them, that definitely is very gratifying to me.”


TeBordo is looking forward to the band’s first-ever show in Northeastern Pennsylvania at The Other Side (part of Bart & Urby’s, 119 S. Main St., Wilkes-Barre) on Saturday, Nov. 2 with Those Clever Foxes and a set of garage/soul/psych music from DJs Nate Nowak and Bob Mac. From there, the group is planning to record even more music for what they’re hoping to be a label debut.


“I think at this point we’ve got 13 songs, including the four that are on ‘avon fisher,’ that we’re ready to record, so hopefully by January we’ll be in the studio, and then we’ll be shopping it to labels and keep our fingers crossed.” - the Times Leader


"tinmouth's Super Catchy New Jam Speaks for Itself"

Philly indie rock trio tinmouth has released a second single off of their upcoming debut LP 'says,' a tune titled “same noise” that will get your foot tapping and head bobbing. Members Timothy Tebordo, Alyssa Shea and Aaron Sternick boast that their songs “will stick in your brain,” and if they didn’t have you convinced with previous single “prevent defense“, they will with this one. The opening lyrics “We have no use for grand pronouncements / Stay tuned for the next announcement,” prove to be quite true. The trio that insists they play from the heart made no grand social media gesture or announcement when releasing this track; they truly let the music speak for itself, and this one screams it is a keeper. - WXPN's The Key


"tinmouth – one more revelation EP"

[tinmouth] blends shimmering guitars along with Timothy TeBordo’s vocals for a clean and pure sound. - The Styrofoam Drone


"tinmouth Record Release Show"

tinmouth offers honest lamentation with a playful air. - Philadelphia Weekly


"tinmouth - "One More Revelation""

“I don’t believe in destiny / But it might get the best of me / Then it won’t matter what it’s called.”

So go the lyrics to “withered on the vine,” the first track of Philly-based band tinmouth’s EP “one more revelation.” It sets the tone well, encapsulating a mood that is both melancholic and amiable.

“This all-consuming universe / We build it up and soon it bursts / It won’t amount to anything at all,” the track continues, amid deceptively upbeat strains of scratchy blues-inspired indie-rock. Shimmering guitars materialize an gauzy wave of lo-fi murk, which is then dutifully penetrated by the solid, spring-loaded bass and sharp, jovial drums.

“miserable little cannon” flirts with all-out rockabilly, giving the lively bass full sway. Similarly, the sunny guitars on “too beautiful to die” give it a surfy, beach-party pop-rock vibe that is counterweighted by dark tribal drumming and fragile vocals. For the most part, though, the formula established with “withered on the vine” remains consistent throughout the five tracks here, offering up double-layer dollops of bittersweet jangle-pop.

The dualistic tone of the music matches the sweet-hearted/broken-hearted dichotomy of lyrics like “The contents of a life we thought we knew / Laid out and picked apart / If we just question everything we do / Then why’d we ever start?” and “Relive each moment like we see the ending in advance / But second-guessing is never equal to a second chance” from “one chance to guess.”

My personal favorite track on the album, “one chance to guess” reconfigures tinmouth’s two sides, the shimmer and the sharpness, into something oceanic: seemingly staid but for the way the tide crashes against the shore, retracts, then rolls into crash again.

It’s a perfect set-up or “me & ‘piph.” If “one chance to guess” is a series of waves lapping at the beach and knocking you on your butt when it comes up under your feet, then “me & ‘piph” just throws you all over the place as if you’re standing on deck of a schooner during a storm at a sea. It’s dynamic and laden with hooks, ending in a drunken stagger of noise-rock clamor.

Armed with (but definitely not limited to) such an emblematic one-two punch, “one more revelation” proves that tinmouth – to obnoxiously jettison the naval metaphor in favor of a boxing one – is a contender worth keeping your eye on.

Light on its feet but concealing loaded gloves, this band floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee - 570 Mine Fire


"tinmouth’s New one more revelation EP Has Arrived"

"one more revelation" is an eclectic display of musical talent and fusion of genres. - WXPN's The Key


Discography

one more revelation - EP 04-09-2013

the avon fisher demos - EP/demo 09-09-2013

says - debut LP - January 2015

Photos

Bio

Somewhere beyond Missed Connections and Casual Encounters, unreformed romantics still pine for an origin myth. A chord shimmers, a snare swaggers, a bass line slithers, and now you know what tinmouth says.

tinmouth sounds familiar because they never shy from genre-bending weirdo worship. Neither abandoning nor wallowing in the past, Timothy, Aaron and Alyssa have emerged from whatever murky estuaries to construct a sound both sophisticated and playful. While the melodies will stick in your brain, the playing is all heart.

Live, tinmouth strips the muscle from the bone -- loose-limbed, lean and limber. 

tinmouth is releasing their debut full-length, "says", produced by Jeff Zeigler (Kurt Vile, War on Drugs, A Sunny Day in Glasgow) in January 2015.

Band Members