Tump

Austin- based quartet Tump’s high octane southern garage rock is grabbing attention in the Live Music Capital of the World, captivating audiences with visceral innovation. “Disheveled elegance” is how Jack Martin (Knoxville Girls, Kid Congo and the Pink Monkeybirds) chooses to praise Tump’s infectious sound. The band dove into it head first, booking their first show only two rehearsals after forming in July 2010… and pulling it off. It’s that chutzpah that pleases crowds and caught the ear of Gold Record Producer Ben Blank (who has worked with everyone from Lucinda Williams and Bob Schneider to Ministry and Grand Master Flash), who added them to the ballot as a contender for the title of The Austin Chronicle’s Best New Band for 2012. It also caught the ear of local legend Chris Gates (Gatesville, Geffen Records’ Junkyard, funk punk pioneers The Big Boys, etc), who booked early shows for Tump as well as co mastering their Wheelchair Knife Fight EP in 2011.
The band’s driving, twang-tinted brand of rock & roll is the result of the merging of the four band member’s diverse backgrounds. Garage rock influenced guitarist/vocalist Jack Garrett Parker started Tump with the intent of making it a honky-tonk act, but drummer Davie Murray’s funk/jazz and rock history, along with bassist Jonah Holt’s punk resume and lead guitarist Curtis Pierce’s jam band experience helped morph the band into the dynamic force that it is today.
Tump’s energetic southern charm wormed it’s way into the band’s sound naturally. Not surprising, since it’s members hail from locales such as a northeast Texas hay farm, a trailer in San Antonio and dusty Tucson, Arizona, not to mention Holt’s train-hopping years.
On Tump’s forthcoming album, rollicking guitars tangle with heavy bass thumps, cowbell peppered drums and Parker’s fevered drawling wail buoyed by Murray’s harmonies. The album was produced by Ohm Recording Facility’s Chico Jones (White Denim, Vietnam, Howe Gelb) and will be released in early October 2012.
In the meantime, you will find Tump doing what they do and love best, writing and playing live. Parker can also be caught collaborating with musicians such as Jack Martin (Knoxville Girls, Kid Congo and the Pink Monkey Birds), Jeff Bouck (68 Comeback, Viva L’american Deathray), as well as session work on an upcoming Rob K 7”. As far as Tump, their dedication and passion for the band has a lot to do with the chemistry they share. “Everybody just gets along and I would be doing this if we never made a dime,” explains Holt. Pierce agrees, “It keeps me sane.” That dynamic translates well to the stage and studio and is contagious. You can tell by the tapping toes and shaking hips at Tump shows.
“The most innovative band I’ve seen on stage in years”- Dan Hardick ~ The Austin Chronicle