1) Introduce yourself
- We are Tommy & the Tangerines, a rock band from Boulder, CO. We are 5 ordinary guys and 1 lovely gal known for putting on fun, wild shows that get everyone moving. Mic C is our main man up front on the mic, Matthew and Ian Hendrick handle vocals/ryhtm guitar and lead guitar respectively, Laura Stratton is on keys, Patrick Coleman plays bass, and Ben Batchelor plays the drums. We’ve been a band for about 19 months now, and mostly play inside of Colorado, but we’ll be playing our first out-of-state shows in the coming months, including AZ, KS, IA and IL.
2) How did you come up with your stage name?
We used to go to the same open mic in Boulder every week, and would always fly under a different name. One week it was Atomic Tangerine, like the crayon, but the MC mis-spoke and announced Tommy Tangerine, and he said it again after we corrected him… We never could figure out if it was a slight or not, but it stuck nonetheless.
3) What sets you apart from other aspiring artists?
Our songs, they have a certain familiar quality, yet they are wholly our own. After every show we hear someone say something like, “Hey, who wrote that song?” Then we have to humbly explain that it was our own. Matt is our principal songwriter, and has worked very hard at crafting our musical direction, and the six of us represent some vastly different
personalities and life experiences, and that translates into how we individually approach music. The result is our own fingerprint on what is the living tradition of American music.
4) What single or project are you currently promoting?
Our debut EP, “Main Squeeze.” It was recorded in one day at Coupe Studios in Boulder, with only a few vocal and guitar solos overdubbed, so it has a very live sound to it. These 5 songs are some of the very first that we played together, and nicely capture the vibe of our live performances. There’s a good mix here, from the pop/punk sounding “Sam I Am” to the country-tinged “Great Mistake” to a blues/soul number called “Face,” it’s a good sampling of what we do.
5) What is the philosophy by which you live by?
Lighten up. Like any business and life in general, being a musician has plenty of ups and downs, so it’s no use getting bent out of shape when things don’t go your way. With all the horrors and real crises happening around the world, music is a privilege to engage in and can often seem like a trivial pursuit. Keeping this perspective helps us keep our egos in check, and at the end of the day, maybe it saves us a little stress, too.
6) Which artists have inspired you to pursue music?
We all love the old and newer classic groups of pop and rock music. From The Beatles and Bob Dylan, to Michael Jackson and Hall and Oates, to contemporary greats like Wilco and Arcade Fire. We came together because of our admiration for great songwriting, strong lyrical content and quality, and just cool, vintage instrumentation, though we do love synthetic, rear-shaking sonics as well.
(8) What is your opinion of the current state of the music industry?
We love it! It’s a level playing field. In other words, if you want it bad enough, there’s nothing stopping you from manifesting your own vision, and getting it into people’s hands and building a fan-base grassroots style. This is how capitalism is supposed to work, no? Of course, it wouldn’t be this way at all if not for technology, but as a result, it’s much more competitive and requires a lot of sacrifice, but what industry doesn’t? Music has also lost a lot it’s mystique to the non-musician crowd, but we can’t bemoan that, music is for everyone, like a birthright, and everyone can create and share in this experience. The myth of the rock star is dead, and that’s a good thing.
9) If you could change one thing about the music industry what would it be and why?
True artistry seems to be undervalued by the mainstream media, and ticket prices for live shows are prohibitively expensive for the common people. These two things seem to have the same problem in common – the need for large companies to make lots of money, and I think this reflects the greater struggle our society is trying to reconcile right now. And like the greater movement for social and economic equality, people are finding what they need and desire within their own communities, with each other, and are having very valuable
experiences of their own making. We like to think that when the larger collective fully realizes this, money will be less of an impediment to living a fulfilling life full of creative opportunities.
10) Are there any singers/bands that you would like to collaborate with in the future?
Of course! There are so many awesome groups out there today. Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, just to play with those horns would be so much fun. Yeasayer creates such great textures, it’d be nice to borrow a little of that magic. And Mic has always wanted to have a duet with Billy Joel.
11) What producer would you like to collaborate with in the future?
A musician’s musician, like Danny Elfman. Or a dance-hit maker like Beck.
12) What Is your favorite movie and favorite book?
I don’t think we could agree on one movie all together, but we’re unanimous in our hatred for the Star Wars Prequels, some of us still need therapy after that experience. True Romance might be a good bet for a group favorite. Favorite book: Lawrence Norfolk’s “Lempriere’s Dictionary”
13) What is your favorite part of your live show? How has It evolved?
Once in a while, Mic C will strip off his traditional attire to reveal some “other kind” of under garments. It’s novelty for sure, but we’ll never forget the look on his sister’s face the first time he did it. But really, the best moments occur when the audience is singing along to the originals. “Face” and “Really Long Time” often get that treatment. It’s a validation that people enjoy our music.
14) What is your LP going to be like?
We’ve got a lot of strong songs that are going to make our LP a fantastic listen. Fans can definitely expect the production quality to be much higher this time around, as we will have a respectable budget and plenty of time to make it to our liking. You can expect more light-hearted and feel-good tunes, but this LP will show a few more sides to us, some dark, some deep, some things unexpected. Look for it in late 2012.
15) Any final words for the people -
We are an independent band – we like to do things our own way, make our own mistakes and learn as we go. It wouldn’t feel right to us if someone else did all the hard work, there would be no fulfillment in that, but helping others to realize this for themselves in whatever pursuits they fancy is where the ultimate fulfillment lies. It’s nice to make great music and have fun on stage, but without a real connection to other human beings and a feeling of community and cooperation, this just wouldn’t be worth it.
www.tommyandthetangerines.com
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