We Say…

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It would be fair to say that the debut Tincho album, Home Today, was a long time in the making. Starting life as the brainchild of Marty Karleta, originally from Chicagoland (the rather brilliant name of the Chicago metropolitan area), the band came together in Seattle, when, after releasing a pair of solo EP’s, Marty expanded Tincho to the four-piece band that played on Home Today. The album was recorded back in 2017, and described by the band as the “Seattle Album”, as it coincided with all the members being in one city before they dispersed around the world. Two years on, the album finally saw the light of day back in September, and thankfully was well worth the wait.

Tincho’s sound is an impressive amalgam of their love of lo-fi slop-pop and their inability to turn down a gorgeous pop song. There’s a touch of early The Walkmen or Juan De Fuca in their combination of pounding rhythms, rapid guitar lines and more melodic interludes.  The production throughout feels honest and just the right level of raw, the vocals are mixed low, allowing the choppy guitars, which possess a touch of Lift To Experience’s ability to make six-strings sound like an emotional breakdown, to take centre stage. With the band moving on with new members, and hopefully new music on the horizon, Tincho are a tribute to musical evolution, to keeping going and to great songwriting always finding a way into the world, even if it takes a while!

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They Say…

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FTR: For those who don’t know who are Tincho?

Tincho started off as the solo project of Marty Kaleta in the basements of Chicagoland as a way to get back into writing guitar driven songs after years of dabbling in synth pop. After releasing two solo EPs and moving to Seattle for work opportunities, Kaleta enlisted a few other Midwest transplants and a Washington local to start work on the debut album “Home Today.” Tincho has always aimed to modernize and streamline 90s college rock a la Sebadoh and Archers of Loaf by combining it with dream pop via Beach Fossils and Deerhunter. “Home Today” capitalizes on the catchy vocal melodies and slacker riffs of the first couple EPs and combines it with a newfound maturity that only comes from experimenting with others in a new place. It’s a more refined yet still fun sound. At its core, “Home Today” is a record about transitioning to a new city that is also going through a transition of its own. Since completion of the album, the transplants all left Seattle so we are dubbing this our “Seattle record” as it paints a picture of the band at that specific point in time. Tincho is still a band today, just a new permutation.

FTR: What can you remember about your first show?

Our first show as a full band was at Victory Lounge in Seattle on a warm spring night in May 2016. I remember that we opened and it was still light outside which was weird because it was already like 9 PM. It may be because I’m not from Seattle and never knew “good ole Seattle” but Victory Lounge and the venues adjacent to it are the closest existing things to the hey days of Seattle before the tech boom in my mind. I remember that we had a decent size crowd which was rad considering it was our first show and we played relatively early in the night. I also remember our bassist Dan ordered a hot dog with his drink ticket instead of a beer.

FTR: Why do you make music? Why not another art form?

Short answer: I don’t know how to draw and I have a mathematical mind which can stifle creativity. Long answer: Music has never been about just the songs for Tincho – it’s also about taking the time to make the album covers, fliers, shirts, etc. I was lucky enough to come of age in a strong DIY scene in the burbs of Chicago where we put on shows in my parents’ kitchen, made our own cd covers, and shot our own videos even though we had no idea what we were doing. That’s had a lasting impact on me and continues to inspire me to try new things or improve my rudimentary skills in photography and graphic design especially when I’m stuck on a song. We’ve loved collaborating with friends in the past to broaden our capabilities but it’s always rewarding to make the music, have that done, and then focus on the artwork.

FTR: What can people expect from the Tincho live show?

Like any good concert, a Tincho live show is a bit louder, faster, and sloppier than what you’ll hear on the record. We don’t get around to playing too many live shows nowadays as we are all dispersed but when we’re together, it’s like we never left. That’s the best part about playing music with your friends.

FTR: What’s next for Tincho?

The original lineup formed for “Home Today” is currently spread across three continents so we’re not sure if that lineup will ever be back together but we hope to play some shows around Seattle with an updated cast of characters and release a physical copy of the record in late 2019. Other than that, I’ve been working on LP2 since I’ve been living and working in South America for the past few years. It’s another solo record per se but hopefully I’ll be able to bring it back to the US to play the new ones live. That should be out in early 2020.

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They Listen To…

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Deportistas – Un Poco Bocco

Engine Summer – Carol’s Dead

Retrospecter- Drain-O

Peel Dream Magazine – Art Today

Sunking – Free Refills

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Home Today is out now. Click HERE for more information on Tincho.