San Francisco’s post-punk garage collective – Meet – JOHN TRAVOLTAGE

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My two cents: give these guys a listen to today and dig on the rock ‘n’ roll.

Meet – John Travoltage

For those unfamiliar with your bands history, can you tell us all how you all met up and decided to start a band?

Richie: Music has always been there for me. My father was a preacher and a faith healer, so I grew up playing gospel music in the church. Puberty ushered in a cliche punk rebellion, and then I moved to California and sort of lost my drive to write and perform. After moving to SF I found myself growing jaded and bored, so I wanted to try something that would be challenging and rewarding and would allow me to drink beer and sweat a lot. I don’t have a lot of skills but I knew I could play guitar and sing, so I decided to write our first record and recruit some soldiers for the front lines. Being in a band is just a way to explore a city, and I think that’s the draw for us. People that play music, or make music a part of their life, are the best kinds of people, and when you play and gig and record you get to meet all of these awesome people and learn from them. We started the band so that we could contribute to that group of people and have fun doing it.

Who would you list as your musical influence?

Pretty much every artist on Drive Thru, Fat Wreck Chords, Fuled By Ramen, Epitaph and Infinity Cat. Pop punk and power rock. DEVIL HORNS


Whats the coolest thing that’s happened to you as a band since you started up?

Every time a venue provides us with food, the boys get pretty fuckin pumped.


What are your hopes and dreams as a band for the next few years?

To write better music, tour with rad bands, and play a show at The Scientology Celebrity Center in LA.


What are some of your favorite albums from the past few years?

“It Never Ends” by Taxes, “Sunglasses and Solar Flares” by the Y Axes, “Scaredy Cat” from Fritz Montana, “Above Snakes” from The Down and Outlaws. I also loved “Gore,” that new Deftones record. Those guys are still unreal. “The Universe Smiles Upon You” from Khruangbin, “Over Easy” by Diet Cig “409” by Purple, “Lose” from Cymbals Eat Guitars and of course that new Foals album.

Do you see any real use for social media , or is it all just a pain in the ass to keep with?

Fuck yes, social media is awesome. We’ve met so many awesome fans and booked gigs and literally have people we’ve never met helping us out. It gives you so much room to manage yourself and rely on your own hustle, which we’re all about.

Do you pay attention to reviews or comments from people about your music or do you just turn that noise off?

I like feedback from people who know what they’re talking about, so it depends on who it’s coming from, but I don’t pay attention to negativity. It’s a waste of time.

If you could tour anywhere in the world, where would you want to go?

Japan. Our buddy just got back from playing in Japan and he said rock shows there are insane. Plus I want to eat my way across Japan. A boy can dream.

Can music save the mortal soul or is just a good backbeat to your life.

Music can destroy and music can save.


Any last thoughts for your fans?

We’re thankful for every person that’s ever taken time out of their day to check us out. We’ll keep making better music, we promise

John Travoltage
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Scott

Co-founder of 50thirdand3rd, stepped away to spend time with family and write. From Pittsburgh, now in Florida, Cool Canadian artist wife, 4 great kids, and two granddaughters!! I'm a lucky guy!

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