John Travoltage

The debut EP of John Travoltage may be titled Done to Death, but that certainly doesn't make their charmingly familiar brand of power-pop any less catchy. Recalling everything from the heavier side of Cheap Trick to the scrappy '90s pop-punk of Superchunk, this San Francisco-based four-piece delights with their seemingly boundless energy, penchant for loud, bright guitar lines and wry, pointed lyrics.

Single "Buckskin" is the one you'll want to crank--with its charging chorus and boisterous back-beat, it's likely to induce enthusiastic mosh pits at live shows. The accompanying music video emphasizes the band's quirkier side. It's replete with obscure horror movie clips spliced between a live performance, a timely release with Halloween lurking right around the corner.

The Loose, I Am The Albatross, John Travoltage, Joan and the Rivers
Eli's Mile High Club
October 23, 2015
8pm, $7 (21+) - The Bay Bridged

Hey remember when you first heard the name “Ringo Deathstarr” and you were all like “Oh that’s funny ha ha what a band name derp derp” and then you actually heard them and it blew you away and suddenly you cared more about the music than the name and the name immediately became an afterthought?

Yeah, that ruled. What a day.

Well here comes John Travoltage of San Francisco, and “Oh that’s funny ha ha what a band name derp derp.” We got that out of the way early, because the band’s summer single “Buckskin” is hitting a sweet spot for us this morning, especially after all those Hüsker Dü reunion posts. And with the indie-punk dudes’ new EP, Done To Death, out on Tuesday, with a record release party October 23 at Eli’s Mile High Club in Oakland, we figured we’d show them some East Coast love.

John Travoltage tell Vanyaland they have a bunch of news and announcements set for release in the coming weeks, but for today let’s just take a moment to digest the blitzing bliss of “Buckskin.” Check out the video below, as well as release party details on the flyer down south. - Vanyaland

Travoltage isn’t an ironically named man. It’s a bunch of dudes making garage pop with raw punk intentions out of a studio in SOMA. They even have a well focused (yet verbose) mission statement to “subvert the inherent nature of pop aesthetics with bratty and iconoclastic lyrics that shove a decidedly adult middle finger at the notions of celebrated mediocrity, capitalist hierarchy, and Western exceptionalism that run rampant within the narrative of the modern American nouveau-urban denizen.” Here’s their latest leaked single, “Good Enough for Sum,” off their debut EP, Done to Death, dropping October 20th.

“Wasting your time with lots of cheap thrills.”

John Travoltage will perform on October 23rd at Eli’s Mile High Club. - Free Bike Valet

Earlier this year, the punk rockers of the band John Travoltage broke into San Francisco’s music scene with their highly energetic tracks, ‘Buckskin’ and ‘Smashing Darling’. Rooted in the rebellious nature of bands like NoFx and Rx Bandits, members Richie Tubman (lead vocals/rhythm guitar), Alan Saura (lead guitar), Bradley Quilici (Bass), and Joe Peters (Drums), are strumming out insurgent rock anthems in their anticipated debut EP, Done to Death.

Check out BoC’s interview with John Travoltage, and make sure to catch them at Eli’s Mile High Club in Oakland on October 23rd!

INTERVIEW

Who is John Travoltage and what is your music all about?
John Travoltage: John Travoltage is about whatever you want it to be. It’s a rorschach test for your ear holes. As long as it’s about rock and roll.
How did you all get together?
Rich: We all met through me. I grew up with Joe in Maui and he was always a ripping drummer. We went to the same Jr High. Alan and I met in LA, but he’s from Maui as well, which is crazy. Brady and I met when I moved to SF, and we had been playing together here and there. I went off and wrote a bunch of songs and then just told the rest of the guys to show up at our practice space. They all met for the first time as John Travoltage.
If each member can order a last meal of your lives, what would you order?
Rich: I’d call the aunties at Sam Satos in Maui and have them send me a dry noodle plate with a bunch of teriyaki beef sticks. Also a bottle of bourbon because I fear death.
Alan: Spam musubi
Brady: hmmm…something cooked at my parents’ house by my Mom.
Joe: O­Tori
You are about to drop your debut EP, Done to Death, on October 20th, 2015. Why should we be excited for this?
John Travoltage: Be excited because people are still making fast, fun, rock music in San Francisco. Be excited because you’re ALIVE, man!
How did you go about picking which songs to put on the EP?
John Travoltage: We picked them because they’re awesome… and because we only had enough money for three days of recording.
Are you doing anything to celebrate this release?
John Travoltage: Writing more music.
What is your favorite Bay Area venue to play at?
John Travoltage: Milk Bar gave us our first gig, so we love them. They put on great shows and support the local scene. Props to them.
Friday night, San Francisco, where is John Travoltage hanging out?
John Travoltage: Either at our practice space or a band field trip, catching a show or playing a gig. We’re not party animals, we take all of this pretty seriously.
If John Travoltage could collaborate with another artist or musician, who would it be and why?
Rich: Fred Armisen. I love musicians that do more than just music, and that dude is always working. He’s insanely cool.
Alan: J Mascis. Because fuzz pedals.
Brady: Josh Homme.
Joe: Chili Peppers pre­-Californication. They seem like awesome dudes and I think we could write some badass music together.
What’s next for John Travoltage? What should we look forward to?
John Travoltage: We’d love to get a residency somewhere in SF, but until then we’re going to keep writing and playing and churning music out. - Black on the Canvas

John Travoltage - “Smashing Darling”
Headlining El Rio on December 10 with fellow locals The Family Flaw and Sea Dramas - The Bay Bridged

This year, The Bay Bridged published over 1000 articles spotlighting the best of independent music, including coverage of over 200 San Francisco Bay Area bands. To take stock of all of the great local music released this year, we pored over the wealth of stories we've written about local acts over the past twelve months and gathered this massive Spotify mega-playlist of 175 songs released by San Francisco Bay Area bands in 2015.

Yes, this playlist includes eleven and a half hours of music from a very wide range of genres. It's a collection that demonstrates that an amazing number of great emerging artists call our region home. As we head into the tail end of our end-of-the-year fundraising campaign, this mix reminds us of why our coverage of local music matters: because there's far too much talent here for it to go unnoticed. As you listen to the full playlist below, please do consider supporting our work with a tax-deductible donation; we've got a number of terrific gifts for donors, and your support will help us continue to make an impact in 2016.

If you're looking for a more curated selection of standouts, do stay tuned for our coverage of the best of 2015 from our staff writers and some guest bloggers, which we'll be rolling out through the end of the year. Enjoy the playlist, and here's to another great year in SF Bay Area music in 2016!

Curious for how this year stacked up compared to others? Check out our similar wrap-up playlists for 2013 and 2014 for many more hours of great local tunes.

(P.S. Obviously, we were only able to include artists on Spotify and we probably missed some folks while we compiled this. Any notable omissions? Let us know in the comments.) - The Bay Bridged

John Travoltage is a new music art project whose members hail from San Francisco, and who are releasing their debut EP “Done to Death” today, October 20th. In addition they’ve got a live show lined up at Eli’s Mile High Club in Oakland in just a few short days on the 23rd.

The band reportedly draws their influences from the likes of retro-rock acts like The Minutemen, Superchunk and Pavement, skate and surf punk bands like NOFX and Rancid, and contemporary neo-garage bands like Wavves and Japandroids. We are hearing that and more favorite bands like Dinosaur Jr here, a very strong effort from the first track on the new EP alongside the second effort and accompanying new video for ‘Buckskin’ below.

The band has a lot planned for the next few months so make sure to bookmark social links as follows: - Insomnia Radio

Meet SF’s own John Travoltage. Aside from having (arguably) one of the cleverest band names we’ve heard in awhile, ‘JTV’ has a message we can stand behind.

“We’re embracing the DC punk ethos and adding our own distinct West Coast surf vibe,” says frontman Richard Tubman.

Sound interesting? Try “Buckskin”, the first track off their first EP. - The Owl Mag

An indie-pop-punk proposition from San Francisco, John Travoltage are a (very well named) group with a fun, catchy sound. The band are ramping up to a busy few months, which will include the release of debut EP ‘Done To Death’ in October. ‘Buckskin’, below, is one of the lead singles from the EP, and bodes well for what’s to come: - The Music News Site

I wrote briefly about my sessions with John Travoltage a few months ago, but honestly I can't say enough about this band. In about a week's time, we came to the conclusion of a new EP from this heavy garage pop band from San Francisco. One of these songs, Buckskin, now has an excellent video to go along with it! It combines two of my favorite things - found footage and zombies. Its a really pleasant surprise seeing it paired up with big guitar hooks, fantastic lyrics and the sound of a band being...well a band. More in store, so be sure to watch carefully below and study up! Many musings to come from these Dianetic geniuses. - Brad Dollar

In the twenty third episode of CCJam, kevie introduces the listeners to California rock band John Travoltage. They are active on Facebook, Soundcloud, Jamendo and Reverbnation. The tracks on this episode do contain some language that some listeners may find offensive, for that reason it carries a NSFW label. The track included in this podcast are: - Unseen Studio