Kurt Travis
| Kurt Travis | |
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 Travis performing with Dance Gavin Dance in 2010 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Kurt Thomas Travis |
| Born | January 16, 1984 |
| Origin | Sacramento, California, U.S. |
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| Years active | 2003–present |
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Kurt Thomas Travis (born January 16, 1984) is an American singer, songwriter, and musician from Sacramento, California. He is best known as the former lead vocalist for the post-hardcore band Dance Gavin Dance. He joined A Lot Like Birds for four years. He is currently part of the musical trio Eternity Forever, and also the musical duo Push Over.
Travis began his musical career in 2003. He helped start the Sacramento based post-hardcore band Five Minute Ride, releasing the EP, Bathroom Walls... Lipstick Secrets, and the debut studio album The World Needs Convincing of All That It's Missing on Rise Records. Travis later formed the folk music project There & Back Again in 2006. Following these two short-lived musical projects, Travis helped form the experimental rock band No Not Constant in July 2007, later releasing one self-titled bootleg album and disbanding the same year. In 2008, Travis became the lead vocalist and songwriter for the rock band O! the Joy, recording their debut studio album, Zen Mode (2008), at Tiny Telephone Studios in San Francisco, California. Following his underground success, Travis joined the post-hardcore band Dance Gavin Dance as the clean vocalist, replacing original vocalist Jonny Craig. With the group, he released two full-length studio albums, Dance Gavin Dance (2008) and Happiness (2009), on Rise Records and toured worldwide with other successful rock bands such as Closure in Moscow, Scary Kids Scaring Kids, Emarosa, among others. After three years with the band, it was revealed that Travis departed from Dance Gavin Dance in August 2010. Less than a year later, Travis joined as clean vocalist in the post-hardcore group A Lot Like Birds, releasing the studio albums Conversation Piece (2011) and No Place (2013) through Equal Vision Records. In February 2016, it was revealed that Travis left the group to pursue other musical endeavours. He helped amalgamate the math rock trio Eternity Forever in 2016; the group released the Fantasy EP on April 20, 2017. He also formed the post-hardcore duo Pushover, along with The Fall of Troy member Thomas Erak, releasing a demo EP in January 2017.
As a solo musician, Travis released his debut EP, Wha Happen?, an acoustic inspired pop album, in January 2012. He released his eponymously titled second EP on March 12, 2013 through Equal Vision Records. In support of these two release, he toured as support on tours with Jonny Craig, Hail the Sun, The Seeking, among others. Throughout 2013 and 2014, Kurt Travis wrote and recorded his debut studio album Everything Is Beautiful (2014), which was later released in May 2014 on Blue Swan Records. Everything Is Beautiful was recorded throughout a two year time period between Travis and Strawberry Girls guitarist Zachary Garren, who pursued guitar parts on the record. In support of the album, he embarked on a solo tour with Hotel Books and So Much Light in 2014. Travis launched his own independent record label named Esque Records in 2015.[1] In February 2016, he released as split EP with musician Paul Travis on his label Esque Records.
Musical career
2003–08: Five Minute Ride, No Not Constant, and O! the Joy
In 2003, Travis joined the Sacramento based post-hardcore band Five Minute Ride. With the band, he released the EP, Bathroom Walls... Lipstick Secrets, followed by their debut studio album, The World Needs Convincing of All That It's Missing, through Rise Records. The group later disbanded in February 2005.[2]
No Not Constant, another post-hardcore project based in Sacramento, California, consisting of Kurt Travis, Julian Loy, Tony Marks, Josh Benton. Alex Fleshman and Dale Arseneau, formed in 2007. The band was described as a "nu-jazz" and "indie pop" group and were heavily praised throughout the Northern California music scene. The band was short-lived, however, and disbanded the same year.[3]
After numerous trial and errors with previous rock bands Five Minute Ride and O! the Joy, as well as his folk music project There & Back Again, he joined the post-hardcore band O! the Joy.[4] With the band, he released one full-length studio album, titled Zen Mode (2008), which was recorded at Tiny Telephone Recording Studios in San Francisco, California.[5] Despite underground success, the group disbanded the same year.
2008–10: Dance Gavin Dance
In late 2007, Kurt Travis replaced Jonny Craig as the singer for the American post-hardcore band Dance Gavin Dance.[6] The band released 2 albums with Travis: one self-titled (also known as the "Death Star" album), releasing a music video for "Me and Zoloft Get Along Just Fine" and another album, titled Happiness, which spawned the single and music video for "Tree Village."
On August 18, 2010, Alternative Press announced Kurt's departure from Dance Gavin Dance via a press release from the band. He was replaced by the band's former vocalist Jonny Craig. The split was amicable, with Dance Gavin Dance officially stating "[they] and Kurt remain friends, and they wish Kurt the best in all of his future endeavors".[7]
2011–16: A Lot Like Birds
On January 9, 2011, A Lot Like Birds announced Kurt Travis would be joining the band as a second vocalist.[8] Since joining the band, they have released 2 studio albums, Conversation Piece (2011) and No Place (2013) and embarked on a nationwide tour with Just Like Vinyl and Dance Gavin Dance. Due to Jonny Craig's inability to tour at this time, Kurt also sang for Dance Gavin Dance, sharing duties with Lower Definition lead vocalist Matt Geise.
On February 20, 2016, Travis departed from A Lot Like Birds.[9]
2016–present: Side-projects and solo endevours
Eternity Forever, an American math rock supergroup composed of Travis, Strawberry Girls drummer Ben Rosett, and former CHON bassist Brandon Ewing, was formed in Carmel, California in December 2016.[10] The group recorded their debut studio album in the first week of December at Spirit Vision Studios in Carmel. On January 25, 2017, the group released the single "Fantasy", announcing their debut EP, Fantasy, which is set to be released on Esque Records and Spirit Vision Records on April 20, 2017. Another single, "Letting Go", was released on February 28, 2017.[11]
Another musical group, consisting of Kurt Travis and The Fall of Troy founding member Thomas Erak, named Push Over, was revealed on January 28, 2017. Travis announced that the duo were composing new material for an upcoming release in 2017.[12] A demo EP was released on February 5, 2017.[13]
On May 31, 2017, Travis released the song "No Apologies", featuring Strawberry Girls.[14]
Discography
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References
- ↑ "Kurt Travis starts new record label: Esque Records : PostHardcore". reddit. Retrieved January 26, 2016.
- ↑ http://www.last.fm/music/Five+Minute+Ride/+wiki
- ↑ http://www.last.fm/music/No+Not+Constant/+wiki
- ↑ http://www.last.fm/music/O!+The+Joy/+wiki
- ↑ http://www.last.fm/music/O!+The+Joy/+wiki
- ↑ Donnelly, Dave (December 19, 2007). "New Dance Gavin Dance Singer". Sputnikmusic.
- ↑ .
- ↑ "A Lot Like Kurt". AbsolutePunk.net. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
- ↑ "A Lot Like Birds LP IV". Retrieved February 21, 2016.
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=221049781674809&id=219725231807264
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/ETERNITYFOREVEROFFICIAL/videos/263886874057766/
- ↑ https://twitter.com/kurttravis/status/825831153353494530
- ↑ https://pushovermusic.bandcamp.com/
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/kurttravismusic/posts/1558149694209578
- ↑ "Amarionette - "Get It Right" feat. Kurt Travis OFFICIAL VIDEO". Esque Records. July 27, 2016.