Tinker discusses his recent music ventures, tours, and the release of his album “Dirty Pool.” He emphasizes the importance of self-care while on tour and talks about the different genres and styles of his bands. He mentions upcoming shows and how his perspective on bands and events has changed. He also expresses a desire for more camaraderie among bands.
Me: I know that in your first blog post, we talked with you a little about your experience with Wisconsin Music Ventures. How has that been updated and changed since you first had that interview?
Tinker: Since that interview, Reilly recently just got done with their latest tour. We did dates in the Midwest and mainly on the east coast. We got done with that and it was all great and we already are now starting work on formulating another tour, because that never really stops. The tour that we did out East was great. It was super fun. And, we always say it’s like the most important things are that everyone was safe, everyone was healthy, nothing got stolen. We actually made a new song that we completed, it’s not recorded or anything, we literally wrote it for the tour. So that seemed to go over really well and we’re happy with that. It’s definitely in the repertoire now.
Me: What’s something that you’ve learned about your career and your bands since the last interview you had with us?
Tinker: Well, I can tell you this: it’s always good to warm up, stretch, stay hydrated and get enough rest. When you’re touring and you’re playing day after day plus travel and all those sorts of things, sometimes things get thrown by the wayside, but they are important. Just having that confirmation on self-care, especially when you’re traveling. trying to eat well. Like if you’re traveling and you, and you’re stopping someplace, I know that could be a challenge. I mean, I understand that sometimes things are a necessary evil. But just trying to feed yourself is super important.
Me: Could you describe to me what each of your bands kind of sounds like or the message behind them?
Tinker: Yeah. Well, the Beatallica song is a mash up. Oh, Luxe Turnout, which is off the latest Metallica record because that album just came out. So we wanted to work with something off that record and then we used, initially we were gonna mash it up with eight days a week by The Beatles, but then we end up using, she Loves You because we thought it was just more of a hype song.
Me: The Tinker Boys you’ve described as acoustic rock. So you’ve got a lot of different varieties there. Do you feel like you show that in your gigs?
Tinker: Yeah, it’s more like folk rock based. We’ll do some originals, because I write originals solo wise and they might find their way into a set. But a lot of the stuff that Tinker Boys does, those could be three hour, four hour sets and the things that that band does a lot could be like private events, or we will get hired specifically for something the party wants to hear this or that, you know. So, so we might, do a set list, it could be all Celtic, it could be Americana Rock, you could throw in some old dust bowl country stuff in there. It really kind of depends on what the client wants, when they’re hiring that band. And then that will affect who plays the gig. We want that, that person specializing in these songs, there’s a little more give and take with the bands and it’s really just based on client preference.
Me: So, with all of the venues and locations you played, which has been your favorite so far in the past year?
Tinker: Let’s see. Well, the best one for the Beatallica tour, we did this really rad show in Rochester, New Hampshire at that. It was at the Rochester Opera House and told that the balcony at the Rochester Opera House is one of only five balconies in the world that can be raised and lowered per the specs of what their show is. It was a super awesome place, so that was great. We did another really rad show in Holyoke, Massachusetts. It was owned by this Eastern European guy, and the outdoor patio cafe, part of the part of the venue. It reminded us of when we go to Europe and even the food and the catering that they had, it was all this homemade, freshly made stuff by hand that was like really good falafel great salad and stuff like that.
So that was cool. and then we did this really, really nice event for, the Mercy of Home, for boys and girls down in Chicago for the parade day. That’s right on Michigan Avenue. so that’s a really good organization, a really nice event that they had. you know, that’s the cool thing about Riley in March.
Me: Do you feel like from the year 2022 to 2023? Now, there’s been a significant change in your perspective of your bands, like, how you view of the treatment and the way that your bands do events. Is there anything else like you as a group you’ve has changed?
Tinker: let’s see. Well, I know one thing that I always get, I, I’ve had this discussion with, members of other metal bands from Milwaukee. you know, and this, and this is when I was, like, 18, 19 years old, you know, and there was just like this weird posturing sort of rivalry, you know, when you’re younger like that, you know, and it’s like, oh, my band is more brutal, you know, blah, blah, blah. Well, you guys do this. Well, that’s not that cool, you know, and everything, you know, and now it’s like, you know, we all see each other around and we’re all buddies and we’re so, it’s like, why didn’t we all do that? You know what I mean? Cause it’s like you’re not cultivating a scene, you know. You know, so I’m glad to see like, you know, like these bands that are still out there these days, you know.
You know, especially like, you know, and I know Dave and Gregor and all those guys and Vires and all they’re playing, you know, and it’s just like, that’s great, you know, but I just like, I wish we were doing more of that when we were younger, you know. You know, although when you’re younger you’re, you’re probably, you know, you’re dumb and you’re probably, you know, full of testosterone and like, you know, posturing and everything’s more brutal than the next, you know, and all this stuff and, you know, it’s just like I have a lot better time playing now and hanging with all those dudes and what I did when I was, when I was younger, you know. That’s for sure.
Me: I have one goofy question for you. If you were a fruit, what would you be and why?
Tinker: Well, I do love me some just straight up apple. OK. And apple pie is still my favorite type of pie. And I eat apples with peanut butter. I would say at least 3 nights a week.
Tinker: But if I had to choose a strong second, you know, I’m a fan of the raspberry, you know, things like that. We got, we got bushes like that growing in the backyard and everything. So that, that’s all good. But I eat, I eat too many dang apples to not say apples.
Me: You give me apple vibes. My last question for you is what is something that you’re currently working on now that you want people to know about?
Tinker: Oh, let’s see. Well, I mean, I guess mentioning to be talented tour that we’re formulating, you know, because we know it’s coming. It’s just a, it’s just literally in the beginning stages of it. We just started meetings about this like earlier this week, you know, so we know it’s coming. We won’t be playing Milwaukee this year anymore. We did our one Milwaukee show. We don’t, we really only play like once a year or a year. But, so I would think that people should just be, you know, following the log on Instagram, Facebook, going to the website, going to the youtube channel, subscribing, you know, going to the website, picking up, you know, merch and watching the news page because we know that we are going to be announcing other dates. It’s just a matter of where and when, and we’re going to try and get that done as soon as what we can. as far as Riley. it’s, it’s the same thing, you know, you go to the website, you can find out where we’re gonna be. but that band won’t be recording until at least next year again, you know. But, you know, that album is still pretty fresh. I mean, that album is not even a year and a half old.
Tinker: Yeah. Yeah, for sure, for sure. You know. So those, that would be the main thing is, you know, what you people know is that we’re gonna be out there playing and the best way to do that is to go to our social media pages for both bands. You know, Riley’s got, you know, on Facebook and Instagram and the main website and everything. You go to those pages, you can check out the dates, you can check on audio, you can check out video, best way to do it and then you can pick up merch. You know, that’s also the best way, you know, so you can become familiar with what we’re doing. So, no, I don’t think it’s any real, real difference than any other working band out there. You know, that’s what every band wants, you know, for people to know that they’re out and check it out and hopefully they dig it.
- Visit Beatallica’s website here
- Visit Beatallica’s facebook here
- Visit Beatallica’s instagram here
- Visit Beatallica’s twitter here
- Visit Beatallica’s youtube here
- Visit Beatallica’s bandcamp here
- Visit Reilly’s website here
- Visit Reilly’s facebook here
- Visit Reilly’s instagram here
- Visit Tinker Boys’ website here
- Visit Tinker Boys’ facebook here
