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Sounds Travel
The Story of the Balance And The Traveling Sounds
Text: Andy J. Fergusson in Interview with Jeff Kolhede
Grafik: BTS
Fusing Hip Hop, Jazz, Neo Soul, Rock,
Balance And The Traveling Sounds are just
what they say they are; “balanced.” The
group is the evolution of live instruments,
hip-hop sampling and beat making laid over
raw lyrics.
I have met you a year ago in Berlin while
you were traveling with your friend Brandon.
One could say we both knew the right people.
When did BTS form and have you known
each other before?
We all went to the same school, California
State Northridge (CSUN) in Los Angeles
and met each other either through the music
program, or through various gatherings
within the local music scene. Ryan, Julian,
Alvin (former member) and myself met
within our music department. Ebo and Kirb
were Sociology and Kineseology majors respectively
but practiced music outside of
school. They had grown up together in Santa
Monica and had been collaborating for quite
some time, with Ebo being the producer
and Kirb being the MC. We all collectively
met and began collaborating in 2008. Blake
Estrada provided bass on the Travel Guide
Vol. 1. Scott Fulton whom I later met in the
music department became our official bass
player in May 2010.
Three of us are from the San Francisco
Bay Area. We didn’t know each other prior
to moving to Los Angles, though I was
surprised to find out that some of my San
Francisco friends were close with Julian and
that I had actually jammed at his brother’s
house. It really is a small world.
An eclectic music style of all band members
went on to help BTS give wide recognition
with the first album „Travel Guide Vol.1“.
What about a sequel to “Travel Guide Vol.1”?
We’ve been hard at work on our second
album and are very excited to get it out to
the masses. We feel that it will be a huge
step up from Travel Guide Vol. 1. Like our
first album, the album will be self produced.
Personally, one of the things I love most
about the band is that many of us are also
producers / engineers. I love the fact that
we can do this all ourselves! Compared to
Travel Guide Vol. 1, I can say that the follow
up will be richer in musical texture and orchestration.
I think it will show that we’ve
really grown musically.
In the meantime, we’ve been hard at
work on additional video projects for our
fans which should be released in the near
future. All I can say is that these videos
might feature a cover (as we did on the Daft
Punk track) as well as an original which may
be a part of our second record.
”Something about us” really has gone
through the roof on YouTube and helped to
spread the word over the great pond. Are
you planning on a Tour in the near future?
The Daft Punk cover has really helped
in spreading our music. We’ve been getting
positive love from all over the globe
which we’ve greatly appreciated! We’re looking
forward to eventually making our way
to Berlin. I was in Berlin fairly recently and
was instantly in love with the whole vibe of
the city. Its rich history really inspired me
and I met some wonderful people over there.
Hopefully all of Balance can make it out
there in the near future!
Any last words?
„Our traveling sounds are pleased to
meet you“ - Jeff from Balance And
The Traveling Sounds
The music speaks for itself, relaying
a message that unites all classes and
cultures. KIRB (MC), EBO (producer), Julian
Hogan (drums), Jeff Kolhede (sax), Ryan
Kern (guitar), and Scott Fulton (bass)
make up BTS (Balance and The Traveling
Sounds). Recently, the band has received
international acclaim for their video cover of
the Daft Punk classic „Something About Us“,
which has since been watched in over 85
different countries. With an original sound
that is clean and fresh, yet also pays respect
to those who came before them, the band‘s
mission is to uplift listeners in celebration
of beautiful music...
Info
Das aktuelle Album ist auch
im iTunes-Store erhältlich
http://www.myspace.com/balance123
http://soundstravel.blogspot.com/
http://soundcloud.com/bts
http://twitter.com/soundstravel
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