What started as a group of friends jamming on secondhand instruments in the basement of their parents’ homes has become Tussle — a band that produces music that’s a mix of funk, electronic, disco and soul.
Since that time in 2001, Tussle has become something of an up-and-coming musical darling, playing shows across the U.S.
“It really all happened because of MySpace and just word of mouth,” said Warren Huegel, one of the band’s two drummers. “Right now we are playing mostly new songs.”
That makes sense to Nathan Burazer, who plays electronics for the band. After all, it takes a few years for a band to settle into its own groove and develop its own sound.
“You know, it was only recently that I really decided that I’m a musician,” said Burazer. “It was probably after the second album that we started settling in.”
Many of Tussle’s songs are born out of improvising, he said. Someone comes in with a piece of a song and then everyone jumps in.
That method of writing began when the group began, and was just a way that the musicians entertained themselves.
Now that’s how they entertain their fans, too, with long, catchy tunes and plenty of energy that keeps the set fast-paced and ever-changing. The music, said Huegel, has developed into something “a little darker, a little noisier” than it was before, as evidenced by the band’s just-released CD, “Cream Cuts.” But that, he said, is what keeps the sound interesting for the band and the audiences.
“It’s cool,” said Huegel of the band’s lineup and collaboration. “It’s almost like having someone keep you on track. We play off each other and it’s really fun.”
For now, the band continues to tour, hoping to gain more fans via college radio and MySpace listens. After all, the group’s true “master plan” is to stay alive in the ever-changing music industry.
“A lot of people pick up our CD or hear us at a party and get interested,” said Burazer. “What we’ve done is just entertain ourselves and that evolved into our music.”
IF YOU GO
Tussle
Venue: Talking Head, 203 Davis St., Baltimore
When: 9 tonight
Details: $5 at the door
Info.: 410-207-8011; www.talkingheadclub.com
