This
is music to zone out by. Lyric and lead-line free, Tristeza is a group
that could be background to almost anything you're doing. And, if you listen
to Jimmy Lavalle, that's exactly the point.
"I
don't think we're writing it to be background music, but I think it's better
to have music in the background of everyday life," said Lavalle. But, maybe
that's even a bit simplistic for the music that his mom describes as "dreamy,
ambient melodies."
The
twenty-two year-old Lavalle, who also has just released his second solo
EP, "In an Off-White Room," says his music wasn't always this relaxing.
He performed in pop, punk and grunge bands at first. By his senior year
of high school, it was all hard-core stuff, "with lots of screaming," he
said.
Trying
to put Tristeza's sound into a category is tough, if not impossible. I
had to wonder, however, about the persistant references to its classical
influence -- I wasn't hearing any.
"That's
because it's not there," said Lavalle. Turns out he's a classically-trained
musician, but he's not using those skills with this band.
"Lots
of times, they kinda compare us to another instrumental outfit, 'cause
that's so easy to do," said Lavalle. He adds, however, that it's happening
less these days than in when Tristeza started.
Things
were confusing for everyone then, as the clubs would advertise their names,
and the audiences would come in, expecting the sounds the guys had been
making with other bands.
"At
first, the reaction was like, 'Whoa, what's goin' on here?' -- but now
they know what they're going to hear," said Lavalle.
While
listening to Tristeza's latest CD, "Dream Signals in Full Circles" - (TigerStyle
Records), it would almost be difficult to be distracted. The sound is like
a series of repeated samplings, which subtly come to a calm climax. There's
not much to get excited about here, but plenty of reason to be curious
-- this band packs every house it plays, annd is now on its 15th tour, starting
in Europe and then on to Japan.
While
there is intricacy in Lavalle's guitar work and some inspired percussion
by Jimmy Lehner, with no lyrics, singing, lead lines, I had to wonder why
this group had such a large following. It must be one helluva stage show
... right? 
The
one thing I could not deny, was that the CD played as background to my
work for days, and although I couldn't say I began playing it with any
enthusiasm, it was definitely growing on me. This is music to be enjoyed
on a different level.
I
decided go to Tristeza's last live show in January at the Casbah in downtown
San Diego before they headed out on tour, to see what the big deal was
in person.
The
first thing I noticed, was the friendly crowd, who wasn't there so much
to socialize as to hear good music. Tristeza was the last band up, and
the crowd pressed close in anticipation ... but of what, I wondered.
The
band started up, nodding to the plodding beat, and took the crowd along
for the ride. Each wave was the same as the last, and no different from
the next. No tsunami here, just progressively larger waves, longer, stronger
nods in front of a totally capitavated sea of bobbing heads, drenched in
a red light, in synchonized undulation to crashing cymbals. True to the
CD, Lehner's percussion work was impressive and relentless, the bass was
adequate, the keys droned. Sprague's one-note resonation for every half-lifetime
wore a little on me, but I'm positive that seeing it live was the real
problem. To me, this is a studio group - but the Casbah crowd was transfixed,
looking at nothing, listening intently to everything. In the end, they
burst into enthusiastic applause, and a sense of relief swept the room
as though we'd all emerged somehow relaxed and refreshed from a hypnotherapy
session. It would make great subliminal tape music.
Outside,
after the concert, a very warm and genuine Lavalle asked me if I felt like
I "got it." I told him I did, but in my mind, I was thinking, "I grokked
it." Check some live video of the group at their new Web site: http://www.tristeza.com
