Leather Tramp performed a lively concert in the University Student Union Wednesday as part of ASI’s Noontime Concert Series; they brought their “folkestra” sound to campus.
The 12-person band combines indie and folk rock, and because of this the band has dubbed their music a “folkestra.”
Junior music major Jake Abernathie leads the pack, he plays acoustic guitar and provides lead vocals for Leather Tramp.
“We played our first show just for friends and family at a local coffee shop in my hometown of Yucaipa, Calif.,” Abernathie said. “I didn’t think it was going to continue as a permanent group after that just because of the sheer size of the band—logistically, I didn’t think it would ever actually work.”
Despite the band’s size, their unique genre caught the crowd’s attention that night. After they finished playing Abernathie said people took notice.
“It turned out to be a pretty big event,” Abernathie said. “People started coming up to us asking, ‘Hey, when’s your next show?’”
Abernathie said that, even though many of the band members met each other that night, that’s when things started to really take off for this “folkestra.”
On Aug. 9, the band celebrated their one-year anniversary by playing at a hip little venue called AmplyFi, an intimate place across the street from Paramount Studios in Los Angeles.
“It’s behind an Astro Burger,” Abernathie said. “You wouldn’t even know it existed unless you were told about it and when you walk in, it looks like someone’s hippy living room.”
Leather Tramp has also performed at venues like Skinny’s Lounge in North Hollywood and the Federal Bar in Long Beach.
And Wednesday, CSULB got to hear the band’s unique genre in the USU for free. A couple in the crowd waltzed while the band performed “Your Ex-Lover is Dead” by Stars.
One of Leather Tramp’s most popular original songs is their single “Strays.” It’s a soft-beat melody about stray dogs trying to make their way home. Abernathie wrote the lyrics after a personal encounter with a stray dog driving home late one night.
“It was like 2 a.m., and out of nowhere this dog came out from the darkness at full speed and ran right past my car back into the darkness again,” Abernathie said. “That one little moment inspired me to write this song about trying to find a place called home.”
Other band members from CSULB include: Elizabeth Chavez on violin, Miko Shudo on violin, Lawrence Pi on saxophone, John-Michael O’Brien on vibraphone, Marc Encabo on bass, Cole Syverson on cello, Gary Soland on trombone and Chandler Riley on trumpet.
“We definitely prefer that nice folky feel, but we can play the super loud stuff too,” said junior psychology student Riley. “We really enjoy playing together.”
Leather Tramp is working on an album that will be self-produced with some their best songs. More information about Leather Tramp can be found at https://www.facebook.com/leathertramptheband; you can also find their music on iTunes.
AW MAN THESE GUYS ARE RAD! They’re such a great group of people that vibe really well. It’s a total bummer that the other three non-Long-Beachers (Sydney, Lucas, and Flint I think?) didn’t get mentioned though. They deserve mad props for sticking with the band since their roots in Yucaipa and continuing to come down here as often as they do. The band wouldn’t be the same with them. Shame that you guys didn’t give them the credit they deserve just because they don’t go here. I bet the band probably doesn’t like that their bandmates aren’t getting any love. It feels like an incomplete representation of the band and how committed the are to each other.
You forgot three band members! Sydney Funderburk on vocals and bells, Flint Lidar on the drums, and Lucas Cathey on electric guitar.
These young men and women showed what our music department is all about. Leather Tramps sound is very entertaining and was a joy to listen to and watch!