MKNZ Ilirska Bistrica, Saturday, 17.02.2001:

TRISTEZA (USA)
+ KRAMFID (Ljubljana)

Luis Hermosillo / bass
Jimmy Lehner / drums
Christopher Sprague / guitars
Stephen Swesey / keyboards
Jimmy Lavalle / guitars

Born approximately three years ago, Tristeza has rapidly become one of San Diego's most talked about bands. Although the band's members have served time in such seminal outfits as The Locust, Crimson Curse, Swing Kids, Gogogo Airheart and others, Tristeza's sound has a character all its own. The group's intense touring schedule and steadily growing discography shows an extreme dedication to their profession, as they constantly evolve and mature as young artists. Youth is the key factor in the band's motivation and energy. The youth will change the world, and Tristeza will change the world of music. Tristeza's first release was the wonderfully orchestrated, beautifully packaged "Foreshadow" b/w "Smoke Through Glass" 7" on Caffeine vs. Nicotine. The band embarked on its first three tours for the promotion of the single, and it became Bottlenekk Distribution's top selling single of 1998.

With much practice and tremendous anticipation from the music world, Tristeza recorded ten songs with Tim Green (Unwound, Melvins, Bikini Kill) at Louder Studios in San Francisco, CA. These sessions mark their debut full-length record, Spine and Sensory, a brilliant blend of colorful, mildly psychedelic dream-rock. This album, released by Makoto Recordings, expands beyond the typical elements of rock music twisting and winding between smooth beats and jazzy tempos, not for a moment sounding harsh. Kaleidoscopic guitar notes dance over levitating synth hum, drawing listeners into a world of sugary melodies and bouncing rhythms, flowing through dimensions of time and space.

With the release of their debut album, the band hit the road for a three-week celebration of the release. The success of that tour and the release of the record on vinyl brought the band to the road once again, this time for eight weeks. Prior to tour, the group teamed up Insound and organized the first in a series of cd-ep releases known as the "Insound Tour Support Series," a series of limited edition releases dedicated to helping bands on the road. These songs were recorded in the gap between tours in Los Angeles, CA by Mike Hammel (Juniper, The Mondo Crescendo) at Last Time Around in Echo Park. The extremely successful tour brought Tristeza home to the release of the "Macrame" single on Rocket Racer. This single, along with the cd-ep highlighted the band's expanding sound, and interest in electronic music.

Tristeza's sophomore full-length album (on Tiger Style) will hit stores in September. Recorded at Kingsize Studios in Chicago with Dave Trumfio (The Pulsars), this album marks a tremendous musical progression for the band. Fresh off another U.S. tour with the likes of Mouse on Mars, Trans Am, Guided By Voices and many others, Tristeza will hit the road again this fall in support of their forthcoming release.