Today we’d like to introduce you to Transcendent Band.
Transcendent Band, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
It all started when Covid was still a huge epidemic, and a majority of businesses were still shut down. Many musicians at the time lost their jobs, and many had no gigs to play. Everyone was in their own separate band at the time, and we all were just trying to take advantage of the time we had to write songs and prepare ourselves to perform when the pandemic died down. Eventually, around late November – December of 2020, our guitarist (Brandon) was playing at an open mic for a couple of months. Around the same time, our bassist (Leo) was invited by his former band to check out the place. At first, we were jamming together, showing off our skills as musicians, then later on, were we jamming as an open mic band with one of the drummers that we met. A couple of months went by, and both of Leos’ and Brandon’s bands broke up, and we just decided to form a band together. It was just the 3 of us, and quite frankly, we’re pretty much contempt on staying like this at least for now. We got off to a slow start because at the time, Leo wasn’t trying to stay in the band for too long and Brandon and Joey (our drummer) were just trying to recover from the breakup of their last band. But we all said we were gonna perform together, and around the same month, we were already out playing.
For much of 2021, we were playing at many, many open mics, trying to get as much exposure as possible. We knew eventually we had to try and get bigger gigs, but we didn’t know where to start. At the time, we didn’t know how to network, who to talk to, or even ask for gigs. Our drummer’s father saw how much progress we were making and invited us out to our first real gig. At the time Leo was playing with a second band, and being frequent at a bunch of these open mics, started building a small network for himself. Then one day, a local band called the “Hidden Gems” asked him if he wanted to play at a show. He told them he has a band that has been looking for shows to play at, and around October of that year, we performed. Then, next thing you know, we were playing around town a couple of times a month, meeting new people and local bands to play with.
Everything this year has gone pretty well; we’re still writing songs and performing many shows. Currently, we’re looking for someone to help us record some music. It’s been quite a struggle, but we’re hoping we find someone that can meet our needs. We’re looking at releasing our first single, “Stay Out of The Devil’s Hands,” so we’re really excited to have it finally finished.
We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely hasn’t been a smooth road at all. At first, it was hard to get any of us in for rehearsals because we didn’t know if we wanted to stay as a band after our last ones broke up. Not to mention, getting gigs is pretty difficult, we have a small network of bands we play with, and a lot of the time, there are usually either booked up for their gigs or they got nothing. So, we’re constantly networking for new gigs each month. Our biggest issue currently is finding someone to record for us. We struggle to have income for ourselves let alone spending for a producer to record for us.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
For us, we’re well known for our instrumentals. We use a lot of riffs, and we tend to really innovate beyond the people we look up to, from Bullet for My Valentine, to Slayer, to Band-Maid. Also, the song structure tends to be a lot different and more abstract than most local artists. Although Brandon writes all of our music, we all have had a hand in shaping every song we play. We all put in the hours to practice every day to perfect our craft. It got to a point where lots of people compliment us for our playing. For example, Leo tends to not have a set bassline to play on, he actually improvises all of the songs that we play. The same thing with Joey; everyone has said that they really love his drumming because it’s very complex. Then, our guitarist, loads of people tell him he’s a talented guitar player, and he’s well known for his scream vocals.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Be patient and consistent. We remember a time when we thought we could rule the entire world within a couple of years. When in reality, great music comes in when things happen in your life, and the only outlet that you have is the experiences you have and whatever comes after. Also, the biggest thing is to never stop, not for anything. Plus, we made it this far; we don’t know if we’re ever gonna stop.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/transcendent_band/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Transcendent-109925581718269
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCPPr61btI_ivQyrLvk7riAQ
