New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Traveller are a band on the ascendant. Their latest single 'Been Waiting' follows the success of their debut EP 'All This Time' and with headline shows at legendary venues such as King Tuts Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow, the band are one of the UK's most exciting new musical prospects.
The Scottish based Rock band are Gerry Sheridan on lead vocals, guitar and piano,
Martin Yves on lead guitar and backing vocals, Brian Socha on bass and
Simon Usher on drums, backing vocals and piano. With airplay earned in over seventy countries and counting, Traveller are winning fans all over the world with their polished and melodic Rock.
Founder member
Simon Usher, says "There wasn't much music in my house when I was growing up. My mum and dad weren't very musical but there was an old upright piano upstairs on the landing of our house which I would mess about with and there were a few records stacked on a shelf in the sitting room that I would dig out and play repeatedly on their old record player, the best of which were by The Dutch Swing Band and Trini Lopez! I remember discovering ABBA and being fixated by the tight harmonies in many of their songs. I guess they were the first ever band for me that I really connected with because of that, but my first ever album on cassette tape was a pivotal experience for me. It was 'Tunnel of Love' by
Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band. I used to shut myself away for hours on end in my bedroom listening to those tracks on repeat reflecting myself within the music and lyrics and focusing on what I hoped would be my musical destiny. Bruce Springsteen's amazing soul and passion for music is what I am truly drawn towards.
For Simon, his musical journey began when he moved to Yorkshire to study Jazz at The Leeds College of Music. Following garduation and a return to Scotland he founded a music agency called The Gig Supply placing bands into venues all over Scotland. The agency gained a good reputation and won a regional business award for innovation as well as gaining lots of respect from bands and venues across Scotland. It was at this time that
Simon first met Brian, Traveller's bass player. As members of a band called Suburbia they were signed to a small independent record label called City of Angels and we wrote and rehearsed daily in an old farm shed in the Scottish borders. Chosen to become the house band for a 'Hype', a BBC Choice TV show, they travelled down to London each week to appear live, performing a new song and playing a couple of covers on each episode. Tony Visconte, after appearing as a guest, was so impressed with the band that invited them to New York to spend a day with him in his studio.
Of the highlights of his time with Suburbia,
Simon says "we travelled to Los Angeles under a small arrangement with Capitol Records to try and secure a bigger deal. The plan was to stay out there and record some new material and play a showcase gig at the legendary Viper Rooms in front of a packed venue of industry folk. We worked with producer Joe Barresi and released a single called Always which became part of the sound track for EA Games, FIFA 2004 football game. There was a lot of interest in the band at the time and the Viper Room gig was one of the best I had ever played at. Unfortunately, in the end our label negotiations didn't work out, we returned home exhausted after a whirlwind experience and not really knowing what options we had for the future. After a short spell back, we decided to take a break from music however we have all since remained good friends.
Having known bandmate Gerry from the local live circuit,
Simon explains that it was at Gerry's sister's wedding where the two connected again. "Gerry was also singing a few songs on his acoustic guitar. I was blown away once more by his voice and style. He has a beautiful tone and vocal range. I felt that there was something very special about his sound and of course he is also a great guy. We decided to write some music together. I knew our bass player Brian lived in the same area so we tracked him down through a mutual friend and he immediately jumped on board. In January 2016 we invited a great local guitarist
Martin to join the band and tyhe Traveller line up was completed".
For fellow Traveller member Gerry, music has been in his blood from a very young age. His father encouraged him to try a variety of instruments, from guitar to chanter, but it was the Piano which would become his main focus. He explains "I wanted to go down a classical piano and composition route and it was during my two years at college that I first met our bass player Brian. About a year into my first year at college I joined a band called MIdnight Swimmer playing lead keys. We were together for seven years, playing in great venues in Edinburgh such as the Liquid Rooms, the Venue and the Bongo Club, the latter is where I first met
Simon and his band Suburbia".
A move to Glasgow in 2004 led to two years of well received gigs, before the members of Midnight Swimmer went their separate ways, But ten years on, Gerry is once again writing uplifting and anthemic music for Traveller. He says "I write from my heart about my life experiences, some of my best work has been written when I'm at my worst emotionally, the vulnerability, sharing my feelings with all to hear. With my best friends beside me, we put our feelings into the music and it makes Traveller the band you hear now".
www.travellerband.com
www.facebook.com/travelleruk
soundcloud.com/travellerbanduk
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