Thomcords – Ripe for the hearing
By Gianna
Dalla-Vecchia
7th
December, 2013
According to
Wikipedia, the term thomcord is
defined as a seedless table grape. It is also commonly used when describing a
type of wine. So why then would a group of musicians choose to name themselves
the ‘Thomcords’?
I recently had
the opportunity to sit down with a guy called Dennis Alberto – the lead singer
of the Thomcords – a Melbourne based band with a funky fresh rock beat fused
with a raw Latin sound.
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| Thomcords |
When I asked Dennis
about their band’s name, I found out that there’s much more to this local muso
that meets the eye. This is why… Dennis explained to me that there are three reoccurring
themes that appear in their music: “Life, love and God”.
Yes! ‘God’. This
is something you don’t hear everyday and to be honest, I found it quite
refreshing, as it’s rare to see somebody feel comfortable enough in sharing his
or her faith in such an overtly secular world, regardless of one’s belief
system.
Enough of me
ranting; now back to the interview…
Dennis verified
with me that the term ‘thomcord’ is linked to wine. “Wine is used for all
occasions. It brings people together, most commonly when celebrating,” said
Dennis. “In fact wine is also prominently used throughout Bible.”
“As you explore
our music, you’ll see three reoccurring themes, our passion for life, love and
faith. We felt that wine can fit in each of these categories – it’s fundamental
to our style’.”
What is life like for The
Thomcords behind the scenes?
The Thomcords is
made up of three band members, Dennis, Daniel Hernandez and Ces Alberto, who
happens to be Dennis’ older brother. In fact there used to be a fourth member,
Nitin, their keyboard player, however, he sadly past away in November last year
from cancer.
It wasn’t easy
for Dennis to talk about Nitin, as he played an integral role in the band’s
growth thus far. Dennis explained the devotion Nitin had for the band. Right up
to his last days, Nitin spent time perfecting their first recorded song, entitled
‘Amazing’.
“Our first
single, Amazing was produced and mixed by Nitin. He gave life to the song. He
enabled it to tell a powerful story,” said Dennis. “We’ll never forget him.”
When not gigging, where can
we find you guys?
The Thomcords
officially got together in 2011, just after Dennis finished his Teaching
degree. Once again the importance of ‘faith’ was brought up as he described
what life was like when not performing. Three other F’s prominently featured: family,
friends and most importantly, food.
“Family is very
important to us. It unifies us. We regularly have barbecues together or watch a
movie. We also regularly pray together. We’re very lucky as we have the same
friends, so we often see each other at parties which is great.”
“Food is an integral
part of the Thomcords too. We have a mini studio at the back on my parent’s
house. Every Tuesday night, when we get together in the studio, while producing
music, we’ll eat my mum’s awesome food. Her dishes inspire us to keep going!”
What was life like for you as
you were growing up?
Life wasn’t
always easy for Dennis. He was born in El Salvador. For those who don’t know, El
Salvador is the smallest and most densely populated country in Central America
and is known for civil unrest. As you could imagine, raising a young family
would be an incredibly difficult task. With this said, in December 1987, Dennis
along with his parents and siblings fled to Australia to start afresh.
“I was originally
from El Salvador. However, a civil war broke out and it was becoming very dire.
My parents decided to flee the country and move to Australia for a better life.
We were granted refugee status upon arriving here. At the time I was only four
years old.”
“We ended up
living in Australia for five years. I had everything here. But then my parents
decided to return to EL Salvador. It was so different returning to a developing
country,” said Dennis. “At one point, my dad even had to leave home and work in
another country to support the family. These tough times taught me to never
give up and to fight for what I want.”
“We ended up
returning to Australia in 1997. I
have a real clear view of what’s important in life. I have experienced poverty
and extreme hardship. I can clearly see having the best of everything isn’t
everything at all. I keep reminding myself of my roots. It keeps me grounded.”
Where did your love for
music originate?
One huge part of
Dennis’ upbringing is his love for music, which was all thanks to his father.
“My dad loved
listening to music. He had a huge and very broad collection of music. He actually
used to be a disc jockey. He didn’t just listen to Latin music, but new music
that was gaining popularity in the USA too.”
“I started song-writing
whilst studying at high school, so I guess the music I listened to when growing up was then translated into the
music I produced back then and has now influenced our sound today.”
What does each band member
bring to the Thomcords?
Dennis, Ces and
Daniel are all completely different, yet as the Thomcords, they complement each
other very well.
“I have to say, I’m
very good at hearing different melodies and lyrics,” said Dennis. “It changes
depending on where I am in my life. I think we as a band always maintain an
open mind and heart. New ideas are always appreciated. We bring our own various
talents, personalities and musicianship to the band.”
“Ces is very good
at writing music and melodies. And Daniel, well he has this groove imbedded within him. He always
comes back to the music and stirs it up again.”
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| Ces (left), Dennis & Daniel (right) |
How do you define your sound?
When a band is
asked to define their sound, they usually come back with an immediate answer.
Well, for the Thomcords, it took them a few years.
“We really
struggled in the beginning to define our sound. I guess we never wanted to
define ourselves because we feared being stuck to that one definition. When we
started recording, that’s when our prominent sound starting coming through –
rock, funk and especially, Latin as it’s entrenched in our personalities and
identity.”
Who is your musical
inspiration?
What I love about
the Thomcords is that they are inspired by such a vast array of recording artists.
“Our greatest
inspiration is Michael Jackson. I remember the first album I bought was ‘Bad’
by Michael Jackson. I remember that feeling when I first heard it right through.
When I listen to him, I visualise these amazing stories. He’s incredible,” said
Dennis.
“We’re also
inspired by Boys 2 Men, The Eagles, U2, Jamiroquai, The Red Hot Chilli Peppers;
as well as the classics, The Beatles, Creedence and Fleetwood Mac.”
What’s your first single, ‘Amazing’ all about?
The Thomcords’ first
single is called ‘Amazing’ and was written by Dennis around 10 years ago.
“Amazing was one of my earlier created
songs. After I first wrote it, five years later I revisited it to perfect it.
It’s a love song. It’s about a person reminiscing their past – the good, the
bad and the ‘what ifs’.”
“The story behind
the song relates to all of our lives in some way. In fact a guy recently said
to me that he and his wife ended their marriage not too long ago and then he
listened to our song and it helped him reflect on the decisions that he made
during his marriage. The song transcends in breaking those barriers in many
people’s lives.”
How would you describe your
EP?
The Thomcords’ EP
is entitled ‘All Roads Lead Home’ and features six songs.
“It’s a colourful
palate featuring different stories and sounds. It has a solid balance of fun
and seriousness. We are telling our stories in six different ways, as there are
six very different songs. We just want people to press repeat. Life, love and faith
– This is what fires us up.”
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| 'All Roads Lead Home' EP cover |
Where can we listen to you?
Did you know that
the Thomcords are launching their very first EP tomorrow! Yep! It’s all happening
this Sunday, the 8th December at The Evelyn Hotel in Fitzroy
(Melbourne) at 2pm.
“We’re so excited
for the launch! The EP is all pressed and mastered. We have around six songs on
our EP, including our first single, Amazing.”
“For those who
want to know more about us, our Facebook page is a great way to connect with us
and to see what we’re up to. We’ve also got a website and Twitter account as
well,” said Dennis. “Don’t worry, you’ll be able to find us online as we’re the
only band that has this name, so we take up the first few pages of Google!”
“My wife Maria is
our band manager. She’s been awesome in getting us some great gigs. We’re about
to have a baby so we’re going to go into hibernation from mid December to
February, but we will be back in full force in March!”
Where can you see yourselves
heading in the future?
This is a
question every band gets asked. But for a fan, it’s always good to know.
“I would love us
to explore music even more. I reckon in five years, our sound will really
develop. In the last couple of years, our sound has already changed so much. It’s
really important that musicians change and develop their sound as the years go
on – exploring new sounds and music is vital for growth,” said Dennis.
“We would also
love to develop new relationships in the music scene and work with other bands
and musicians out there.”
Pages leading to the Thomcords:
