Detroit band stops in Dayton on ‘mini-tour,’ rocks Blind Bob’s
By: MARY KATE DORR – Staff Writer
Oregon District’s Blind Bob’s bar hosted Jeremy Porter and the Tucos, a rock and roll band native to Detroit, Mich., Friday, March 28. Lead singer Jeremy Porter recruited both bassist Jason Bowes and drummer Gabriel Doman in 2010 and they have been creating music together ever since.
Friday’s performance featured songs from their 2013 album “Partner in Crime.” The album includes a variety of punchy, alternative songs such as “What You’re Doing Today,” “You Owe Me a Heart,” “Make Out King” and “Little Miss Awesome.”
Jeremy Porter and the Tucos formed toward the end of 2010 after Porter took some time away from playing in bands to focus on a solo, more acoustic style. However, he teamed up with Bowes and Doman to create a piece of an annual and local Christmas compilation. The rest is history for the band.
“Rock and roll” may be too generic of a phrase to describe the unique sound created by Porter and the Tucos. Overall, the band is undoubtedly rock, yet they combine elements of punk and country to create a blended mix. Porter described their style as “alternative country punk.” However unique a style, Porter and the Tucos still have several musical influences.
“Since we were all making music in the 1980s, punk scene was a definite influence,” Porter said.
Many diverse bands are credited with influence for Jeremy Porter and the Tucos, including the Descendants, Cheap Trick and X. Porter said that classical country is also an influence on the band, so artists such as Willie Nelson, Gram Parsons and Waylon Jennings have left their impact on the Tucos’ musical style.
The band was forced to find a name faster than usual, because it was needed for the Christmas compilation record. After highly considering the name The Mortimers, the band realized there already was a band with the same name and decided to reconsider. They eventually decided to call themselves the Tucos, for the character Tuco in the movie “The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly.” Thus, Jeremy and the Tucos were born.
Porter said that he does not have one specific song that he prefers to perform over others, as his preference varies night by night. He enjoys playing “Pizza Girl,” one of the songs from “Partner in Crime.” Porter also said that they have received a great response from the first song off of this album, “Castaways,” making it an exciting one to perform for audiences. The band likes presenting their newest songs to help break them in.
Jeremy Porter and the Tucos traveled to Dayton from Detroit as one of many stops on what Porter said can be best described as a “mini-tour.” They have been to a string of Midwestern venues lately, including some in Chicago and
Cleveland. Friday night, the band was played prior to Those Crosstown Rivals, a band native to Kentucky.
“We were playing with our friends from Kentucky, and Dayton was a good spot to meet in the middle,” said Porter.
One of Porter’s favorite performances was opening for Lydia Loveless who is also an alternative, country-punk singer. They were able to open for her in Detroit this past February. Other major performances for the band have included CMA Fan Fair Festival held in Nashville, Tenn., the Common Ground Music Festival in Lansing, Mich., and the Bearded Lady Motorcycle Freakshow in Minneapolis, Minn. The band has also opened for major acts such as The Deadstring Brothers and Mark’s Social.
Jeremy Porter and the Tucos music is available on iTunes and you can visit their website at www.thetucos.com.