Zeitgiest: The spirit of the time; the taste and outlook characteristic of a period or generation. -The American Heritage Dictionary
There are works and movements created by people who are so of their own time that they soon become short hand definitions of it; icons if you will. For example, all one has to say is “The Beatles” and the mind is flooded with the imagery of the 1960’s. If you say “Reagan” you not only get an image of the man, but also the memories of the cold war, and all the other wonderful things that made up the nightmare known as the 80’s. These people created things that defined generations. They were in tune with their own times and came to embody them. Then on the other hand there are those that seem to exist outside of time altogether. People like Jeff and Jon Celentano.
For as long as I have known them (which is many years now) these two brothers have been anachronistic. If the hip world was lovin’ the Seattle sound, they were into jazz. If the crowd was all about hip-hop, they’d turn up the surf rock. In fact, the only thing that they seemed to have in common with their environment was the non-conformist attitude that Bakersfield seems to foster. And even then they were a far cry from the Buck Owens influenced culture of the town. Through all of the time that I have known them, they have been up to something different. Different and often times felonious. I won’t explain that last point there, suffice to say if I did we could all go to jail.
When most would have gone to L.A. to make it big, the brothers C went their own route. These two outsiders, these two non-apologetic misfits, have moved to Las Vegas and with the help of some of their own strange kind, have formed a kick ass band.
As unlikely and yet appropriate as it sounds, Jeff met Tripsitter guitarist Rusty Petersen on the bridge of the Starship Enterprise. Well, the Vegas attraction anyway. When they weren’t cruisin’ through space and dealing with uncouth aliens Jeff and Rusty were harmonising to Beatles tunes between shows. This was enough to re-ignite Rusty’s interest in playing the guitar. He became obsessed with mastering the instrument. Soon, his dedication payed off and he became the six string cornerstone of the group. Then there was Dave.
The mysterious Dave Hines was brought into the group by original Tripsitter drummer Tyler Dalstead. For reasons beyond my ken Tyler chose to leave the band. He hand picked Dave as his own replacement. Dave’s drumming skill closed the circle. The band was formed and poised for world domination through music.
Finally there is David Daniels; Guitarist, Californian, and former telemarketer. David’s playing is informed by an eclecctic group of infuenes that brings a unique flavor to Tripsitter. A perfect fit for the band. It’s hard to beleive that what brought them together was telemarketing. Jon Celentano and David worked the phone lines together and it wasn’t long before they formed a jazz duo. After their interest in playing jazz wound down (and a possible interest in illicit activities geared up) David found himself in Tripsitter; Jon and Jeff’s new band.
Tripsitter is without a doubt the wrong music for the times...and that is why they rock. Their music is like listening to a Twilight-Zone-esque radio transmission from a past that never was. No samples, no guest rappers, no watered down Gap store punk. Just music. Just great rock that pays attention to melody and structure instead of demographics. They make this stuff because they want to, it is who they are.
Although I can not honestly say I remember all of the adventures I have had with them over the years (kind of a smoky blur) I can say that who they are is reflected in their work. They are no phony baloney revivalist band. This is Tripsitter and you would do well to listen to them as they play music from their own time.
-CJ Hurtt Co-founder www.the-endtimes.org