Pleased To Meet Me: TVA
Introduce yourself... (Where are you from, what band do you play in etc..)
My name is Tino. I live in Gainesville, Florida, USA, and I play in a band called TVA (Tee-Vee-A).
Why do you play music?
Playing music makes me feel like a real human being and gives me meaning in this crazy world. Also, playing the gitar is fun. I’ve been playing since I was 13 and I’ve not felt compelled to stop. I play music because I enjoy writing and recording songs. When you create something that’s your own and someone resonates with it, you’re bringing some joy into the world (even if it’s a sad song lol).
What was a major influence on you as an Artist/Band? What’s a favourite book or film?
My mother is from Honduras, so growing up we listened to a lot of merengue, salsa, and cumbia music which I loved. I didn’t really know anything about rock n roll until I was about 10 years old. My folks randomly decided to get a Beatles’ later years greatest hits and Simon & Garfunkel’s Greatest Hits CDs. I suppose it was all downhill from there, as it had a profound effect on me. More recently, I draw a lot from musicians I admire like Daniel Johnston, Cleaners From Venus, Guided By Voices, John Cale, Nick Lowe, Kate Bush, The Velvet Underground, Teenage Head, Parquet Courts, The Black Lips, The Pine Hill Haints, etc, etc, etc. I could go on. There are a handful of DIY musicians that I really admire too like
Aaron Troyer (formerly of Columbus, Ohio’s Day Creeper), Josh Macero (Ex-Thomas Function/Talkin’ Shit), Waylon Thorton (Thee Syck Bubblegum/Heavy Hands). I really love and respect folks who just hole themselves up in their houses and record songs with no expectations of like “making it big”. You know, true heads who do it for the love of the art. I aspire to be like that.
A favourite book off the top of my head would probably be Edward Abbey’s Desert Solitaire. Great book.
Do you prefer the recording process or performing live? What would be a dream collaboration?
I think those are 2 sides to the same coin! Recording is a magical experience. I get to be a mad scientist when I approach the work and make something cool from nothing. There’s something very cathartic about it. That said, performing the music live with a band is also very fun. There’s an energy that can’t be replicated when playing live. I couldn’t choose one or the other, but I do feel they’re both important.
Describe a favourite album.
Ohio Express’ self-titled album from 1968. It’s got the bops and the flops! It’s a sort of fucked up album cause the band was just random session musicians and there’s like a different singer for every other song lol. It’s got some great songs but none of them really feel quite right. It goes back and forth between like that quintessential 60’s bubblegum pop sound and kinda bad faux psychedelia. I love it.
What's your favourite local haunt?
The Top because the Casual Tuesday Ride bicycle group that I help organize meets up there and hangs out afterwards
What's your strangest experience while performing live?
An old band of mine once played in Chattanooga, Tennessee and broke open a piñata that was full of wet dog food. It was funny but pretty gross. The venue also didn’t have a mop? RIP Discoteca
What are some of your favourite aspects of being a musician in Gainesville ?
Gainesville, Florida has a very vibrant DIY scene that encompasses a wide variety of music genres. Lots of weird rock n roll stuff, punk, hardcore, metal, noise, folk, etc. It’s pretty awesome. There’s always a big influx of touring bands passing through. Florida in general is great for DIY stuff and we’re nestled between a handful of bigger cities too. Our scene is very open to anyone trying to do their own thing. One thing I really love about Gainesville is that, despite being a college town (it’s home to the University of Florida), the DIY scene is centered around the community, so while uni students are a part of who comes out to shows, it’s not strictly for them. We have a lot of all ages shows and house shows and little DIY warehouse spaces. Our scene is for everyone, for people of all walks of life, and I really like that it’s mindful of that. Also, fuck school lol
I started TVA during the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic in the summer of 2020. I was able to get unemployment money from the state during the pandemic and stayed holed up out in the country writing and recording songs. I never had any intention of doing much with it, but before I knew it I had enough songs to put out an album and I’ve been self releasing my music ever
since. Eventually, I started performing solo, and now the project has grown into a full band. I’d say the pandemic had a big influence on TVA ever existing in the first place.
If you weren’t playing music in Gainesville where would you be ?
Somewhere far from North America. I’ve been really fascinated by Algeria lately. Looks interesting.
Any sage advice for young musicians?
Don’t get too hung up on doing everything perfectly. Record as much as you possibly
can on your own at home. You don’t need a recording engineer or a studio or any of
that stuff. Just use what you got. Use broken gear, cheap guitars, toy keyboards,
whatever. Record the songs onto your phone. Put them out into the world and be
somebody. You can do it.