INTERVIEW: Boston's Tiberius Want You to Pay Attention
Tiberius' Brendan Wright tells us more about how the band approaches their live shows, what's behind Troubadour, and how Tiberius has allowed them to come into their own.
Boston indie band Tiberius have a knack for a gentle indie rock that they like to term "farm emo." Originally a solo project for Brendan Wright (they/them), Tiberius has expanded with bassist Kelven “KP” Polite (he/him), drummer Sam Blumenstiel (he/him), and pedal steel player Pat King (they/them) blends indie punk, alt country and psychedelia with confessional, yet conversational and relatable songwriting. The band's album Troubadour will be out in November, but you can pre-order it on Bandcamp starting today. In our interview, Brendan tells us more about how the band approaches their live shows, what's behind Troubadour, and how Tiberius has allowed them to come into their own.
Does your album have an overarching theme?
The album explores themes of defining oneself in relation to an ‘other’ - this other could be a community, a relationship, a place etc. Troubadour was written in a short period of time where my relationships to these ‘others’ changed significantly, as a result, I underwent complete ego death. For months, I felt insane but inevitably found solace in nature and the constant of the trees. For a period, I felt utterly connected to the universe in a way that was completely outside my sense of self. I was everything all at once, and it was one of the most profound experiences I’ve ever had.
How do you kill the long hours in the van?
I like to ask my bandmates the 36 questions to fall in love or whatever that list is. I think it can help us be vulnerable with each other and also give us a break from just listening to music, or asking absurd ‘Would you rather’ which is also a very popular activity.
Do you play covers at your shows? Why or Why not?
We tend to play fairly short sets, so we typically don’t do any covers - I feel like people really don’t want to hear an artist on our level for more than 5 or 6 songs max. We do like to sneak some gags here and there however to add some contrast. Sometimes we open our shows with the intro to Korn’s ‘Blind’ just to see if anyone’s paying attention. Especially if it’s more of a folky show.
What do you think you could do to make your music or shows more accessible to a more diverse audience?
I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say there’s not really a cross pollination between different genres and different scenes in Boston. While the city’s musical infrastructure is pretty strained, it's important that the people in our scenes (especially those who have privileged access and influence to the few arts spaces that are here) help integrate our communities. I think as the influence of the band has grown in Boston, we have an opportunity to really curate more bills that aren’t just three other indie bands that look and sound just like us.
How do you feel your queer identity ties into your performance style or music?
I think it’s something I’m still exploring and understanding for myself. It’s still hard for me to be completely myself in all spaces. I think that performing helps me really be my most comfortable self, even in front of folks or in spaces where it might be more challenging for me to be completely present as me otherwise. When doing Tiberius, I feel like I can really be vulnerable about anything.
Tiberius – Official, Bandcamp, Instagram, Spotify
Tour Dates
7/31 - Tourist Trap, Allston, MA
8/8 - The Stone Church, Newmarket, NH
8/9 - The Rockwell Theatre, Somerville, MA
8/10 - Bar Freda, Queens, NY
8/11 - TBA, Columbus, OH
8/12 - The Brass Rail, Fort Wayne, IN
8/13 - Grace Face Museum, Chicago, IL
8/14 - Cole's Bar, Chicago, IL
8/16 - The Rat City Artists Festival @ Zone 3, Allston, MA
