released June 6, 2001
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Euphonic Tonic:
- Steve Armstrong (Guitar)
- Robert Stadler (Drums)
- Steve Steele (Bass)
©2001 Euphonic Tonic
Euphonic Tonic was formed in the center of the Santa Cruz jazz community. In the winter of 2000, three musicians came together to play jazz weekly amidst various other projects they were performing with around the bay area. Originally performing as a "wallpaper" band for diners & local drunks of the various lounges of the area, word soon spread about this trio that was taking "jazz" to a psychedelic dance floor level. With the guitar mastery of Steve Armstrong, the band was soon melting faces at more prominent nightclub & dance venues.
Shortly thereafter, ET recorded & released their debut album "On It," which saw it's CD release party in the summer of 2001 occur at the legendary underground art, poetry, & music hall, "the Barn," adjacent to the UCSC campus. It was a smashing success, with the crowd spilling out into the front of the venue. Euphonic Tonic was joined by a number of guests including a three-piece horn section & the dub-mix mastery of local legendary producer, Andy Zenczak. It was a sonic exploration into the realm of the weird, funky and wonderful...
Following the success of the Release Party, merely a few short weeks later, Euphonic Tonic made the long haul overseas to engage in a "Stream of Consciousness Tour" of the continent of Western Europe, (with a huge thanks to "Joe, Marc's brother" for the inspiration to take the world by storm!) Arriving in the jazz mecca of Western Europe; Paris, France, they were immediately taken with the culture & love for the arts that most Europeans possess inherently. The adventure led them from there through five nations on the continent, France, Spain, Germany, Belgium, & Holland.
The first street performance in Spain was set to a dramatic background. Little did the band know, but San Sebastian (or Donostia, as its known to its Basque residents) was hosting a rally in protest of the creation of a train tunnel through the Pyrenees Mountains which would deliver a high speed train from France through the heart of the Mountain. The culmination of a massive march & demonstration arrived at their destination in the exact square the band chose to deliver their performance! During a particularly psychedelic point in a song, a Chinese dragon materialized in front of the band and was torn asunder by its performers, releasing a surreal cloud of balloons into the air...
The band drew the attention of two entrepreneurial young men who were acquainted with the proprietor of the famous local Jazz club, Bar Altxerri. After the bands initial performance at the club, the owner invited them back for three more consecutive nights performance the following week. (Muchas gracias a Aitor y Pedro!) The audience response was tremendous as the band performed for a packed house all three nights. As it turned out, one of the young men who connected the band with the club owner was a talented pianist himself, and sat in with them on a night. The highlight was during a Brazilian number, the young man took a whistle solo that stopped conversation & dropped some serious jaws, including those of the band! The trio's tour saw many such adventures. One of which included a ten-day stint at a local festival in Ghent, Belgium, where they were invited to perform for the throngs of partygoers to the annual Ghentse Feesten, a debaucherous ten-day party that lasted dawn to dusk to dawn again within the city center. There, they made many new friends and felt a great connection to the Flemish peoples of northern Belgium.
The trip culminated in Amsterdam, Holland, where immediately upon arriving, thieves stole the tour van, which was fully loaded with the music gear & belongings. After much struggle with the Dutch police, the Van was found missing only a few crucial items. Unfortunately though, this was an unrecoverable mishap to the tour. The band decided to cut their losses & return home with the collective positive experience of traveling, meeting many new incredible friends, and having the opportunity to speak the universal language of music to several cultures, reaching many people and receiving wonderful feedback from all.
After returning back to the states, the band decided to take a hiatus to recover from the summer abroad and pursue their other various interests and projects throughout the states.
Robert Stadler currently resides in Seattle, WA
Steve Armstrong now resides in New York City, NY, where he performs on bass with the Jazz-Electronica outfit, Big Tall Wish. (
www.myspace.com/bigtallwish)
Steve Steele can be found living in Seattle, WA, where he performs with North West AfroBeat megalith, Cascadia '10 (
cascadia10.com), as well as developing Original compositions & arrangements under various monikers (
heliosonic.bandcamp.com)
The band would like to thank all those who touched their lives & shared in the beauty of the audio experience with the each of the members.
Many requests have been made to this group for the reunion tour. What the future holds is still an uncertainty, but keep your eyes and ears open for the Euphonic sounds of the Tonic in your neighborhood, one can never be sure where sonic flowers will bloom...
Good Night, and Good Luck.
-Euphonic Tonic
