The Eighth Note is 8 quick Questions with Wellington Musicians. A chance for us to catch up with people & see what they’re up to, or introduce you to a new musician/band and their music. Up next is Jayden from TRITONE, a 3 piece rock band from Upper Hutt.

Who are you? Tell us a bit about your music:
We are TRITONE, a 3 piece rock band from Upper Hutt with Tomas on drums and backing vocals, Cameron on Bass and Vocals and myself, Jayden, on guitar and lead vocals. We originally started near the end of 2019, with Tomas and I jamming together, then Cameron joining in March 2020 before the first lockdown occurred. Our music is best described as rock. But that doesn’t mean we limit ourselves to just that, as we love to experiment with genres such as Pop, metal, punk, dance to name a few. We don’t let anything limit what we play, or want our sound to be.

What have you been working on lately? Any new tracks or albums on the way?
So a few months ago we released our self-titled E.P, and we are soon going to release a brand new single called ‘Hometown Blues’ recorded at The Armoury. We haven’t got a set release day yet but be sure to keep up to date on our Instagram to when that gets released on Spotify, Soundcloud etc.

Where is the best place people can follow you & find your music?
So the best place for people to follow us is definitely on Instagram, that’s where I tend to post any upcoming releases and shows and what not. We are musicians first and influencers second so people shouldn’t get their hopes up on any Tiktoks or reels of us rating albums, or guess the song etc. We may eventually start posting clips of our shows, but if want to get to know us better you need to come see us live then talk to us after the show. We love hear what people think of our performances and songs.

What were the 3 most influential albums to you growing up?
So this one I can’t say what Cameron and Tomas’s album would be, for me though the first one have to be Nirvana’s ‘In utero’. As much as I love Nevermind, In Utero from a song writer’s perspective is far more interesting to me with darker lyrics, guitar melodies, and production that I always listen to front to back.

The second is Foo Fighters ‘Wasting Light’. It was the first proper album I ever got when I was a kid and remember wanting it after seeing on Juice TV the music video to Rope and my 10 year old mind blowing up on the spot and immediately going ‘I want this album’, and I was not disappointed when I finally got my hands on it. My favorite track has to be White Limo with it being so different to the rest of the tracks, abrasive, fast, and heavy which was something that I never heard of up to that point of my life. If it wasn’t for ‘Wasting Light’, Foo fighters wouldn’t be where they currently are today, if it wasn’t for that release I would have never gotten into the music that I listen to now.

Then my last pick is Queens Of The Stone Age’s ‘Songs for the Deaf’, another album I can listen to front to back and not skip any songs because they are all amazing, from You Think I Ain’t Worth A Dollar But I Feel Like A Millionaire to Mosquito Song. I love them all, and with recently seeing all their live shows ending with Song For The Dead in tribute to Mark Lanegan passing last year, it made me realize if it wasn’t for any of their work I, nor TRITONE, wouldn’t be a group and play what we play if it wasn’t for this album.

Which other Wellington musician (s) would you most like to work with?
We have in the past played alongside some great acts like Yaya and the snakes, Rocketberry, and So Keen. Moving forward, some musicians I hope to work with are Leopard Print Aunt which I recently got the privilege to see at Valhalla and really dug their songs and stage presence. So Leopard Print Aunt if you’re reading this, hit us up let’s get something going! Another group is Voodoo bloo. I think I remember Cameron hearing them play ‘Song for the Dead’ during one of their rehearsals one time while at work. After hearing that and, given that I love everything off ‘Songs for the deaf’, that got my attention, and ever since then I dream of the day that we get the chance to play with them. So, like before, Voodoo bloo if you’re also reading this you know what to do!

What’s your favourite Wellington venue to play in?
That would have to be Moon bar in Newtown which is where we have played most. Every time we’ve played there it has always sounded mean, great beers, good food, and just has a vibe to it with both the place and the people that go there. Whenever we go and play there, it’s always been a good time. Can’t say anything bad about it.

In your songwriting or composing (or the band’s songwriting) how do the compositions and songs take shape?
So, when we first started I would write out all of the songs for guitar, then show the others what I’d done and they’d form their own parts for said song. Then, eventually, I would write out lyrics and work them into the song. Now days we all contribute to the writing process. It typically starts off with either Cameron or I playing some riff we made up at home. Then we show that off to the rest of the band and have a little jam with it. That way we all have input on it, and then we expand on that idea and get a rough idea of the structure, effects and tempo. Then we all express any changes that we want to make, or add, and sometimes those additional parts are made up on the spot. Then we have the song complete.

During that time when the song is 90% complete, or so, that’s when I start thinking about what themes I want the song to be about and incorporate them. It used to be that I would think up the song title first, then write the lyrics around them, but that is starting to change as I’ve now written songs that still don’t have title to them. After that is all complete, we then keep practicing until we are happy with it, continuing to have our own input for each song.

Where/when is your next gig?
So our next gig is taking place at Valhalla on January 17th. We are still currently sorting out the supporting acts. Do expect us to make an announcement of this before the new year, but we are already hyped for it. No matter how many show up, know that we will never hold back and play like it’s own last show.