Today we’d like to introduce you to Josh Bartlett.
Josh, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Cherry Tang formed in late 2016 between myself, my childhood friend and guitarist, Robert Turner, and his previous band’s drummer, Andrew Diaz. Together we began planting the seeds for what would become our first album. With the addition of Argentinian bassist and songwriter, Matias Lombardero, our initial four-piece sessions in my dad’s garage became lightning in a bottle creatively. We played only two shows together in two years, as we did not want to make an underdeveloped first impression. We wanted to be as tight as possible, and have something for people to hear when they walked away, so we went in the studio and recorded our first album. During all of 2018, we spent the majority of our time together at X Music Studios in Los Angeles. With the help of producer Rob Hill, our sound immensely expanded along with our sonic identity as a band, We finally began to know what is we really were, but the departure of Robert Turner threw a monkey wrench into the situation.
Although the guitars were all recorded, we were still in the studio when he decided to quit to pursue other things, The future was less certain for us as a band, but we had to release our record. We hired Kael Sharp to play trumpet on two songs, for a hundred dollars a song. After hearing how much he brought to our sound, we asked him to join the group. Sean Vajra replaced Robert Turner as the band’s guitar player towards the final stretch of the production, adding one guitar solo to the album, but entirely changing the guitar aspect of the live show. He helped to cement our image as a lively, high energy experience. Rob Hill envisioned extra percussion on the majority of our record, and after hearing what he had recorded himself, we decided that we needed another percussionist and if that percussionist can sing- even better. Tyler Hunt joined in to complete the live ensemble. We left the studio an entirely new band, in August of 2019, we released our self-titled album to the public. It serves as a party invitation for all the funky people who love a good time.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Being a band that is perpetually discovering its identity and redefining itself creatively presents challenges that we find to be exciting. Being flexible, adaptive to change, and not letting the forward momentum drop is a challenge that I believe all creatives have to deal with in this competitive environment. That being said, the synergy we experience alongside each other while onstage reminds me of how effortless it is to just be in the moment and bring the party.
Please tell us about Cherry Tang.
Cherry Tang is the product of diverse cultural and musical tastes and sensibilities. Our genre-blending sound is a rich cocktail of infectious pop, smooth RnB, fusion, Latin, and hip-hop sensibilities, all delivered with debauchery-inducing rock n’ roll tradition kept well in mind. It is one thing to go out and listen to live music, but it’s another thing to see a performance that immerses you in a gripping experience comparable to musical theater. We strive to present ourselves like the latter.
What has been the proudest moment of your career so far?
When we are out in the wild and we see out shirts at parties, skateparks, or on the beach, those are some of our proudest moments. Knowing that people are as stoked as we are when they come up to us and share their enthusiasm for the music, the videos, and our performances. We put a lot of hard work and love into this band, so any chance to see how it reaches people gives us our proudest moments.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.cherrytang.com
- Email: cherrytangofficial@gmail.com
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