Conversations with Patrick Olguin

Today we’d like to introduce you to Patrick Olguin.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
We’ve been around for almost 22 years. Our first gig was in December of 2004. We appeared as a trio (trumpet/vocals, piano, bass) playing jazz standards at a Christmas party in Huntington Harbor. We grew quickly a five piece lounge band, playing mostly Rat Pack type of swing tunes through 2005.. Our shows were booked strictly by word-of=mouth. We played private parties in people’s homes in the Pasadena area, hiring special musical guests – a list LA musicians on occasion. In 2006, we added two college women saxophone players to the band. We gave ourselves a name – Lounge-O-Rama, because everything is better if you add “O-Rama” to it. The ladies became known as “The Sax Divas.” Soon potential clients asked “are you that band with the lady sax players?” We added a guitarist and began to play oldies cover tunes at a few bars around town, but still primarily played music from the Great American Songbook for private parties. We became essentially the Caltech house band. We played our first wedding in 2007. We got extremely busy – we all had day jobs too. We played 80 dates in 2007, including 16 dates in the month of December. I’m noticing every sentence starts with “We.” We played lots of weddings, and also had a few regular bar gigs around town. Started playing with different line-ups depending on the kind of music clients wanted – rock cover band, or jazz/swing band. We bought a PA system, then another, and another. One Saturday we had the band split into three groups. Then the economy crashed and the lucrative private parties dried up. We kept playing weddings.

This getting way too long.

We played the Caltech jazz festival in 2009, then headlined it in 2013. Lounge-O-Rama had become a brand. I met people who’d never heard of me, but knew about the band. Started playing fancy fundraisers, including bus-charted trips to Lake Arrowhead and Bakersfield. The lineup changed as members went to grad school, moved out of state, and even out of the country, as one of my lead singers has become an international touring jazz singer.

I got tired of being labeled a cover band. We didn’t cover tunes, we paid tribute to the original artists, occasionally putting our own flair into it. Almost everyone in the band (ten pieces by 2021 – coming out of the pandemic) played multiple instruments and sang. We could play an entire night of big band music with an Andrews Sisters-like trio fronting the band, then the next night play a Bruno Mars tribute, with the same personnel but a completely different lineup. It became our thing. And then it became our name – Tributonic “Music for what Ails You.” And what ails people are schlocky cover bands who depend on you being drunk, and corporate bands who don’t really care about you.

This going to have to be edited SEVERELY.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
It has been very bumpy on occasion. Have had to let people go owing to various substance abuse problems. Lost people to then pursuing their own projects – which is wonderful of course, but finding the next right person with whom everyone vibes can be a challenge. We’re like a family. The crash of 2008 was hard. The pandemic was of course a disaster. But we’re still here.

Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I started out a music composition major. I loved writing/arranging music, especially jazz. I was good enough on the trumpet to play in top college bands, but I eventually soured on the straight ahead jazz scene because it felt self-indulgent. Not enough connection with the audience. What I’m known for is creating an environment where each member can do what they love (music) with people they also love and respect. It’s what sets me apart. People who meet us think we’re all related or something. I’m proud of the fact that most of the band has been with me for more than 15 years. I’m most proud that we have been the backing band for burlesque performers for 14 years.

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Be REALLY good on stage, because that’s where the fun begins. If you’re not good, then it comes off as sloppy.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://tributonic.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/tributonic
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@Tributonic

Image Credits
Fabien Photography
@snapnon