Today we’d like to introduce you to T.B.D.
Hi T.B.D. , thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
Our band came to life about a year and some change ago. T.B.D. drummer Kody and guitarist Izzy had just broken it off with their last band and were looking for a fully-fledged, fiery female lead who could meet their musical aptitude and ever-present hunger to make good music. That’s where lead singer Bells Rose comes into the scene. One cloudy morning at the tail-end of April, they all shook hands in person, and over a cup of Starbucks coffee laid out the beginnings of a new type of grungy, grimey, indie-flavored rock band. Thus, T.B.D. (or To Be Determined) was born, and like the name, the music isn’t tied to one particular genre of rock, it’s to be determined as we make it up.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
If being in a band has been a smooth road for anyone, we definitely don’t envy that because the work put in to make it to “the top” is the real reward. It’s easy to be a faceless name in the rock band world when there are so many talented, original musicians out there striving for the same success of being one of the greats. We’ve seen that especially when booking gigs. You can’t just pick up the phone and snag a set at The Roxy or The Troubadour. A lot of live music spots for up-and-coming bands are now “pay to play” which means you have to sell the tickets yourselves as opposed to having the box office do it for you. Another setback is garnering the fans and the attention. Even if your music is banger, and you believe with all your heart that it is and so do others around you, ultimately it’s up to the public to decide what they want to listen to in their headphones. It’s up to them what plays in the car stereos, on the music streaming services, and at the big-name record labels. Despite all this, it definitely does not mean that we won’t try. We are thankful for every listen we receive, every person who shows up to our gigs or any promoter who lands us a show. Anyone who gives our music a chance is that much more of a reason to keep playing.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
T.B.D. is a mainly alternative-rock band born and raised in the Inland Empire. We like to do what we want. Lead singer Bells Rose can belt it out or somberly serenade with her witty lyrics. Guitarist Izzy’s fingers fly over the frets of his stratocaster with the greatest of ease. Kody’s sticks pound rhythmically over the heads of his drums and always in tandem with the bass. Together we change time signatures, change keys, change the emotion of the song or the story. With three different talents on four unique instruments, we speak the same language through the music. We’ve made chill, reggae-type indie and screamo-punk songs to mosh to. We’ve played in coffee shops and we’ve played in 200 person venues. We’ve played to 100 strangers who loved us after hearing our songs, to 10 strangers in a nearby park, and to empty bars and thanked the space every time for letting us play there. We don’t like to label the type of music we make because we make all types of music. We’re most proud of our undying effort to make tidal waves in the realm of rock music though rock music has been stagnant water for a while. With no management or PR team, we’ve gotten so far as to play venues like The Glasshouse in Pomona and the House of Blues in Anaheim. No matter the sitch, we are always “performing”. You never know who could be watching you, and more importantly who could be interested in giving your music a listen and a chance.
Are there any books, apps, podcasts or blogs that help you do your best?
Our band is still in its infancy, so getting gear to record and use for shows for a discounted price is extremely helpful in our process. Reverb is an app that we all use frequently where you can buy, sell, and research used recording equipment, instruments, amps, and more. It’s basically a “facebook marketplace” for all things music, and we definitely recommend it to all musicians.
Like most bands and businesses out there, we use Instagram for a lot of promotion material, and like most youngsters we also use TikTok. Feel free to give us a follow if original music, show updates, and hilarious band room antics are your cup of tea.
One book that Bells Rose especially recommends is The Creative Act: A Way Of Being by renowned record producer and executive Rick Rubin. The Creative Act is a great book to reset your brain with when that writer’s block hits and just won’t go away coming up with lyrics or a catchy melody line. A good reminder from the book being, “All art is a work in progress. It’s helpful to see the piece we’re working on as an experiment…If you start from the position that there is no right or wrong, no good or bad, and creativity is just free play with no rules, it’s easier to submerge yourself joyfully in the process of making things (Rick Rubin, The Creative Act: A Way Of Being)”. It’s important for us to remember that through all our efforts to break the mold of the music industry, it really comes down to having fun making something from scratch. Simplifying it to that idea allows us to create better music, as we’re not forcing anything to be great, it just is because we’re enjoying it.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://linktr.ee/t.b.d._band
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/t.b.d._band/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/t.b.d.band23/
- Twitter: https://x.com/tbd_band2023
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rHGmW5e45zE&ab_channel=T.B.D.-Topic
- Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/t-b-d-management
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@t.b.d._band
