
Band Members:
Kyle Stolz | saxophone, flute
Kevin Kim | percussion, guitar
Thomas Rojo | sound
Lizzie Bassett | vocals, percussion
Abraham Parker | keys
Adam Churilla | vocals, guitar
Markos Medina Vivas | bass
Nicholas Nakazono | drums
Hunter Takao | vocals, guitar
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Photographer: Georgi Chiang
The California based outfit emerged in 2014. They devoted their early years to performance, busking nightly and picking up residencies around the state. Their improvisation and groove has since taken them across the country several times, establishing them as a premier touring spectacle.
In 2016, The Tens audaciously tracked a live, direct to vinyl record in Nashville’s Welcome to 1979 with Chris Mara. The process required them to cut each side of the double LP in a single take. The result was an honest, sonic rendering of the band on a beautiful day in the South.
In early 2019, the band was discovered by producer and owner of Pattern Recording Studio, Thomas Rojo (War Toys). Rojo and The Tens spent the next 17 months writing and tracking their debut studio LP, Broken Romantic. The album is an emotional trip through the disillusionment of self, dreams and reality. During production, the record caught the ear of Grammy-winning producer J.J. Blair (June Carter and Johnny Cash, Smokey Robinson) who joined to mix the project. The Tens’ introspective songwriting put through Blair’s aesthetic filter was enriched yet again in the final layer of production by mastering engineer Peter Doell (Miles Davis, The Beach Boys).
In 2022, the band spent over 100 days on the road in the western United States and also completed their first tour abroad in southern Mexico. The Tens are currently writing their next album in their studio on a lavender farm in San Luis Obispo. The property falls in a tranquil canyon just outside the city. Blair is set to produce the record which will be out in 2025.