Through The Roots is currently on the road with Iration and Tomorrow’s Bad Seeds boasting an impressive triple threat national touring act. Hailing from San Diego, the five-piece band known as Through The Roots is the opening act on the second annual Lei’d Back Tour.
After non-stop touring with Tribal Seeds in the spring and summer, The Pier was lucky enough to catch up with the members of Through The Roots to gauge their reaction on their summer release Here To Stay, the success and life on the road, as well as when to expect a full-length album from the San Diegans. Enjoy!
The Pier: First things first, Congrats on the Here to Stay EP release this summer. iTunes has been throwing you love all over the place on their homepage after reaching #2 within the first week of its release. How great does that feel?
TTR: It definitely feels great to see the success of our E.P. We worked hard to write our EP while we were on the road. We were very excited to see Here To Stay at number 2, but we’re even more excited to have been able to give our fans some new music.
The Pier: For the fans out there who have not heard your music yet, how would you describe it and differentiate your sound from other bands within the reggae-rock community?
TTR: We feel that our sound is unique because of the diversity within our band. All of us listen to different genres of music and use that knowledge to incorporate all of our own styles into our roots foundation. We like to keep our music fresh and stray away from falling into just one genre of music.
The Pier: You guys kind of burst onto the scene in 2009 and continuing to do so… How did the band come together and find your niche?
TTR: Evan and Taylor were the first 2 band members that met one day at guitar center with an idea to start a reggae/rock band. Later, Bryan and Chris met the guys through other friends and joined the band to create Through The Roots. Along the way we found Brady on craigslist. Through jamming together and watching other bands we not only learned how to be tight as a band but how to get ourselves involved in the music scene on a more serious level.
The Pier: “Here to Stay” is just a taste of what’s to come. How has the response from the live shows been on the nationwide tours you’ve been on thus far?
TTR: We have received a lot of positive feedback from fans after they see us play these new songs live. The song that brings the most energy to every show is ”Here To Stay”. Another popular song live is, “Weekend”, because of its catchy lyrics and sound. It is rewarding to see our fans sing along with these songs at every show.
The Pier: You have played with some big-time San Diego based bands on tour. You guys just recently played a show with 
Slight Stoopid, was that surreal, or what?
TTR: Yes of course! It was an awesome experience to play with Slightly Stoopid. All of us have been listening to those guys and watching them play for years. It is always rewarding to play with bands and learn from them. It’s the same thing with Iration and Tomorrow’s Bad Seeds.
The Pier: Since Through The Roots is on the Lei’d Back Tour with Iration and TBS, What are you looking forward to most about each night?
TTR: Nothing beats being able to play in front of big crowds every night around the nation. The guys in Tomorrow’s Bad Seeds and Iration are all friends of ours, and really fun to jam with. Every night is a new experience. We appreciate everything the Iration boys bring us on.
The Pier: Right now you guys have ten or so songs released to the public, but you have played some songs live that are not yet recorded. Are there any plans to record “Zombies” or “We Burn”?
TTR: We have two EPs out, including Here To Stay. We will be in the studio recording new songs when we get home from the Lei’d Back tour. Right now, we have no plans for a release. We really do want to take our time and make something special for the fans.
The Pier: Even though you just released an EP over the summer, does that mean you have plans to hit the studio after this tour and set sail on a full-length album?
TTR: Our first full-length album is something that we want to make sure we can spend a lot of time on to make it right. EPs are a good way to get our music out to our fans. They have worked out well for us so far. Our plan is to give our fans one more EP before we begin working on our first full-length album.
Through The Roots Links:
Through The Roots Website
Through The Roots Show Locator
You can read The Pier’s official Album Review for the Here To Stay EP by clicking HERE
Interview by: Kris Siuta
Photos by: David Norris