This weekend, Hi-Tide Recordings’ Hi-Tide Summer Holiday returns after a two-year hiatus. The event, which takes place over the course of three days at The Asbury Lanes and The Asbury (Hotel), features some such surf-inspired musical luminaries as Southern Culture on the Skids, Man or Astro-Man? and Los Straitjackets.
The Televisionaries, straight out of Rochester, New York, will be performing on Friday night. The quartet started out as solely instrumental surf rock band, yet over the years have made a transition into a more of a classic pop that sounds like it’d be in the crates next records from The Everly Brothers.
Recently, we caught up with the band to and they regaled us with their story of their sonic shift, working with Hi-Tide and NuTone Recordings, touring in Spain and this weekend’s Hi-Tide Summer Holiday.
The Televisionaries Are (Band Members & Instruments They Play): Austin Lake (bass guitar and vocals), Brendan Lake (guitar and vocals), Trevor Lake (guitar and vocals) and Aaron Mika (drums).
Year We Formed In: 2011
The Story Behind Our Name: Austin and Trevor came up with it probably in 2010? We were just getting into surf music and the name just kind of came to us one day. Little did we know how confusing it would be for people to pronounce and spell down the road.
Bands That Inspired Our Sound: The Everly Brothers, The Beach Boys, NRBQ, The Kinks, and Rockpile.
You’ve Seen Us in Other Bans Before Such As: The Temptators, Aweful Kanawful, Flip Shit.
Famous/Awesome Bands We’ve Shared the Stage With: Nick Lowe, Los Straitjackets, Robert Gordon, The Surfrajettes, The Fleshtones.
You’ll be performing at The Hi-Tide Summer Holiday this weekend amongst a plethora of surf rock bands. Would you deem Televisionaries a surf band, or would you say the band takes certain cues and inspirations from the genre?
Initially we were indeed a surf band. Actually mostly an instrumental surf band. After a while we wanted to be able to connect more with the audience and expand our songwriting and we started to write more pop oriented vocal songs. We still add surf tunes into our set though.
If your previous answer was “takes cues and inspirations from” — please answer this question, if not please skip. What aspects of surf did you incorporate into the band’s sound and why?
Trevor likes reverb so there tends to be lots of that. The early 1960’s surf vocal groups sang about topics such as summertime, cars, girls so we still are inspired by those topics
You dropped a new album, Mad About You, this year. How do you feel this album stands out from both a sonic and lyrical perspective from the rest of your catalog?
Mad About You is an album that highlights each member [of the band] as a songwriter. We all contributed songs we each wrote for the record, so each song has a slightly different feel. I think the mix of songs go really well together. Lyrically, we aren’t really getting too deep but I don’t think that’s the kind of band we are. You don’t have too think about what the songs are about. The themes are pretty clear — but that’s just classic pop music.
You’ve released music with Hi-Tide Recordings and its sister label Nu-Tone. Can you talk about the experience working with these labels and how they have fostered/supported the band’s creative endeavors?
Vincent and Magdalena, who run both record labels, have been the most supportive people to us. They really let us do whatever we want. They help us with logistics which we aren’t the best at. As a band we just want to worry about playing music and recording it. The label really stepped in and helped us with the rest.
If someone wanted come out to Hi-Tide Summer Holiday to hear you guys play – what song of yours would you suggest they “pre-game” with (listen to before they come to the show) in order to fully get what The Televisionaries is all about?
Well the fan favorite tends to be Brendan’s song ‘Over and Out’ so I would start with that. Then i would say ‘Girls’ and ‘Charlotte Beach’
What do you love about being in this band?
I just love being able to make the exact kind of music that I would want to hear. That is our model for songwriting; writing songs we wished someone else would write. Secondly, being in a band with your brothers and family is the greatest (and sometimes hardest [laughs]), thing also. Sometimes it’s the easiest thing on earth. Singing together comes natural. We have been playing together since we’re practically babies. Our drummer Aaron is our oldest friend. We have been playing together since we were probably 13 or so.
What’s been one of your favorite experiences on the road so far this year?
Luckily, this year has been full of memorable experiences. I think besides for opening for Nick Lowe; touring Spain was our greatest achievement ever. Spain is the promised land for rock ‘n’ roll. End of story
What are you most excited about for the band in 2022?
The unknown is the most exciting for me. Who knows what opportunities will be thrown our way. And if none get thrown, we just make our own. Always have. Always will.
Catch The Televisionaries perform Friday August 18 at 8 p.m. at The Hi-Tide Summer Holiday at The Asbury Lanes in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Click here for tickets.
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