Kurt Travis (born January 16, 1987) is an American singer, musician, and songwriter from

Sacramento, California ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

. He is currently part of the post-hardcore bands Royal Coda and Push Over and the

math rock Math rock is a style of progressive and indie rock with roots in bands such as King Crimson and Rush as well as 20th-century minimal music composers such as Steve Reich. It is characterized by complex, atypical rhythmic structures (includi ...

duo Gold Necklace, and was formerly a vocalist in the rock bands

Dance Gavin Dance Dance Gavin Dance is an American rock band from Sacramento, California, formed in 2005. The band currently consists of vocalists Jon Mess and Tilian Pearson, lead guitarist Will Swan, rhythm guitarist Andrew Wells, and drummer Matthew Mingus. ...

and

A Lot Like Birds A Lot Like Birds was an American post-hardcore band formed in Sacramento, California. The band released four albums and received considerable media attention from music sites. Since the release of 2011's ''Conversation Piece'', A Lot Like Birds ...

. Travis began his musical career in 2001. He joined post-hardcore band Five Minute Ride, releasing the extended plays (EPs), ''Bathroom Walls... Lipstick Secrets'' in 2003, and ''The World Needs Convincing of All That It's Missing'', on Rise Records, in 2005 before disbanding later that year. Travis later formed the

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fo ...

group There & Back Again in 2006. Following these two groups, Travis helped form the band No Not Constant in July 2007, later disbanding the same year. In 2008, Travis became the lead vocalist for rock band O! the Joy, releasing one studio album, ''Zen Mode'' (2008). Following his underground success, Travis replaced

Jonny Craig Jonathan Monroe Craig (born March 26, 1986) is a Canadian-American singer and songwriter, best known as the former lead vocalist of bands Dance Gavin Dance, Emarosa, and Rain City Drive, as well as the co-lead vocalist of the short-lived supe ...

as clean vocalist in rock band

. With the group, he released two studio albums, ''

'' (2008) and ''

Happiness Happiness, in the context of mental or emotional states, is positive or pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy. Other forms include life satisfaction, well-being, subjective well-being, flourishing and eudaimonia. ...

'' (2009). After two years, it was revealed that Travis departed from Dance Gavin Dance, in 2010. The following year, Travis joined as a vocalist in the post-hardcore group

, releasing the studio albums ''Conversation Piece'' (2011) and ''No Place'' (2013) on

Equal Vision Records Equal Vision Records is an independent record label based in Albany, New York. It was founded in the early 1990s by Ray Cappo, singer for the punk bands Youth of Today, Shelter, and Better Than a Thousand. The label originally existed solel ...

, before departing in 2016. He briefly joined the

trio Eternity Forever, in 2016. He also formed the post-hardcore duo Push Over, along with The Fall of Troy's

Thomas Erak Thomas Joseph Erak is an American singer, songwriter, and musician from Mukilteo, Washington, best known as a founding member of the Seattle-based progressive mathcore band, The Fall of Troy and as a member of the band Just Like Vinyl; as well ...

, releasing a demo EP in February 2017. In 2018, he joined Royal Coda, having released three studio albums, '' Royal Coda'' (2018), '' Compassion'' (2019), and ''To Only A Few At First'' (2022). As a solo artist, Travis has released three EPs, one split EP, and two full-length studio albums; ''

Everything Is Beautiful "Everything Is Beautiful" is a song written, composed, and performed by Ray Stevens. It has appeared on many of Stevens's albums, including one named after the song, and has become a pop standard and common in religious performances. The childre ...

'' (2014) and '' There's a Place I Want to Take You'' (2019). He launched his own record label, Esque Records, in 2016.

Early life

Kurt Travis was born in

Scottsdale, Arizona , settlement_type = City , named_for = Winfield Scott , image_skyline = , image_seal = Seal of Scottsdale (Arizona).svg , image_blank_emblem = City of Scottsdale Script Logo.svg , nick ...

. Both of his parents were gymnasts and his father was three-time world champion Kurt Thomas. Travis changed his surname from Thomas to Travis following his mother's remarriage. Travis grew up in a musical family. His grandparents inspired him to pursue guitar. At a young age, he was inspired by

Counting Crows Counting Crows is an American rock band from San Francisco, California. Formed in 1991, the band consists of guitarist David Bryson, drummer Jim Bogios, vocalist Adam Duritz, keyboardist Charlie Gillingham, David Immerglück, bass guitarist M ...

, Elliott Smith, and Heatmiser.

Solo career

2012–14: ''Wha Happen?'' and ''Everything Is Beautiful''

During his time as a vocalist in American post-hardcore band

, Kurt Travis began pursuing a solo career, in 2012. On January 24, 2012, he released his debut solo debut extended play (EP), ''Wha Happen?'' on

Doghouse Records Doghouse Records is an American record label currently based in New York City.Alan O'Connor, ''Punk Record Labels and the Struggle for Autonomy''. Lexington Books, 2008, p. 41Google Books/ref> The company was founded by Dirk Hemsath in late 1987 ...

, a DIY lo-fi and

indie rock Indie rock is a subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the music they produc ...

project consisting of seven tracks. In support of its release, Travis performed a number of various one-off concerts with former

vocalist

, Never Shout Never, Hail the Sun, and The Seeking from May 2012 to April 2013. On March 12, 2013, he released his self-titled second solo EP on

. The following year, he released his debut studio album, ''

'', on May 14, on Blue Swan Records. The album was produced by former Dance Gavin Dance guitarist Josh Benton and mastered by

Kris Crummett Kris Crummett is an American record producer and owner of the Interlace Audio in Portland, Oregon. Crummett started recording in 2002. He has worked with many notable indie music record labels, including Rise Records, Epitaph Records, Fearless Re ...

, while featuring guest appearances from

Strawberry Girls Strawberry Girls is an American rock band from Salinas, California, formed in 2011. The band is currently composed of guitarist Zac Garren, drummer Ben Rosett, and bassist Ian Jennings. All three members are multi-instrumentalists and record pro ...

lead guitarist Zachary Garren and A Lot Like Birds members Cory Lockwood and Joseph Arrington. Its lead single, "Brain Lord", was released on April 22, 2014, accompanied with its music video. To promote the album, Travis embarked on a headlining US tour with support from

Hotel Books Hotel Books is an American spoken-word project from Porterville, California Porterville is a city in the San Joaquin Valley, in Tulare County, California, United States. It is part of the Visalia-Porterville metropolitan statistical area. ...

and So Much Light, beginning on May 14 and concluding June 7, 2014. On July 26, 2015, Travis released the single "Switchblade", featuring Strawberry Girls.

2015–19: ''There's A Place I Want to Take You''

In August 2015, he launched his own independent record label, Esque Records, based in

. On the label, he signed American singer-songwriter Paul Travis and released a split EP with the musician on February 1, 2016. On March 2, 2016, he announced his departure from A Lot Like Birds. In March 2016,

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Vegas ...

based post-hardcore band Amarionette released the single "Get It Right", featuring Kurt Travis, with its music video premiering in July and later appearing on the group's studio album ''Repeating History''. Travis toured as a solo artist with

Tilian Tilian Pearson (born July 12, 1987), also known mononymously as Tilian, is an American singer-songwriter, musician and record producer born in Clearwater, Florida. Since 2012 he has been the third clean vocalist for the post-hardcore band Danc ...

and Jonny Craig in the US from April 22 to May 15, 2016, with support from Myke Terry and Victory Heights. Following this tour, he embarked on his first solo UK tour with headliner The Appleseed Cast and other support Listener and Atlas: Empire, in June. On May 31, 2017, he released the solo track "No Apologies", featuring Strawberry Girls. The track was produced, mixed and mastered by Strawberry Girls drummer Ben Rosett at Spirit Vision Records. On October 8, 2017, musician Kyle Ekstrom released the song "Easy", featuring Travis as a guest vocalist. On December 25, 2017, singer Andrés released the song "Multiverse", which features Travis on vocals. The next month, American

band Find Yourself released the song "Conjured Conjecture", which also features Travis. In November 2018, Boy Becomes Hero released the collaborative single "Delectation", with Travis on vocals. In September 2018, he announced a solo US headlining tour with support from I the Mighty's Brent Walsh, Makari and Televangelist, which took place from October 30 to November 18. On April 11, 2019, Travis announced an album release tour for his second solo studio album, which took place between May 17 and June 23, 2019. The same month, Travis released the single "Easy Peasy", on April 16, along with its music video. On May 17, 2019, he released his second studio album, '' There's A Place I Want To Take You'', on Blue Swan Records and Esque Records. In support of the album, he embarked on numerous solo tours with Andrés, Makari, Adventurer, and Body Thief. In 2021, he will tour as support on Hail the Sun's ''New Age Filth'' tour.

2020–present: ''Fun & Games'' EP

A compilation EP of demos and B-sides from past recording sessions with guitarist Zachary Garren, titled ''Fun & Games'', was released for streaming and digital download on May 28, 2021. From January 20 to February 3, 2022, Travis embarked on a headlining solo US tour, with support from Amarionette, Sani Bronco, and Catbamboo. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the final four tour dates were cancelled.

History

2001–08: Five Minute Ride, No Not Constant, and O! the Joy

In 2001, while still a senior in high school, Kurt Travis was offered to join the Cameron Park based post-hardcore band Five Minute Ride, after the members discovered him at an open mic event in

Placerville, California Placerville (, ; formerly Old Dry Diggings, Dry Diggings, and Hangtown) is a city in and the county seat of El Dorado County, California. The population was 10,747 as of the 2020 census, up from 10,389 as of the 2010 census. It is part of the Sa ...

. The band's 2003 debut EP, ''Bathroom Walls... Lipstick Secrets'', was released on promoter Eric Rushing's now-defunct 720 Records. Their follow-up EP, ''The World Needs Convincing of All That It's Missing'', was recorded during the summer of 2004 with producer

Kurt Ballou Kurt Ballou (born February 1, 1974) is an American musician and producer based in Massachusetts, best known as the guitarist for hardcore punk band Converge and for his prolific recording and production work at his own GodCity Studio. Early an ...

at Godcity Studios in Salem, MA, and released in 2005 through Rise Records. The group later disbanded in October 2005 after many of the original members, who formed the band during high school, had left for college. No Not Constant, another post-hardcore project based in Sacramento, California, consisting of Kurt Travis, Julian Loy, Tony Marks, Josh Benton, Alex Fleshman and Dale Arseneau, formed in 2007. The band was described as a "nu-jazz" and "indie pop" group and were heavily praised throughout the Northern California music scene. The band was short-lived and disbanded the same year. After numerous trial and errors with Five Minute Ride and No Not Constant, as well as his

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

project There & Back Again, he joined the post-hardcore band O! the Joy. With the band, he released one full-length studio album, titled ''Zen Mode'' (2008), which was recorded at Tiny Telephone Recording Studios in

San Francisco, California San Francisco (; Spanish for " Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the fourth most populous in California and 17th ...

. Despite local success, the group disbanded the same year.

2008–10: Dance Gavin Dance

Briefly following

's departure from American post-hardcore band

in November 2007, Kurt Travis replaced Craig as clean vocalist. Travis' first tour with the group took place from January 16 to February 22, 2008, co-headlined with metalcore band Poison the Well. The band released their second studio album, ''

'', on August 19, 2008 on Rise Records. In support of its release, the group co-headlined a summer tour with post-hardcore band

A Static Lullaby A Static Lullaby was an American post-hardcore band that formed in Chino Hills, California, in 2001. History Early years and formation (2001–2002) A Static Lullaby came together after a high school jam session led to the members to quit thei ...

from July to August 2008. The band toured as support on

Senses Fail Senses Fail is an American rock band formed in Ridgewood, New Jersey, in 2001. Founded by vocalist James "Buddy" Nielsen, drummer Dan Trapp, guitarists Garrett Zablocki and Dave Miller, and bassist James Gill (replaced by Mike Glita shortly af ...

's US tour in October and November 2008. On March 20, 2009, the band performed at South by South West in

Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...

. They performed on the first half of the 2009

Vans Warped Tour The Warped Tour was a traveling rock tour that toured the United States plus three or four stops in Canada annually each summer from 1995 until 2019. It was the largest traveling music festival in the United States and the longest-running tourin ...

. On June 9, 2009, Dance Gavin Dance released their third studio album, also the second and final studio album with Travis, ''

'', just ten months after the release of their self-titled second album. They toured with Emarosa, Of Mice & Men, Tides of Man and Of Machines from September to October 2009. In February 2010, the band performed at Soundwave in Australia and at Bamboozle Festival in March 2010. In August 2010, the band announced Kurt Travis' departure from the band, who was later replaced by original vocalist Jonny Craig. A few weeks later, it was revealed Travis was kicked out of the group, however the split resulted in "no bad blood" between members. On October 18, 2010, the band released its debut live album, '' Live at Bamboozle 2010''. It was the final release to feature Kurt Travis as lead vocalist. After Craig's second departure from Dance Gavin Dance, Kurt Travis and Lower Definition vocalist Matt Geise temporarily filled in as clean vocalists on their US headlining tour with

and Just Like Vinyl in February and March 2012. Dance Gavin Dance announced its ten-year anniversary tour, taking place from November 14 to December 18, 2015, with support from

, Slaves, Dayshell and

. On the tour, both Travis and Craig traded off as clean vocalist performing with the band during their set. The group embarked on a European leg of the ten year anniversary tour with Travis and Craig as support in November 2016. On June 8, 2018, the band released their eighth studio album, '' Artificial Selection'', which features the song "Shelf Life", featuring Travis as a guest vocalist. This makes it the singer's first time appearing on a Dance Gavin Dance track since October 2010.

2011–16: A Lot Like Birds

After his departure from

in August 2010, post-hardcore band

announced that Kurt Travis had joined the band as second vocalist on January 9, 2011. With the band, they signed to

and released their second studio album, ''Conversation Piece'', on October 11, 2011. In January and February 2012, the band headlined a tour with

Decoder Decoder may refer to: Technology * Audio decoder converts digital audio to analog form * Binary decoder, digital circuits such as 1-of-N and seven-segment decoders * Decompress (compression decoder), converts compressed data (e.g., audio/video/i ...

and Just Like Vinyl in the US. From November 2 to December 9, 2012, the group toured as support on the Rock Yourself to Sleep Tour with

and I the Mighty in the US. A Lot Like Birds signed with

and announced their third studio album. The band released ''

No Place No Place is a small village near the town of Stanley in County Durham, England, east of Stanley and west of Beamish. Situated to the south of the A693, it is home to an award-winning real ale pub, the Beamish Mary Inn (dating from 1897 and o ...

'', their second and final studio album with Kurt Travis in the band, on October 29, 2013. In support of the album, the group embarked on a tour with Sianvar and Stolas, which took place from January 8 to February 2, 2014. They toured on the 2014

from June to August. The group toured as support on

Enter Shikari Enter Shikari (stylised as enter: shikari and occasionally as ΣΠΤΣ℞ SΗΦΚ∆℞Φ) are a British rock band formed in St Albans, Hertfordshire, England in 1999 by bassist Chris Batten, lead vocalist and keyboardist Rou Reynolds, and dr ...

's US Mindsweep Tour from March 23 to April 28, 2015. A Lot Like Birds toured on Dance Gavin Dance's ten year anniversary tour in November and December 2015, in the United States, along with Slaves, Dayshell, and

. This was the final tour to feature Kurt Travis before his departure. On February 20, 2016, Travis departed from A Lot Like Birds. On May 6, 2018, Travis reunited with the group to perform at their final concert before permanently disbanding.

2016–17: Eternity Forever

Eternity Forever was an American

supergroup composed of

drummer Ben Rosett, former

CHON CHON is a mnemonic acronym for the four most common elements in living organisms: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen. The acronym CHNOPS, which stands for ''c''arbon, ''h''ydrogen, ''n''itrogen, ''o''xygen, ''p''hosphorus, ''s''ulfur, r ...

bassist Brandon Ewing, and Kurt Travis. The trio formed in

Carmel, California Carmel-by-the-Sea (), often simply called Carmel, is a city in Monterey County, California, United States, founded in 1902 and incorporated on October 31, 1916. Situated on the Monterey Peninsula, Carmel is known for its natural scenery and ric ...

in December 2016. The group reportedly recorded their debut studio album in the first week of December at Spirit Vision Studios in Carmel. On January 25, 2017, the group released the single "Fantasy", announcing their debut EP, ''Fantasy'', which was released on Spirit Vision Records on April 20, 2017. Another single, "Letting Go", was released on February 28, 2017. The project was discontinued after their first and only performance at Concert in the Park in Sacramento due to conflicts within the group.

2017–present: Push Over

A post-hardcore musical group, consisting of Kurt Travis and The Fall of Troy vocalist and guitarist

, named Push Over, was revealed on January 29, 2017. Travis announced that the duo were composing new material for an upcoming release in 2017. A demo EP was released on February 5, 2017. Erak joined Travis' post-hardcore band Royal Coda as a touring guitarist and backing vocalist in August 2018, however dropped off halfway through the tour. It was speculated the duo was on hiatus as Erak was focusing on his solo career and Travis was focusing on his respective musical endeavors, but it was confirmed in February 2019 that the group will release new material. In January 2020, the group released the single "1NE", from their upcoming debut studio album.

2018–present: Royal Coda

On January 28, 2018, Blue Swan Records confirmed that American music trio Royal Coda signed to its label. The band consists of A Lot Like Birds drummer Joe Arrington and Stolas and Sianvar guitarist Sergio Medina, along with Kurt Travis as vocalist. The group revealed that they finished recording their debut studio album on January 29, with a tentative release date in the spring 2018. Royal Coda released their debut song, "Anything to Save", as the lead single off their upcoming debut studio album, on February 16, 2018. They released their self-titled debut studio album on April 27, 2018. The band toured as support on

's headlining solo U.S. tour in August and September 2018. The band's first headlining tour is set to take place from March 14 to March 30, 2019 in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, with support from Body Thief. The band released their second studio album, '' Compassion'', in November 2019. A third LP, ''To Only A Few At First'', was released in 2022. Royal Coda supported Travis' former band

on their 2022 "An Evening With Friends" tour. The tour also saw Travis perform as a part of

again for the first time in years, sharing clean vocal duties with Andrew Wells in the wake of Tilian Pearson's departure from the band.

2021: Gold Necklace

Gold Necklace is a

progressive rock Progressive rock (shortened as prog rock or simply prog; sometimes conflated with art rock) is a broad genre of rock music that developed in the United Kingdom and United States through the mid- to late 1960s, peaking in the early 1970s. In ...

duo consisting of Kurt Travis and Brandon Ewing. This is the second project the two have been a part of together since the

trio Eternity Forever. Their debut song, "Vibe with Me", was released on September 15, 2021 and their self-titled debut studio album, released on November 12 on Kill Iconic Records, a label owned by Hail the Sun's Donovan Melero. Although presented as a duo, Royal Coda drummer Joseph Arrington wrote and recorded drums on the album.

Business ventures and other endeavors

In August 2015, Travis launched his own independent record label Esque Records. Travis said he was inspired to begin a record label due to wanting to support artists "while touring as a solo artist and with

." Originally, the label's roster included a variety of

and

bands including Rome Hero Foxes, Lemix J. Buckley, Floral, Amarionette, and In Angles. In the fall of 2016, Travis announced the first and only Esque Records Tour, which took place from September 29 to October 26 with support from

, Amarionette, and Lemix J. Buckley. In 2021, Travis launched Big Wave Industries, an independently owned company purposed for selling merchandise for indie bands including post-hardcore bands Adventurer and Body Thief.

Discography

;As Kurt Travis * ''Wha Happen?'' (EP) (

Doghouse A doghouse, also known as a kennel, is an outbuilding to provide shelter for a dog from various weather conditions. Background Humans and domesticated dogs have been companions for more than 15,000 years, beginning with the wolf and hunter– ...

, 2012) * ''Kurt Travis'' (EP) ( Equal Vision, 2013) * ''

'' ( Blue Swan Records, 2014) * ''Kurt Travis/Paul Travis Split'' (EP) (Esque Records, 2016) * '' There's A Place I Want To Take You'' (Blue Swan Records, 2019) * ''Fun & Games'' (with Zachary Garren) (2021) ;With Five Minute Ride * ''Bathroom Walls... Lipstick Secrets'' (2003) * ''The World Needs Convincing Of All That It's Missing'' (2005) ;With There & Back Again * ''Demos 06'' (2006) ;With No Not Constant * ''No Not Constant'' (Bootleg) (2012) ;With O! The Joy * ''Zen Mode'' (2008) ;With

* ''Dance Gavin Dance'' (2008) * ''Happiness'' (2009) ;With

* ''Conversation Piece'' (2011) * ''No Place'' (2013) ;With Eternity Forever * ''Fantasy EP'' (2017) ;With Push Over * ''Demo EP'' (2017) ;With Royal Coda * '' Royal Coda'' (2018) * '' Compassion'' (2019) * ''To Only A Few At First'' (2022) ;With Gold Necklace * '' Gold Necklace'' (2021)

Guest appearances

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Travis, Kurt 1984 births Living people American rock singers 21st-century American singers Dance Gavin Dance members Doghouse Records artists Equal Vision Records artists