Kicking back at twilight time on the rod iron rocking chairs at the Auld Dubliner in summer 2005 marks the first time my ears became tantalized with the soulful dub, rock, reggae sounds of Truckee Tribe. With backgrounds in bluegrass, rock and reggae and influences like Jack Johnson, Incubus, Peter Tosh, Johnny Cash, Beck, Stone Temple Pilots, Sublime, Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Dub Nation, and Chuck Berry to name a few, Truckee Tribe has been kicking the local scene in the pants for a little over two years.
Don’t get Truckee Tribe confused with a mere jam band, oh no, they are able to infuse the rock, reggae, hip-hop, ska, punk, bluegrass and dub with ease and incendiary style. Stan Charles, front man, keyboardist, and guitarist grew up with musical aspirations in his blood. Father and fellow band member Pete Charles is an accomplished bass player with profound industry knowledge and experience. Sister Jenni, also a Truckee Tribe member, has been rocking out on the fiddle since she was five. Truckee Tribe came together as a result of Stan’s love of diverse music.
‘When I was two years old I fell in love with music. I remember being really young watching The Oak Ridge Boys perform ‘El Vira’ on stage. I toured with my parents living out of a van traveling all over the states and Canada. I have embraced so many genres at different times in my life,’ Stan said. He experimented with drums at an early age but found his calling at 12 when he got his first guitar, now Stan says he sticks to guitar and bass.
Stan went to college at Cal State University in Long Beach where, by no surprise, he studied music. While grasping the academic side of musical doctrine, Stan was exposed to the dub reggae scene of Long Beach, which not only inspired him to explore his musical talents further but also sparked a life-long passion. ‘I was really into the reggae scene in Long Beach but got sick of the L.A. scene…there were so many bands and the competition was crazy. I needed to chill out mountain-style and the Truckee-Tahoe area has a lot of potential for music. People just seem to appreciate music here a lot more. Plus the unwavering support from fans and local bands really keeps us going,’ Stan said.
Once back in Truckee, Stan hooked up with sister Jenni who while studying at U.C. Santa Cruz was introduced to djembe and other sorts of percussion. Pete and Jenni, who often perform a bluegrass duet both solo and as an opening act for Truckee Tribe, embraced Stan’s passion and jumped aboard this musical cruise ship. Josh Roelle, the Iowa kid who can switch it up from harmonica to keyboard with enviable ease, and Stan hit it off stylistically so Josh stepped in on guitar. Truckee Tribe has had some difficulty securing a drummer, but with Ryan Davis on board, they have added some new flavor to the mix. Brian Hess, from the dearly departed local ska-infused Lifters, has also joined the band. ‘Half the stuff we play never sounds the way we rehearsed it. We’ve been called a jam band but we are more of a freestyle band because we are not super structured,’ Stan said.
A memorable moment in Truckee Tribe history was this summer’s performance at Truckee Regional Park. ‘When we played the park we had a ball. It was probably my favorite performance of 2006. It got wild with people dancing in the pit and on stage while we played ‘til late that night,’ Stan said.
Ringing in the new year, Jan. 13 will be a big event for the Tribe as they take the stage at Sugar Bowl’s Mt. Judah’s lodge to contribute to the soundtrack of the Jabra Winter X-Jam, one of the final X-Games qualifiers. Then, Jan. 19, an album release party has been scheduled at the Pasttime Club in downtown Truckee. On Jan. 20, another release party will be held at Zenbu in Squaw Valley. ‘The self-titled album should be available for purchase on Jan. 19. It has been mastered, but we are still waiting on some artwork,’ Stan said. Truckee Tribe hooked up with Damon Gould of Big Water Studios out of Homewood to put the album together. Shotgun Wedding Quintet lends its D.J. and some brass to a few of the tracks. ‘We are generally sticking with the rock-reggae sound mixing in some hip-hop and ska. It is good party music that keeps ya’ movin,’ Stan said.
Stan is looking to incorporate more of his rock roots into the Truckee Tribe sound for 2007. When asked who his favorite and most inspirational band of 2006 was, Stan replied the White Stripes. ‘Of course I would have loved to meet many of the iconic musical figures who graced the scene with their presence, but as of 2007 I think The White Stripes are one of the only good rock bands that have come out. I love the simple melodic rock stuff and two people making it happen on analog, four-tracks just blows my mind. Who knows, maybe I’ll explore a rock trio sometime in the future,’ Stan said.
For now Stan and the rest of Truckee Tribe are looking forward to their self-titled album release and another year together. For information on Truckee Tribe, check out truckeetribe.com.
