Sean Kinnane, Lance Curci and Benny Burke of Tri-State Union. Photo courtesy of Tri-State Union.
When reggae star and former frontman of Jah Roots Josh Heinrichs announced his Los Angeles stop this past spring, the boys of Long Beach’s reggae rock trio Tri-State Union immediately made plans to go see their idol. Little did they know, they would end up supporting him on the bill at the October 2 show, which also featured Skillinjah and three other acts.
“That was one of the recent things that made this shit surreal,” Sean Kinnane, lead singer and guitarist, said. “You have this dream, this vision of what you wanna do and you work so hard for it. And holy shit, we’re here.”
The big show occurred just weeks after Tri-State Union’s successful EP release show, which packed the House of Blues in Anaheim with some 300 pre-sale tickets sold. The show also marked the release of pop-rock singer/songwriter Madison Marie’s new album Love Sober and was supported by alt-pop musician Tori Fleming and Long Beach’s Vicious Kinids and One High Five.
The band’s first official independent release, This One’s For You, Ma!, is a collection of four punchy tracks recorded, mixed and mastered by sound engineer Jazz Straub at the Compound Studio. The EP kicks off with “Closer To You,” a song written by Kinnane. Immediately, it introduces the dynamics of the trio, opening with the energetic beats and fills from drummer Benny Burke, whose playful exclamations and backup vocals undeniably inject the good feels. Combined with the thick, bouncy riffs from bassist Lance Curci and Kinnane’s growl-filled vocals, smooth phrasings and rock-heavy guitar solos, Tri-State Union’s sound culminates in a novel iteration of reggae rock.
After all, the trio says they are heavily influenced by West Coast reggae staples, primarily Sublime, Rebelution, Pepper and Stick Figure. They are also fans of fellow Long Beach-bred reggae-rock group Livication and Huntington Beach’s Special Blend.
The three friends’ journey has progressed quickly, beginning last September when Kinnane and Burke first crossed paths at the Pike Bar. Kinnane, who had moved to California from the East Coast several months prior, had his sights set on starting a band.
“It literally came down to the fact that we both played the guitar,” he recalled. Burke brought in his good friend Curci, whom he had met earlier in the year.
With two other musicians—a vocalist and a percussionist—the three of them started jamming as part of a band called The Hometown, with Kinnane and Burke on guitar and Curci on bass. It wasn’t long until the other two faded out, prompting Burke to switch to the drum kit. The trio began tightening their chemistry and thought of a new band name.
“Sean was like, ‘we can’t be the Hometown because this isn’t my hometown,’” Curci recalled. “I said, ‘mine neither!’”
Last October, Tri-State Union was officially born. Curci comes from Texas, Kinnane from Rhode Island and Burke from Pennsylvania. The band’s first show took place at Dipiazza’s, and since, the band has taken off. This past spring, Tri-State Union progressed to the final round for a spot on the Vans Warped Tour. Though they didn’t win, the band was chosen to headline the Vans Warped Tour Thank You Show at the House of Blues in Anaheim.
The trio initially recorded This One’s For You, Ma! at Bedrock Studios under the direction of a manager back in March, but when they chose to go separate ways with the manager due to “petty differences,” they decided to scrap all the recordings. The band then spent three days in September at The Compound Studio and re-recorded the four songs. Their last day of the studio was just a few days before the record release show, which they had booked back in the spring. That could explain the DIY, minimalist charm about the CDs, which simply bear the track list in black font and have handwritten notes from the band on the inside cover.
“The name of the album pretty much stems from what it is,” Kinnane said. “We’re all pretty much family people and we don’t get to go home. First one’s for ma, that’s why we do it, you know?”
This One’s For You, Ma! is available for streaming at https://soundcloud.com/tristateunionmusic.