There was never any doubt that Alex Tintinalli had loads of talent when he showed up on the K-W scene in 2007 as a 14-year-old blues guitar prodigy. The question became, what would he do with that talent? Tintinalli’s development over the last two years into a more well-rounded, John Mayer-style performer has proved how hungry he is to expand his horizons. His latest project is pushing his abilities even further.
Pocket City is a band that reflects Tintinalli’s first love, hip hop, while incorporating many of the other musical genres in which he has immersed himself. The group grew out of jam sessions Tintinalli undertook with bassist Donovan McKinley and drummer Jordan Smith. The trio later invited the ubiquitous Mike Dainjah to participate as MC, and the guitarist explains that by then he knew what form he wanted the music to take.
“I was so impressed by how we all meshed together that I asked Donovan and Jordan if they wanted to start a band,” Tintinalli says. “Then after a few shows and jamming a bunch, Mike D mentioned an awesome turntablist he knew named Sporadik, so we called him out to jam and sure enough he fit perfectly with the sound. A few months later I asked Mike D if he was interested in joining the City and he said yes. Ever since than, we are all brothers and share the same drive.”
Tintinalli believes that anyone who has been following his career to this point shouldn’t be surprised by what Pocket City is about. He says he feels it is a natural part of his evolution.
“I’ve gone through a lot of stages musically. First it was blues, than it was pop, and now it’s R&B/reggae/hip-hop. I feel now that I have finally found what I am truly passionate about and I’m comfortable blending all of my musical background together to make a somewhat unique musical experience.”
Tintinalli is quick to credit Mike Dainjah for being, in some ways, the glue holding everything together.
“Working with Mike D has been an awesome experience. The guy definitely knows what he’s talking about when it comes to music and the music business. I feel honoured that he chose to join Pocket City because what he’s added is really what was needed to make it complete.”
The group is currently finishing its first mixtape that it plans to release in early September. Tintinalli says it will touch on all of the styles they have been experimenting with, so audiences can expect a lot of diversity. But as someone who primarily learned music through the blues, Tintinalli says that he’s not prepared to leave that completely behind.
“I believe that every genre of popular music stems has its roots in blues. But I don’t think that for the blues to survive that it needs to incorporate hip hop. Every chord progression of every song in the history of music somehow or another relates to early blues music, so in a way blues will always be alive one way or another.”
Live: Pocket City; Thursday, July 29; the Boathouse, Kitchener; Cost: TBD; Show Time: 9 p.m.; More Info: 519-745-7202