It’s been 30 years since Blues Traveler released the album “four,” but guitarist Chan Kinchla says the band is ready to rock in Warren today at Struthers Library Theatre.
The sold-out show is at 8 p.m.
“Our fans are fantastic,” Kinchla told The Era on Thursday. This tour, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the group’s six-time Platinum album “four,” has been filled with sold-out shows, “and the shows have been packed the whole way around.
“It’s just so much gratitude we have that people want to show up and come rock out after so many years,” he said. “It’s just amazing.”
Maybe it’s that unique sound of blues, rock and folk, or the catchy choruses in hits like “Run-Around,” “But Anyway” and “Hook” that keeps fans coming back.
Kinchla joked about the band’s sound when the childhood friends started off together in 1987.
“We were never good enough to sound like anybody else,” he said with a laugh. “We always just kind of sounded like ourselves.
“When we were starting out we tried to do covers and they never sounded anything like the other band,” he said.
So they wrote their own music, put John Popper on vocals and harmonica and went on to make history. Brendan Hill, the drummer, was also an original member. Kinchla’s brother Tad joined in 1999 on bass and backing vocals, and Ben Wilson in 2000 on keyboards and backing vocals.
Their sound has remained their own, with Popper’s talent on vocals and harmonica a tough one to match.
Kinchla said, “You kind of learn to play as you’re going. You learn to play in that band and you’re only playing with each other. You kind of become your own sound. Your technique and your style is kind of formed by the band you are in, so it kind of feeds on itself.”
When he was a child, he wanted to learn electric guitar, so he picked one up “at 10 or 11 and never put it down.”
To those who are looking to pursue dreams in music, Kinchla said, “The most important thing is to create your own sound. Whatever your flavor is, you’ve got something unique to offer.
“Just play out wherever you can, that’s where you find your sound.”
For those lucky enough to get tickets for the show, the guitarist said to expect to hear a lot from “four.”
“On this tour we’re doing a lot of songs off of ‘four,’ so we’re kind of leaning on that album,” he said. “Every tour’s got kind of a personality in the set.”
Expect to hear hits, along with some deep cuts and a mix from decades of music.
Kinchla said, “We look forward to seeing you guys.”
