MOTO SOLO - There's Another Way [EP]
MOTO SOLO is the latest sonic trip from Mar Vista, CA, musician Bobby Tamkin, and you’re absolutely going to want to join him on this journey. The newly minted project’s first four singles possess an unmistakably warm and immediate glow, as reminiscent of current-day electro-rock vanguards Justice as it is of the legendary synth-pop of the 1980s – and with the project’s debut album, produced by Queens of the Stone Age bassist Michael Shuman, on the way, Tamkin’s latest chapter is just kicking off.
Following the debut single “There’s Another Way,” MOTO SOLO collaborated with Producer/DJ Gui Boratto (Massive Attack, Pet Shop Boys) on the There’s Another Way (Gui Boratto’s Rework) EP. It reached #9 on Traxsource Progressive Essentials chart and Earmilk described it as a “hypnotic, late-night anthem destined for discerning dance floors.”
MOTO SOLO is the culmination of a lifetime in musical adventure: as a young drummer, Tamkin played with the seminal Seattle experimental rock group Hovercraft. “My friend Beth moved to Seattle with her then-boyfriend Eddie Vedder and convinced me it was the greatest place to be for music,” Tamkin explains. “I moved from LA to Seattle and lived in their Aurora House, a funhouse filled with musical equipment. Seattle musicians and touring bands would come by, and play music at all hours. I was lucky to take part in jams there with musicians from bands I loved, like Soundgarden, Smashing Pumpkins, Mudhoney,” Tamkin reminisces. “Beth and I played music together and once we became a bit more serious about the music, we recorded a 7” single, and toured with Foo Fighters and also Dave Grohl, Eddie Vedder, Mike Watt, Helmet, and The Melvins.”
A few years later, Tamkin moved back to Los Angeles, drummed in many bands, including The Warlocks, and after jamming with musicians such as Red Hot Chili Peppers’ Flea and John Frusciante, Suicidal Tendencies and auditioning for Beck and Kyuss, he took a break from music. “I couldn’t find a comfortable home as a drummer,” he muses. He learned a few chords on piano, wrote and arranged his first-ever song, and, together with a singer (featured on albums by Air and Orbital), recorded it on an 8-track tape machine. The song found its way to the television show Gossip Girl and became the basis for the formation of his critically acclaimed band, Xu Xu Fang. Rolling Stone premiered a Xu Xu Fang single and video (featuring Yellowstone’s Luke Grimes), and The Onion wrote, “Enormous, dark, psychedelic, and beautiful, Xu Xu Fang is full of meditative moods that haunt the diaphanous triangle formed by Pink Floyd, Radiohead, and Sigur Ros.” Xu Xu Fang was featured on two Kompakt Records releases, and the band collaborated with photographer and Ladytron member Reuben Wu on a music video that premiered on VICE.
Xu Xu Fang’s inventive alchemy struck a chord with critics, music supervisors, and listeners alike. The band’s cover of David Bowie’s China Girl, part of a 35-band Bowie tribute record (Warpaint, Duran Duran), was singled out by MOJO Magazine, who wrote, “Xu Xu Fang’s baked trip hop China Girl beats the recognized talent.” Consequence called their music, “Stunningly beautiful moments amidst the chaotic buildup of spiraling distorted guitars.” Tamkin expanded his reach into the world of film and TV music alongside licensing more compositions to Gossip Girl and television shows Bates Motel, 30 For 30, The Originals and advertising for brands such as cosmetics empire Sephora. “The band gave me a lot of confidence that you don’t have to be an expert at music to write something that can connect with people,” he says. “Frankly, I had no idea what I was doing.”
Enter MOTO SOLO, which Tamkin describes as a “complete expression of my creativity” where he’s front and center when it comes to writing, singing and performing the music. “Xu Xu Fang was my band, but I never sang anything,” he explains. “I’d write all the music and lyrics, then hand the lyrics over to somebody else to sing. It was fun, but there was a disconnect.”
Work on MOTO SOLO’s forthcoming debut LP began at the end of 2023 when Tamkin decided to bear down on new music within his studio’s isolated confines. “Despite never singing on anything, I wrote with me as the singer in mind.” Eventually, Queens of the Stone Age bassist Michael Shuman joined Tamkin in the studio to help flesh out the material in development and assist in the album’s production.
“I reached out to Shuman initially for bass playing, and he ended up contributing guitar, keyboards, arrangement ideas, and much more. When we first got together, I played everything I had for him, and to my delight, he liked almost all of it. He asked who was singing, and I knew at that point my voice could work,” Tamkin says with relief.
After several weeks working at Shuman’s home studio, Tamkin and Shuman booked recording time at the Highland Park, CA studio, 64 Sound, and together with GRAMMY-winning engineer Michael Harris (Lana Del Rey, Arctic Monkeys), continued recording.
MOTO SOLO draws from the artists that inspire Tamkin in surprising ways – from the distinctive vocals of Depeche Mode’s Dave Gahan to the bombastic musical thrust of David Lee Roth-era Van Halen. The new songs reverberate with a lush synth sweep and heavy dance groove reminiscent of New Order, featuring Tamkin’s baritone voice crooning to captivating effect.
Ultimately, MOTO SOLO’s forthcoming debut looks to pull listeners in through an experience that doesn’t sacrifice an iota of accessibility. “More so than anything I’ve written in the past, I’m paying attention to arrangement and song craft,” Tamkin explains while talking about the project’s aims at the moment, and from the sound of the first four singles and the upcoming new single, “Wait and Wait,” he’s undoubtedly on his way to achieving his goals.