TahVenDero

Tahvendero is an amalgamation of musical personalities and influences as much as they are of words. Named for the California hometowns of its three members – Tahoe, Ventura, and Atascadero – Tahvendero is a complex mixture of acoustic melodies and jam rock with an occasional harder edge. The end result is an infectious blend that keeps audiences coming back for more.Tahvendero is the brainchild of guitarist and vocalist, Jonathan Strohm. With musical training on the piano, bass and guitar, Strohm has been crafting songs since the age of eighteen, drawing inspiration from bands like Third Eye Blind, Eagle Eye Cherry and Vertical Horizon. While playing on the Central Coast in the acoustic duo ‘Storytellers,’ Strohm began developing a collection of material that would later lay the foundation for Tahvendero. In late 2005, the duo began looking for additional musicians to form a band.Keith Jones, of Ventura, California, joined the group in early 2006 after seeing the duo featured in San Luis Obispo’s New Times. With twelve years of musical experience on the drums, guitar and bass, and influences ranging from the Dave Matthews Band and Blues Traveler to Led Zeppelin and Victor Wooten, Jones brought an innovative and melodic style to the group. Jones had previously played bass for the ‘Troy Dixon Band,’ now of Portland, Oregon.Atascadero native Joseph Lewelling rounded out the group. Motivated by Led Zeppelin to pick up a set of sticks at the age of fifteen, Lewelling has gone on to play in several hard and punk rock bands on the Central Coast, including ‘Corporate America,’ ‘Unkempt,’ ‘My Friend’s Band’ and ‘Coda.’ In addition to playing the drums, Lewelling fabricates them, driving Tahvendero’s jams on his own Quadropod original drum kit. With a style influenced by Led Zeppelin, the Smashing Pumpkins and Blink 182, Lewelling adds an energetic, aggressive tone to the group.Originally known as ‘Notify,’ Tahvendero’s tunes have evolved over the last year, growing into an eclectic mixture of rock genres. First hitting the stage opening for the Central Coast’s own ‘Criticnue,’ Tahvendero is now a regular fixture at the Morro Bay Brewing Company and Sweet Springs Saloon in Los Osos, California. They recently had the pleasure of headlining a “sold out” show at the Atascadero State Hospital.As primary songwriter for Tahvendero, Strohm crafts intriguing and at times entrancing lyrics, blended harmoniously with his acoustic rifts. The outcome is often emotional yet poignant compositions, which he brings to Jones and Lewelling for collaboration. With their influences in jam rock, jazz funk, and hard rock, the end result is a little bit Train, a little bit Dave Matthews Band, and a lot Tahvendero.