TRAVIS LINVILLE BIOGRAPHY
Travis Linville was born in Chickasha, OK in Feb 1978. After hearing him sing and play a few notes, you will not be suprised to find out Linville comes from a musical family. His father was the youngest member of the Linville Family Band in the 1950's, performing at dances, parties, and live on KWCO radio in Chickasha. It was his dad's guitar that Travis found in the closet as a child, and it was the songs of the family gatherings and home-made recordings that inspired Travis to pursue music. After showing an exceptional talent for learning to strum and sing songs from Hank Williams to Fats Waller, at age 15 Linville submersed himself in the guitar. Through his music mentor Joe Settlemires (ella fitzgerald-texas playboys), Travis learned to master the art of classic guitar improvisation. Moveing to Norman, OK in 1996 to study music at the University of Oklahoma, Linville spent more time on the road making money playing a unique and gritty telecaster style in country music dancehalls. In 1999 Travis and longtime friend bassist Jamie Kelley recorded a homespun album titled "Travis Linville and the Burtschi Brothers - Uncertain Texas". the popularity of this underground release led to the formation of a band.
The Burtschi Brothers became the hottest alt/americana/folkrock/jamband to arrive on the regional college scene. The Burtschi's (not really brothers) went on to release two more albums and performed live all over the central and southern US for the next five years. The 2001 release "Ain't Being Treated Right" is considered by many, the ultimate Burtschi album, featuring 17 well crafted original songs, the core band of Kelley, Webb, and Foreman, plus, the slick steel guitar of Cindy Cashdollar. Other fans would argue the 2003 "Live in Oklahoma", with "over the top" guitar duo of Linville and Kevin Webb, and rhythm section of Chris Foreman and Mike Phenix, blasting away in the local bars is the album that defines the band. The Burtschi Brothers played their last show December 31, 2005 and split just before the release of "Hometown Blues". This album marks Travis' transition from band leader to solo artist, showcasing ten Linville songs, with a stellar band. Webb, Foreman, Fogarty, Roach, and the cool harmonica of Mickey Raphael back linville as only they could. In 2006 Travis continued to tour as a solo artist, as well as sitting in and popping up as a lead guitarist for many successful groups in the "texas music" scene.
Also in 06, Linville bought a house in the woods near Norman and opened the newly infamous DirtyBird Recording with Okie rocker Mike McClure. When not on the road, Linville is often in the studio engeneering and producing albums for other artists. In 2007 Travis became a regular lead guitar player with singer/songwriter, Hayes Carll(Lost Highway), touring the US, Canada, and Europe. Recnetly, Linville released his first truely solo record, "See You Around". Recorded at the Dirtybird, in live "demo" fashion, "See You around" offers Travis at his most fundamental...an extraordinary guitar picker and songwriter. 2008 finds the 30 year old okie revitalized and returning to his own work. You can find Travis on the road promoting his new record at festivals and original music venues across the states and beyond.
the sound:
Heady songwriting sung effortlessly over a clever bed of guitar mastery.
mississippi delta train ridin flying fingers composer from 1880 in the future.
whitewashing half of a 24 inch computer moniter, barefoot in overalls
the sound of the eightball hitting four rails then the rack, jumping over three balls into the pocket
richard thompson on a pint of bob dylan.
true stories:
travis linville...
plays music, lives in the woods, sleeps in hotels, slams coffee, writes songs, see's the world, talks to his dogs, runs a recording studio, eats like a horse, thunks the banjo, slides the dobro, mashes the keys, charms stray cats, shoots pool and basketballs for money, has a van for sale, drinks pale ale, has a myspace page, takes heather out to eat mexican food, watches meet the press, has johnny cash's autograph, draws fake beards and armpit hair in people magazine, has performed onstage with willie nelson in luchenbach, tx, walks the lineage, is not the perfect country and western song, eats turtle necks for lunch, knows over 4000 highway songs, once said yes sir to a female cop, plays guitar on two "live at billy bob's albums", went broke in nashville.
name dropping (the short list)
Travis Linville has opened for, wandered onstage with, or played the same stage hours before (at some festival where his name wasn't even mentioned) with all of the following:
