TALENT

Band Biography

Tempa
Tempa's searing, soulful voice brings energy and excitement to the Colorado Music Community. She is most commonly compared to Aretha Franklin, Janis Joplin, Bonnie Raitt, Koko Taylor, and Diana Krall.

With more than 17 years of professional experience, Tempa knows how to entertain her audience. Before starting her own band, Tempa captured the attention of Denver music lovers as a member of the Flesh Mannequins.

Tempa's style infuses blues, Cajun, R&B, bluegrass, and rock to create a style all her own.
Tempa's childhood was filled with rich musical influences. Her first memory is of hearing music.
When she was a little girl she was fed Bluegrass and Gospel music for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. A childhood evening was usually spent watching and joining in with her grandmother and uncles singing, playing, and dancing.

She moved to Florida at the age of five and lived in a bus with no electricity on 71/2 acres with her lovely enchantress hippie mother. At the age of four she wrote her first song. At the age of seven she was asked to sing it for the local radio station. From that moment on she knew she wanted to be a singer and songwriter.

The Tantrums evolving lineup includes Joseph Barton on guitar. Joseph is also Tempa's songwriting partner. David Foret "Puddin" on bass and backing vocals. They must be doing things right because their fan base is growing and Tempa and the Tantrums have been nominated for two Westword Music Showcase Awards in the last three years (2001 and 2003).

Tempa has shared the stage with such notable acts as BB King, Jeff Beck, Bernard Allison, Luther Allison, Lucky Peterson, Tab Benoit, Lonnie Brooks, Shemika Copeland, Coco Montoya, Anson Funderburgh, and RL Burnside at major festivals and theaters all across the region. (they recently played Fiddler's Green!)

Additionally, her music has been played on various radio stations such as The Peak (96.5 FM) Alice (106 FM) in Denver, KGNU Boulder, and other radio stations worldwide.

Joe Seph – I first remember hearing the drums in an Elvis song at the age of seven or eight. I was attracted to the rhythm, but parents don't really want to buy their children drums. At the age of 16 I bought myself a twelve string acoustic guitar because of the big full sound I got when I played it.

I studied Music Theory, just enough to get me into trouble. I got my first Gibson, ES 355 and so began the guitar collecting phase of my life. I had a bad experience with a guitar repairman on a setup, and with that came the lesson that if you wanted something done right, you best do it yourself. From that moment on I did all my own work on my guitars.
After several years of music projects not working out, I put music aside and traveled the country for a few years. The music stayed with me and finally in 96/97 I came back to music by picking up the Bass guitar. I became a full time Bass player playing with various Denver bands where I learned the subtleties of rhythmic variation.

I ran into Tempa several times in 1999 at various open stages around town. Tempa and I with our newfound friend and drummer Brian McClure, formed Tempa and the Tantrums in March of 2000. This gave me the chance to apply to the guitar what I had learned on bass.
Tempa and the Tantrums has always been a band with amazing vocals, dynamics and musicianship.

The new lineup is the BEST it's ever been!

David Foret

I grew up in the swamps of Louisiana, a stones throw from New Orleans. When I was nine I started to learn the guitar. My grandfather, who lived fifty miles away would visit once a week. When he would visit he would hand me a piece of paper with a few guitar chords on it that my cousin Neil would send me. I would learn those chords and by the time my gramps would visit I would be ready for the next set of chords. Soon I started to jam with friends. We played rock ‘n’ roll, country, Cajun and Zydeco. There were a ton of great players in my neighborhood. I started to feel lost in a sea of great players. Then on day at rehearsals, my piano player looked over at me and said "Hey Dave, you suck on the guitar. You should play bass and we should hire a killer guitar player." I was upset for a short period. Then I realized that there were no bass players around and that I could get a lot of work. I became a student of the instrument and it has put food on my table and a roof over my head. I now thank my friend for telling me that I sucked on the guitar. It changed my life.

Since then it has taken me all over the world. Here are a few of the artists that I have had the honor of laying down some Fat Grooves for:
Blues guitarist Tab Benoit
Sixties icon Mitch Ryder
Guitar legend James Burton
Zydeco practitioners The Zukes Of Zydeco
Drum great Gregg Bissonotte

For the past five years I have played bass for Doug Kershaw. I have also been recording with a new up and coming guitarist and vocalist Michael Hornbuckle. You will hear from this kid!!!
When I heard Tempa sing, I knew I had to be part of her band.

Roxane Staples

Special guest artist for Tantrums unplugged "light" shows

I am a deeply strange woman, with a bizarre background. I am from Detroit, Michigan (where the weak are killed and eaten). I come from a family of classical string players. I spent the first 20 years of my life closeted in a basement practicing the flute, with the intent of becoming a classical flautist. The practice of working on a 13-minute piece, non-stop for months at a time instilled a lifelong habit of demented music listening. When I get a new CD, I will listen to the first cut over and over again, and then move to the second cut. It can take months to listen to one album, from beginning to end. I am constantly "discovering" 30-year-old albums (I say constantly, but each one takes half a year to digest).

Back to my boy-in-the-bubble background. When I was 13, the family television broke down, and nobody ever fixed it. I hardly noticed, since I spent all waking hours in the before-mentioned basement. The result of all of this myopia is that I find myself approaching 40, having lived in a cultural vacuum. I have no musical influences, and have never watched the Simpsons. Thank God that I am charming.

It will not surprise you to hear that the movie character that I most identify with is Chancy Gardner, played by Peter Sellers in "Being there".

I went to college to study Music at Eastern Michigan University, and dropped out in my third year, after a dog chewed on my hand. A very strange thing happened then. I put my flute in its case, and didn't remove it for seven years. I didn't even think of myself as a musician, since I hadn't finished my "studies".

I ran door-to-door political canvasses all over the country for years until I found myself in Toledo, Ohio (South Detroit, minus the charm). One day I saw an ad for an open mike at the only Jazz club in town and decided to go. I went home and practiced scales all day and went to the club that night, fearful that someone would corner me, screaming "impostor!"

Oh course, that didn't happen. When I got on the stage, the band asked me what tunes I know. I told them to play something, and I'd fudge it. When we finished the song, everyone in the band was shaking their heads and one of them said "Biiiiggg Ears".

Since then, I have only been in two bands, but I have been welcome on the stage on anyone who has ever heard me. This is probably because if I can hear it, I can play it.

Reviews

Mark Stout
What's Doing Tonight
Guide to Colorado Living & Entertainment
"If you haven’t felt Tempa sing the blues, let us introduce you.
When Tempa sing the blues, you feel the blues and that seems to be part of a divine plan. From the receipt of the perfect stage name shortly after birth, to her unusual upbringing, to the colorful people she has met along life’s path, and a healthy dose of her own passion, Tempa has been molded into a one of a kind performer with a haunting, magnetic quality that holds her audience spellbound."

Artists in the spotlight - Tempa And The Tantrums
Denver Local Music Scene .Com
If you’re going to see Tempa And The Tantrums play, you need to realize a few things. First, if you just want to sit there and have a beer it's not going to happen, you can't sit still and watch this band. It's not going to happen...just trust me on this, your ass will be shaking. While your groovin' to the music you're also going to be fixated on Tempa. The woman has some kind of weird magnetic stage presence that you can't ignore. Tempa needs her own paragraph...

Tempa Singer has a voice that sounds hand crafted for the blues. Her sultry vocals can go from smooth and soulful to raspy and powerful in an instant. She goes from bouncing around, tossing her red hair up in the air to closing her eyes and holding notes that almost seem unreal. My personal favorite song of the evening would be her version of "Shaky Ground." I was honestly picking my jaw up off the ground after that song. Can you tell I was impressed? The original song sounds absolutely nothing like Tempa's version. Apparently, she was doing the song one night and it just sort of morphed into disco classics being mixed in and random catchy verses from other songs that really fit well for some reason. It's great to see people dancing to this one, nothing but smiles on every face in the venue. My other favorite was the cajun spiced original "Zydeco Jam." I swear I never saw it coming, Fantastic music!

Tempa and the Tantrums
A premium blend of several blues styles.
Average User Rating: ***** (5 stars)

AOL Digital City Denver
Matt Schild
"The blues have always been the perfect place for independent women to voice their troubles, a truth that Tempa and the Tantrums have got a firm handle on. Frontwoman Tempa Singer lends her smoky voice to
songs that swing from down 'n' out Delta blues to sultry, uppity Cajun numbers without ever sounding
strained. Singer puts her stock in her performance: Audiences
get every ounce of her talent."

TEMPA AND THE TANTRUMS NOMINATED IN BLUES
By Dave Herrera From Westword
Tempa Singer is no run-of-the-mill blues diva. That is, unless the blues in question contain a healthy dose of bluegrass. While this chanteuse possesses a set of pipes steeped in the blues, she's not about to be painted into any corners.

Park County Flume
Rave Reviews - your monthly look at books, movies, music and more
Tempa and the Tantrums, "Foo Ya Live." Music, blues
By Lora Abcarian, Editor

"I've been a blues nut for a long time, and was really glad I discovered Tempa and the Tantrums last year. Tempa has a voice which ooooozes the bluuuuues, and she has a way of letting her vocals seep into your consciousness.
I really like that because it has a way of transporting you places. To the deep South, for one place. The music has something of a Cajun feel to it. Slap the CD on your player, close your eyes and see what happens. Because the music is so sultry, you can feel that Deep South humidity dripping off the liveoak trees. Watch the steam rise on the bayou in your mind's eye. Take some time and smell the hotsauce."

From the Colorado Springs Gazette
Tempa & The Tantrums
This Denver blues project has a touch of savory jazz and a hint of R&B. Tempa J. Singer, the band's lead vocalist has the originality of Janis Joplin and the red-headed sassiness of Bonnie Raitt.

Black Rose Acoustic Society
"The tie that bound this performance was Tempa -- hot, expressive, and powerfully talented. When you have a standout blues vocalist backed up by highly flexible group of musicians, pumped up by a love for hard driving blues, you have a great evening"

Red Hot Weekend, Denver Blues & Bones Festival 2000
By Tony Lombardi and Jim Primock
"...Tempa and the Tantrums. Tempa Singer is the lead vocalist, and sings the Blues with astounding passion. She has character and expression like I've heard only in singers like Lannie Garrett and Koko Taylor. A refreshing talent to the area. This hot band played Blues straight ahead. See this act as soon as you can."

Colorado Springs Independent
-Jane Mcbee
"Belting out the blues, tossing her red mane, Tempa dominates the stage with distinct animal energy."