Published in the Herald-Republic on Monday, September 23, 2002
By VANESSA GARRIDO
ZILLAH HIGH SCHOOL
This year's Central Washington State Fair may stray from its old-fashioned roots of petting zoos, livestock competitions and rodeos. Townsend, an all-male vocal/dance group from San Francisco, will be performing alongside the traditional country singers and animal shows of yore.
Townsend consists of five energetic, twenty-something members: Todd Dolci, 23, Ryan Torres, 20, the Restani twins (Dominic and Nick), 22, and Matt Yoakum, 21.
In 2000, Dolci, Torres, and the twins met while working at a radio station on Townsend Street -- hence the band's name. In April of 2001, they added Yoakum to the band, who is now the lead vocalist.
Despite what people may assume, Townsend members insist they're different from the slew of other American boy bands. In a recent telephone interview, Torres described the group's music as "pop, rock, and hip-hop."
The rest of the band agreed that their sound is "pop with an edge." Influenced by artists ranging from Eminem, Dr. Dre, and Boyz II Men to Rush, Linkin Park, and Jimmy Eat World, one would expect Townsend to deviate somewhat from the "boy band" stereotype.
Something else that the band claims separates them from the typical boy band is their origin. As Dolci assertively put it, "We didn't come from some millionaire's pocketbook, we started on our own. I think this gives us a lot more creative control over our music. We also do our own publicity, like posting and passing out flyers. We love hanging with our fans and we're very down to earth."
Although Yoakum joined the group later, he was no newcomer to the singing business. He appeared on the popular television show "Making the Band," where young male singers from across the nation competed for a slot in what was meant to be the ultimate boy band, "O-Town." Yoakum made it as far as being one of the top 25 contestants.
Yoakum, who is originally from Salem, Ore., moved to San Francisco when he was selected to become the fifth member of Townsend. As soon as he arrived, the band began performing and recorded three songs. Since then, they have opened for Jessica Simpson and Dream, performed for Paramount's "Great America," and sang during the televised half-time show of the Silicon Valley Football Classic New Year's Eve Bowl.
Townsend has toured more than 200 middle schools in California, Oregon, Nevada, Florida, and Washington with the QSP/Reader's Digest fund-raising program. They also released their first six-song EP late last February, which includes a cover of Def Leppard's "Pour Some Sugar on Me" and a ballad Matt wrote regarding September 11, "Close Your Eyes".
Yakima can begin keeping its eyes peeled for personally posted flyers, since Townsend is scheduled to perform at the fair and some local middle schools. Fair times are set for 7 p.m. Monday-Oct. 2 on the Oak Park Stage.
For more information on Townsend, visit their website at www.townsendmusic.com, where their CD is also available for $10.
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Yakima Herald Republic
Article from Yakima Hearld.
