West Coast Wandering

Concerning Iscariot kicks off tour with Seattle date

By CASEY RESSLER

Valley Life editor

Less than a year after forming, Concerning Iscariot is heading Outside to a bigger music scene. Now the band members just need a destination.

Comprised of two sets of brothers who are cousins, Concerning Iscariot is forging a following through their upbeat message and powerful riffs.

This week, they left Alaska for the West Coast, where they have several gigs lined up for the next month. While they're looking for a record deal, the men are also keeping their eyes open for something bigger -- a new home.

"We're planning on playing until we run out of money or find a centralized location to live, where we can be close to a lot of places to play," said Kacey Tompkins, the band's drummer. "We're not going to quit until we get signed."

Tompkins said the decision to leave Alaska was liberating.

"A couple of us quit our jobs yesterday and a couple are at work for the last day today," Tompkins said last Friday with a chuckle. "We know things will work out for us down there."

A quartet of Tompkinses make up the band -- Kacey's brother, Tyrell, handles the lead singing and some guitar duties, while their cousins, William and Wyatt, are on bass and guitars. The family approach has worked well for the band after a few unsuccessful tries for Kacey and Tyrell Tompkins.

The brothers formed "Unleaded," which enjoyed mild success. They turned to their cousins, who lived in Anchorage, for help. William and Wyatt Tompkins both studied music in college, while Kacey and Tyrell Tompkins were self-taught.

The brothers and cousins came together instantly, perfectly mixing styles and sounds from the first time they played.

Recently, the band released its first CD, "The Kenny Lavoy Files," just months after the band officially formed.

They put together promotional packets and sent hundreds Outside, looking for gigs along the West Coast.

"Half of them didn't even get a response, but some people called with specific dates they had open and said we could play," Kacey Tompkins said. "We have eight or nine dates for sure, already lined up, and about 10 others that are still out there, waiting to confirm.

So far, the band already has gigs in Seattle and Tacoma in Washington; Eugene, Corvallis and Medford in Oregon; Woodland, San Francisco, Temecula, San Diego, Hermosa Beach, Miramar and Hollywood in California; and one in Phoenix.

On Sunday, Concerning Iscariot is playing at the Central Saloon in Seattle, a place USA Today named as one of the top 10 places for rock and roll nationwide. Central Saloon features live music seven nights a week -- and is the place where the Seattle grunge scene exploded in the early 1990s, giving bands like Nirvana and Soundgarden their starts.

"We're pretty excited about playing there," Kacey Tompkins said. "Some pretty big bands have played there before."

The band's stage performances are energetic and upbeat, and band members are hoping that means success on the road.

"Hey, if we play and get paid enough to eat, that's fine by me," Wyatt Tompkins said last fall. "We've got a good stage presence, we love music and are having fun jumping around with each other.

"Whether it's a stadium full of people or a room with one person in the audience, you're going to get a good show from us," Wyatt Tompkins said.

The band also launched its Web site earlier this week. At www.concerningiscariot.com, people can purchase copies of the band's CD, as well as a number of logo items, from t-shirts to hats.