San Diego Reader

AJ Blount: Vocals | Ku Hawkins: Vocals | Nico Tuilesu: Drums, Vocals | Dominic Blas: Ukulele, Vocals | Rich Duenas: Guitar (acoustic), Guitar (electric) | Paul Bowen: Keyboards

Genre: Blues & Soul, Hip-Hop & Rap, Reggae & Ska, Rock, World

RIYL: Iration, Natural Vibrations, Katchafire, Sublime, Slightly Stoopid, Collie Buddz, Inna Vision, Ekolu, Bob Marley, Steel Pulse, UB40, SOJA, Rebelution, Ky-Mani Marley, Damien Marley, Sean Paul, Cas Haley, Fortunate Youth, Seedless, HI-Roots, the Green, Tribal Seeds, Black Seeds, Tomorrow's Bad Seeds, the Dirty Heads, One Drop, SDIB, Island Irie, John Legend, Sean Paul, Stranger, Diego Roots, Through the Roots

Upcoming Local Shows

Song Downloads

• She Da Kine

Discography

Related Links:

• http://www.tribaltheorymusic.com/

• MySpace page
• Polynesian Underground

Synoposis

Inception: San Diego, 2005

Ex-Band Members: Mike Paulino, Bass guitar

Influences: Bob Marley, Sublime, Steel Pulse, Katchafire, John Legend, Sean Paul, Iration, Rebelution, UB40, Ekolu, Fiji, SDIB, SOJA, Island Irie

Background:

Based in southeast San Diego, the three original members of Tribal Theory (A.J. Blount, Dominic Blas, and Richard Duenas) began as dancers in the Polynesian dance troup Kaleo O'Nalani. They also performed with a Guamanian cultural dance group, Imahen Taotao Tano. The players picked up their first guitar and ukulele in the backyards of their teachers and instructors, jamming by the makeshift bonfires and smoking barbecue pits.

Originally known as Last Minute, singer Seuko “Ku” Hawkins joined and they evolved into Tribal Theory, with drummer Nico Tuilesu, and keyboardist Paul Bowen.

Since 2005, the group has opened for One Drop, New Zealand reggae band Katchafire, dancehall artist Collie Buddz, and bands with roots in Hawaii like Iration, Natural Vibrations, Ekolu, and Ten Feet. In 2011, bassist Mike Paulino was replaced by Peter Cruz, who recently moved to San Diego from Guam.

A self-titled debut EP was released in May 2011, recorded at Quino’s Catacumba Studio, then mixed and mastered by Wendell Ching. That summer, they played the San Diego stop of the Vans Warped Tour.

Later in 2011, bassist Mike Paulino was replaced by Peter Cruz, who had recently moved to San Diego from Guam. An early 2012 single “DeJaVu” was followed by a tour of Guam.