Tune town: A spotlight on San Diego band Elektric Voodoo

March 31, 2017 4:08 PM PT

San Diego can rock and roll with the best of them - and not just because of the earthquakes. From Jewel, Switchfoot and P.O.D. to Tom Waits, Rocket From The Crypt and Andra Day, this fair city has produced more than its fair share of top talent over the years.

Here’s a look at Elektric Voodoo, a local band that’s worth tuning into now.

About the band

Scott Tournet: vocals, guitar, harmonica

Matt Bozzone: drums

Ty Kiernan: percussion

Evan Lucas: bass

Brad Nash: baritone sax

Travis Klein: alto sax

Willie Flemming: trombone

Established: 2016

Genre: World Beat Rock ‘n’ Roll

Record label: Independent

Biggest hit: “‘Secrets’ or ‘Boyfriend’; it’s hard to say. We really love the idea of the album as a whole.” (Scott Tournet)

Worst day job: “Certainly not the worst - it was actually one of the better ones - but maybe the one that surprises people was that I was an exterminator.” (Scott Tournet)

If it weren’t for music, we’d be: “Lost.” (Scott Tournet)

Next local gig: April 29 at Winstons (1921 Bacon St., Ocean Beach).

Of note: Elektric Voodoo leader Scott Tournet co-founded Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, which he was a member of from 2002 to 2015.
“We’re combining elements of World Music, American music, focused songwriting and improvised moments in a way that we haven’t heard anyone else do. Our music is rhythmically powerful and fun, but it also has deeper layers underneath, musically and lyrically, if you want to explore it further. We want to create something fresh and timeless, and to not compromise artistically. Most importantly, though, we want to have fun and savor the journey.” (Scott Tournet)

How to follow them

Online: elektricvoodoo.com
Facebook: @ElektricVoodoo (2K followers)
Instagram: @ElektricVoodoo (600 followers)
Twitter: @ScottTournet (1K followers)

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George Varga

Veteran San Diego Union-Tribune pop music critic George Varga began drumming in rock bands at 12 and writing professionally about music at 15. A Louisiana native who grew up mostly in Germany, Varga has earned three Pulitzer Prize nominations for his writing at the U-T and is a voting member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. In addition to providing live coverage of the Grammy Awards and festivals from Coachella and KAABOO to the 1994 edition of Woodstock, he has interviewed everyone from Ray Charles, Miles Davis and Britney Spears to Willie Nelson, Kanye West and Bruno Mars. A double first-prize winner at the 2018 Society of Professional Journalists awards, Varga is also a contributing writer for Jazz Times magazine and has written for Billboard, Spin and other publications. After attending San Diego City College and San Diego State University, he created and taught the 2002 UC San Diego Extension course, “Jazz in a Post-Ken-Burns World.” Varga lives with his wife in North Park.