The group formed in San Diego, California during the Spring months of 1997, playing their first gig as Tristeza. The lineup included Christopher Sprague - guitar, Jimmy LaValle - guitar, Luis Hermosillo - bass, and James Lehner - drums in September of that year. Stephen Swesey joined as keyboardist shortly after, and they recorded the "Foreshadow" 7" with Gar Wood at his garage in December. The single was released the following spring.
In 1998, Tristeza toured the U.S. extensively in support of the 7", while fine-tuning songs for the recording of their first LP. In the Autumn of 1998, Spine and Sensory was recorded by Tim Green at his Louder Studios in San Francisco. Makoto Recordings released the album in April of 1999, while the band toured in its support. Also released in 1999, were the "Insound Tour-support Series Vol. 1" EP-CD and the "Macramé" 7". Both were recorded with Mike Hammel at his Last Time Around Studio in Los Angeles. These releases were limited and sold out during tour.
In April 2000, the group took two weeks off, mid-tour, to record their second full-length album Dream Signals in Full Circles with producer Dave Trumfio at his King Size Sound Labs, in Chicago. Tiger Style Records released the album in September of that year, and again, the group toured for the remainder of the year promoting it. Dream Signals in Full Circles was well received around the world, and in the early months of 2001, Tristeza headlined tours in Europe and Japan for the first time.
After the Dream Signals in Full Circle tours, the group took time off from performing to record some experimental material with Matt Anderson for release on his Gravity label. The Mania Phase 12" and the Mixed Signals remixes collection were released early in 2002. Tristeza toured the U.S., Japan, and Europe, once again, for the promotion of these releases. Prior to these tours, Stephen Swesey left the band, and was replaced by tour keyboardist Eric Hinojosa. Swesey has since performed spordically with the electronic duo Languis.
At the beginning of 2003, James LaValle played his last gig with the group in order to focus on his Album Leaf project full-time. The group took time off from performing live, and James Lehner moved back to Michigan for a while, as he prepared for and adjusted to fatherhood. A good amount of time was also needed for the other members to rest and regroup while searching for 2 new members. The band chose to release another 12" on Gravity. Espuma features songs previously unreleased, live material, and the group's first song recorded without LaValle entitled "This Trap". The last two months of the year were spent rehearsing with the assistance of friend Mitch Wilson on guitar, and demo versions of 4 songs were recorded with Pall Jenkins at his home studio.
In 2004, Tristeza began writing and rehearsing a second batch of songs for the new album with Keyboardist Sean Ogilvie. The new songs were very complex arrangements with odd time signatures; consequently Mitch recommended his good friend Alison Ables as a potential guitarist to replace himself. The resulting album was recorded at Key Club Recording in Benton Harbor, Michigan, and mixed in San Diego at Stratre Sound. A Colores was released on November 22, 2005 on Better Looking Records. In June, Tristeza made its live debut in Guadalajara and Mexico City, and returned for the third time to Japan in September.
Tristeza released En Nuestro Desafio (Better Looking Records), a CD/DVD package, on August 22, 2006.
Tristeza has played in the following countries: U.S.A., Canada, Mexico, UK, France, Belgium, Netherlands, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Italy, Switzerland, Spain and Japan. Tristeza has shared the stage with: American Analog Set, Bedhead, The Black Heart Procession, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Blonde Redhead, Bobby Conn, Bright Eyes, Cursive, The Faint, The Get Up Kids, Guided by Voices, HiM, Interpol, Jimmy Eat World, The Locust, Mouse on Mars, The Rapture, Sorry About Dresden, Three Mile Pilot, …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead, Trans Am, Yo La Tengo, and !!!.
[edit]Discography
1998 - Foreshadow CD-EP/7" (Caffeine vs. Nicotine)
1999 - Spine and Sensory CD/LP (Makoto Recordings)
1999 - Macrame EP/7" (Rocket Racer)
1999 - In Sound Tour Support Series CD-EP (Insound)
2000 - Are We People EP/7" (Tiger Style)
2001 - Tristeza Rules CD-EP (Rocket Racer)
2001 - Dream Signals in Full Circles CD/LP (Tiger Style)
2002 - Mania Phase EP (Gravity)
2002 - Mixed Signals CD/2xLP (Tiger Style)
2002 - Tristeza/Lemko Hall Split-EP (Speaker Phone Recordings)
2003 - Espuma CD/LP (Gravity)
2005 - Bromas CD-EP/12" Single (Better Looking)
2005 - March of the White Lies CD (Rocket Racer)
2005 - A Colores CD/2xLP (Better Looking)
2006 - En Nuestro Desafio CD/DVD (Better Looking)
2009 - Fate Unfolds Digital/2xLP (Better Looking)
Wand
Tristeza Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Vem a saudade
Do carinho seu
Olha meu amor
Chego a pensar
Que o nosso amor
Não morreu
Vem falar
Das coisas de você
Ouço a tua voz no ar
Vejo o teu olhar no céu
A chorar, como eu
Com saudade, também
The lyrics of Tristeza's song Wand revolve around the feeling of longing and nostalgia that one experiences when they think about past relationships. The opening line, "Quando a noite vem, Vem a saudade do carinho seu" (When the night comes, comes the longing for your affection), creates an image of a person sitting alone at night, thinking about their lost love. The lyrics go on to express how even though the relationship may have ended, the person still thinks that their love has not died.
The second half of the song deals with the sadness and grief that comes with reminiscing about past relationships. When "esta tristeza vem falar" (this sadness comes to talk), the person hears the voice of their lost love in the air and sees their gaze in the sky, crying in the same way they are. The lyrics suggest that the pain of the breakup is felt by both parties and that the person singing the song is not alone in their grief.
In summary, the song Wand by Tristeza is a melancholic meditation on the pain of lost love and the enduring emotions that accompany a relationship's end. The lyrics portray a person who is still deeply attached to their past partner, even though the relationship has ended.
Line by Line Meaning
Quando a noite vem
Whenever the night comes
Vem a saudade
Nostalgia sets in
Do carinho seu
For your affection
Olha meu amor
Look my love
Chego a pensar
I even think
Que o nosso amor
That our love
Não morreu
Has not died
Quando esta tristeza
Whenever this sadness
Vem falar
Comes to speak
Das coisas de você
Of things about you
Ouço a tua voz no ar
I hear your voice in the air
Vejo o teu olhar no céu
I see your gaze in the sky
A chorar, como eu
Crying, like me
Com saudade, também
With nostalgia, too
Contributed by Dylan Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
knowbert
damn, that is just... really really good. When I hear top notch compositions like this I can't help but reflect on the multitudes of teens/young adults that have been severed from the catharsis that manifests from talented works of music. drowned in cookie cut, repetitive loops of rapper dogchomp.
Леня Черный
Завораживает!
Kev H
Amazing
Orion
whose artwork is this? it's so beautiful?anybody knows?
iGenie
Nicolas Gouny
Bric Wild
the cat on the left is like me always chasing the girl of my dreams yet they always seem to float out of grasp T_T
tunguska1907
anthem of the death
SofakiV
Yperoxo Rhnaki! :)
Steph
i just want to float away
irene81t
@oceanswan ♡