Heavy-Rock Trio Temptress Luring Fans to Realms Tonight for Second-Ever Boise Gig
Dallas trio Temptress – which feature Andi Cuba on drums and vocals, Kelsey Wilson on guitar and vocals, and Christian Wright on bass and vocals – have come a long way since forming seven years ago. The trio have cranked out two LPs (SEE in March 2023 and hear in January of this year) as well as an EP (Temptress in June 2019) that coherently and rivetingly mash up their love of old-school metal, alt-rock and post-rock into a distinct sound that’s all their own.
Perhaps even more impressively, Cuba, Wilson and Wright – all of whom were already tour vets when they formed Temptress – have developed a marathon-runner-esque endurance for spending time on the road. Already deep into a long series of dates supporting hear, the band makes a pit stop at Realms Arcade in Boise tonight for what will be, as anyone who’s seen them before will attest, a spellbindingly smashing good gig.
In anticipation of the concert, we caught up with Wright yesterday as the band was between gigs in Spokane, WA, and Moscow, ID.
Was the only other time you staged a gig in Boise in September 2023?
Yes, the only time we have played Boise was at Neurolux in 2023.
What do you like most about Boise, both in terms of being a musician and merely as a visitor?
Our last visit, we were greeted by new fans as well as old friends. The venue and staff were hospitable and professional. Boise is a beautiful city, and we look forward to more of the same.
Why did you decide to play this stretch of six shows, and in the cities you selected? Are these the places where you feel most comfortable? Was the Pacific Northwest and California a target area of the country for you?
The current tour was routed based on a string of western Canada shows we just completed. Our North American booking agent at Essential Live Music handled all the booking and routing.
I had to re-read the list of dates on your spring tour because I didn’t believe them at first. You’ll be on the road for 31 days and perform on each of those days save six days. And that hefty tour follows a 25-day trek in which you had only four days off. Have you done such rigorous tours in past years?
We were tour-heavy in the past. It is an album release year. so we are out doing our part. I don’t see it as a burden but a gift. I am grateful to be in a situation to do it. Support means everything.
What’s your secret to maintaining stamina during such ambitious treks across North America? Solid sleep and healthy eating, as Christian mentioned to me prior to this interview? Or perhaps you’re obsessed with fitness?
Rest and a good tour diet go a long way. I am a believer that a body in motion stays in motion. Good music, a good book, a nice walk and phone calls home keep me mentally intact.
Given the extraordinary amount of touring you’ve already done this year, what’s the best/funniest/most colorful/frightening anecdote you can share thus far?
Best: Vancouver, BC, with Dead Meadow and Space Queen. The energy in the room was elevating. Staff, venue and promoter were top tier.
Funniest: Vinnie [Houde, vocalist/guitarist] from Dopethrone dancing and singing to me all while he was changing clothes pre-show in Fargo, ND. We were both crying with laughter.
Most colorful: Reggies in Chicago. We were playing next door to Exhorder and had a few minutes to catch up with Kyle [Thomas, vocalist and multi-instrumentalist]. Chicago in itself is colorful. Our audience and support acts reflected all of that.
Frightening: Kesey driving. We were a couple of hundred feet behind an interstate accident in real time between Portland and Spokane. Today a bird may have committed suicide smashing into our driver side window on the way to Moscow.
Of all the songs you’re performing on this tour stretch, which one are you able to evolve creatively or otherwise transform in the most significant/notable/expansive way in concert?
“Into,” the instrumental opening track from our new album, hear (buy here). We have opened the set with it on all shows this year.
Will you announce more concerts supporting your new record a bit farther down the line?
We have a string of EU dates announcing soon. We are likely done with North America until ’27, but we’ll see.
How would you compare the personality of the band and its sound when Temptress formed compared with now?
Night and day.
What band(s) do you emulate or at least highly respect in terms of their concert performances?
We don’t emulate anyone, and our influences are expansive regarding each individual involved.
What was Temptresses’ ultimate dream/goal when the band originated – and is it the same now? If the latter, what would you really want to accomplish at this point with the band?
We would like to play large festivals and act as a support act for larger bands that we can all agree on.
Have you ever thought of touring with Slumbering Sun – or would that be too tall an ask for Kelsey, who is in both bands?
It came up once. They are our dear friends, but the short answer is no.
For more on Temptress, visit their website, their Bandcamp page and their Instagram account.
Temptress play Realms Arcade tonight, with doom-metal bands Ghorot from Boise and Khorvai from Pocatello opening. Tickets for the all-ages show cost $15 and are available for advance purchase here.
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