When you think of tried and true local Colorado musicians, those who have started here and remained, who have hit milestones and speed bumps and were made better as a result, it’s hard not to think of Tenth Mountain Division. What started as an adolescent duo in the Vail Valley became a collegiate quartet in Boulder and evolved into an established rock band that consistently worked on their craft and constantly picked up new fans wherever they went. After a hectic few years full of post-pandemic uncertainty that ultimately led to a slew of new achievements, TMD is releasing their long-anticipated fourth album this Saturday, accompanied by a raging release party that will kick off the summer season for friends, family and fans alike.
We spoke with band co-founder and mandolinist Winston Heuga, drummer Tyler Gwynn and bassist Andrew Cooney about life since we last heard from the band in 2021. In the past three years, TMD headlined Levitt Pavilion, played the Fillmore alongside Railroad Earth and Sierra Hull, did Jam in the Van, toured with Kendall Street Company, Pigeons Playing Ping Pong and Andy Frasco & The U.N., and played three “absolutely incredible” sets at the 10th Annual WinterWonderGrass Steamboat — to name some highlights. In all that time and throughout their busy schedule, the band has only gathered momentum. “We’ve solidified such a fanbase that every show we’ve played has gotten a little bit better or a little bit more monumental to us,” said a grateful Gwynn.
That upward trajectory finally led TMD back into the studio to record their upcoming album — the self-titled Tenth Mountain Division — whose lead single “Oil In The Water” has already become a live staple. If the rest of the album follows suit, it’ll be chock-full of the type of genre-weaving that has helped TMD find their footing and earn their musical standing. What once was described as mostly jam with elements of bluegrass and rock has since transformed into evolved, all-encompassing contemporary rock ‘n’ roll that comes with a gracefully cadenced type of chaos.
Take how “Oil In The Water” came to be, for example, which started with Heuga’s chorus. “It was probably the least together song that we had,” he said, and producer Erik Deutsch wasn’t quite feeling it after so many takes. Heuga said, “We went out, took a break, went back in,” before co-founder and guitarist MJ Ouimette “started playing that guitar riff, [Gwynn] laid down the drumbeat, I started singing over it, and the song completely rewrote itself.” Most importantly, added Gwynn, Deutsch stood “in the middle like a mad scientist,” conducting the fine pandemonium. “We were able to lock in together and feed off each other so well,” he said. “We wrote the song as we were playing it.”
While some songs on the album started from scratch, others began as a whole and underwent a mountainous transformation — enter The Beatles’ “Norwegian Wood.” This is the first time the band has recorded a cover, and yet the well-known tune became altogether new in their hands. “It’s flipped on its head completely,” said Cooney, whose gruff vocals lead a rendition gloriously unlike its Fab Four counterpart. “We have super rockin’ drums and we get dark. It’s a free-for-all kind of jam.” The cover, having graced live shows for some time now, was intended “to capture the feel of our live sound,” as are all ten songs of Tenth Mountain Division, said Gwynn. “Our albums before were very clean, very neat and tidy. This one, we wanted to bring what we’re like onstage to the record.”
With all five members taking the lead on any given song, watching a Tenth Mountain Division performance is like seeing five different playing in cohesion, the sound evolving depending on who’s singing (or soloing). It seems to naturally work out that way, according to Cooney, who’s noticed that “everyone’s got their song they sing. Everyone has their featured instrument. Everyone’s moment is available.” The result is delightful and flowing, especially with Tenth Mountain Division, where the logic was to simply put the best songs forward cumulatively. “It starts out rock-oriented. We have the cover. We have a nice, soft, palette cleanser with ‘Diamond Lake’, then we finish off strong,” said Heuga. Recording for eight straight days while living in Lyons at the home of musical peer Charlie Rose — also featured on four tracks — the band was able to focus the entire time on the [album] in a new environment to create it,” said Cooney.
TMD is celebrating the album’s release this Saturday at Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom, with openers (and friends) Boot Gun and the “incredible jam grass band” Magoo to round out the evening’s sounds. Playing alongside a pedal steel for the first time live, TMD will be joined by Cody Russell, as well as Michael Lennsen on keys. The night will also be a bittersweet one, marking both the beginning and the end of a chapter for the band. After a summer of playing favorite festivals — YarmonyGrass, Tico Time Bluegrass, Boulder Creek Festival — as well as another headlining show, TMD will take a well-deserved “breath of fresh air” in the form of an open hiatus. The five-piece will be giving themselves “a chance to explore other things in our lives,” Gwynn said, to refresh, and to come back stronger “when the right opportunity arises.” This Saturday and throughout the summer, raise your glasses to hometown heroes Heuga, Ouimette, Thomas, Gwynn and Cooney as they celebrate their last hurrah until the next one comes around.
Listen to “Oil In The Water” on Spotify here.