Riding the February release of its debut album, “Coming Home,” North Shore’s Coburn Station pulls into the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino’s Vinyl on Friday for a free 9 p.m. show.
Coburn Station is Dan McAlister (guitar, lead) Conor McAlindin (drums, vocals), Thomas Page (bass, vocals) and Ryan Taylor (keyboards and synths). The group cites Widespread Panic, the Grateful Dead and Phish among its influences.
“At its core, at its foundation, I would say its roots rock,” Page said. “It all comes from blues, folk, just a really rootsy foundation; but we like to stretch it out and flex our musical muscles a bit, blend songs in and out of one another.”
A nod to historic Truckee, “Coburn Station” was an early name of the mountain community; SS Coburn, a pioneering resident of the area in the mid-1800s, ran a stagecoach station and public house near the train depot in present-day Truckee.
Page and McAllister formed the band in Truckee in 2011. After a few years of playing around North Shore, they recruited McAlindin and Taylor in 2014. A regular act at area venues like Bar of America, Auld Dubliner, Fat Cat Café, and more, Coburn Station has been hard at work improving its act in recent years.
“One of the things that I think we’ve taken to the next level is our performance, over the last year,” McAlindin said. “We’ve incorporated a self-managed light show; we incorporate fog and try to make the whole stage feel like more of an arena rock atmosphere, even though we’re playing at a local bar.”
“We like to make people dance,” Page added. “We really find our element when the crowd is participating in the energy that we’re putting off onstage.”
Showcasing the bands maturation is “Coming Home,” Coburn Station’s 11-track debut album. The project was recorded in Oakland in the spring and summer of 2015, funded in part by a Kickstarter campaign among the band’s fans and friends. In January, the group also launched a website, www.coburnstation.net.
“The vibe that we were able to set on the record is a combo of dirty and wholesome, gritty yet honest sounds,” McAlindin said. “Sometimes the music tears your face off, and then it cuddles you right after. It really did a good job of capturing the vibe and the energy that we’re hoping for.”
“North Tahoe has their share of funk bands and their share of bluegrass bands; I think Coburn brings a nice alternative to that, something little bit more straightforward.”
The band is working on expanding its footprint to either side of its home turf, following up the Feb. 26 CD release party at Crystal Bay Casino with shows in Nevada City and Reno.
“We are so glad to be a part of this music scene in North Lake Tahoe,” Page said. “It’s so tight-knit, so supportive, so much creative artistic energy. So many great bands are putting out albums this year. We feel blessed to be part of this.”
“We’ve tried to harness the energy of this place,” McAlindin added. “Truckee, a lumber and mining town, nestled next to one of the jewels of this country, Lake Tahoe.”
“Truckee-Tahoe through and through, and we’re proud of it,” Page said.
- Coburn Station
When: 9 p.m. Friday, April 15
Where: Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Stateline
Tickets: Free show
