Travis is inspired by music of past as well as 'Future'

Fran Healy, the main singer and songwriter for the Scotland-based Travis, said he didn't actually start thinking about playing music until he was a teenager.

"I consider myself a late developer," Healy said during a phone call from his home in Berlin, Germany. "It was in 1986 that I discovered music. I was 14 and was into old rock 'n' roll like Chuck Berry, Roy Orbison, Eddie Cochran and Little Richard. You know, those really old songs.

"But to tell you the truth, it was the movie 'Back to the Future' that inspired me to play guitar. I liked how Michael J. Fox played the Chuck Berry style in the movie."

After a few lineup changes, Travis settled on the lineup of Healy, guitarist Andy Dunlop, bassist Dougie Payne and drummer Neil Primrose.

The band has since been awarded two BRIT Awards and released six studio CDs.

Travis is sometimes cited as the pioneer in the style similar to Coldplay and Snow Patrol. Healy said he and his bandmates don't pay attention to style.

"If a song is a good song, it shouldn't matter what style it is," he said. "That's how we approached our music."

The band's new album is "Ode to J. Smith."

"It's just a little collection of songs that went together," Healy said. "We didn't have a plan to make a concept album. And it really isn't a concept album."

Healy said the band challenged itself to make an album using primitive means.

"We used an old 16-track recorder that outdates almost everything used in recording an album today," he said. "We used an old Abby Road (studios) tape machine and recorded everything live."

The band also decided to put a time limit on recording.

"We scheduled ourselves to record the album in two weeks, but we ended up doing it in five days," said Healy with a laugh. "We approached it like we were going to summer camp. And that kept it interesting and fun."

Once the album was finished, the band began making plans for a tour. That meant deciding a set list.

"We aren't the kind of band who will play tragically obscure songs in our live shows," Healy said. "We don't like to have 90 percent of the audience guessing what the songs are.

"We have always wanted to give people what they want. And we also want to play some new songs. But we don't go off and do things that no one is familiar with. It isn't constructive.

"I mean, just having an audience show up is a unique experience and we want them to come back."

That's also the reason why Travis plays sets that clock under two hours.

"In my own experiences of being an audience member and going to see some of my favorite bands is the fact that two hours is too long for me to stand there and listen," Healy said. "We want to keep it long enough to fulfill the audience's desires but also short enough that we will leave them wanting more. That way when we come back, they will come back to see us."

If you go

What: Travis, the Republic Tigers

Where: The Depot, 400 W. South Temple

When: April 14, 8 p.m.

How much: $20

Phone: 801-467-8499, 800-888-8499

Web: www.smithstix.com

E-mail: scott@desnews.com