Travis Marsh is a native Los Angeles based singer/songwriter, multi instrumentalist and producer who refuses to personify one identifiable musical identity. His eclectic musical world is a creative space saturated with different ideas, sounds and concepts, all grounded in the musical history and landscape of Southern California. Equal parts Folk, Rock and Pop, Travis has long fought against being tied to one specific genre. This interest in diverse musical genres has its roots in Travis’ childhood. After getting a guitar for Christmas at the age of 10, Travis started on a trajectory that would lead him here, to 2017, where he is about to release a string of singles that will attract the attention he deserves.

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Chris Remmers: Let’s start off by telling us a little bit about where you are from?

Travis Marsh: I’m from Camarillo, California. It’s about 45-minutes north of Los Angeles. It’s kind of an agricultural area. I know Charlie Parker wrote this famous song called, “Coming to Camarillo.” That was one of the things I found interesting about how some people know of Camarillo. It was a good environment for me to be in, because there were not too many distractions you know. There really isn’t too much to do besides lock yourself in a room and play music all day. I am sure living in the city would have been a different story.

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CR: So, what exactly got you into music? What made you want to do this for the rest of your life?

TM: It’s kind of funny. I find myself all the time telling people that I was always into music, but it had never even crossed my mind to play until I got a guitar for Christmas when I was 10 years old from Santa Claus. That day on I just fell in love and never had that kind of experience with anything else in my life. From there, my love for music just grew and I ended up learning a bunch of different instruments. I learned a lot about producing and songwriting, so music just kind of became my outlet. I never really was big on watching TV or anything like that, so this is what happened.

CR: Who or what have been some of your influences on the way you either write, play or produce music?

TM: There are just so many people that have had a positive influence on my music career. I kind of go through phases a bit. I am listening to different people constantly, so many different genres. A more recent band, as in the last 10 years, that has had an influence on my music style would be the Avett Brothers. They just put on a fantastic live show. Growing up I was super heavy into Pink Floyd and The Eagles, which is prob my favorite band of all time. There are just so many. I could list bands and musicians all day. It’s really a fantastic feeling to be able to blend all my favorite sounds into something that is my own.

CR: Of course, I can only imagine what a satisfying feeling that must be. Talk to me a little bit about your travels. Have you preformed at any places so far that have given you a bit of a culture shock? Or, gone to any places you may not have otherwise?

TM: Yeah, I don’t know if I would say culture shock. I really do enjoy looking into other cultures and things of that nature. I lived in Nashville for a while and that was very different from [Los Angeles]. That would be probably the closest thing I’ve experienced to a culture shock. I have been to most of the states — up and down the coasts. I’ve been to Europe, Italy and various other places for short periods of time, as well.

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CR: Where have been some of your favorite places you have been to so far?

TM: This is a tough one, but I would defiantly have to say Rome. There is just so much culture there. Venice was beautiful too, and its crazy to think it’s all on water pretty much.

CR: Explain the beauty of Italy. What would you recommend someone to do if they were going there for the first time?

TM: Oh wow, that is a very good question. With Rome seeing the Colosseum was the coolest to me. I guess it’s partially because I loved watching “Gladiator” as a kid, and to see that in real life was crazy. I was only there a few days, so I hit a few major historical spots. I don’t normally listen to Opera, but when we were there I was interested in seeing it and experiencing that culture a little bit. I think it’s awesome to see people carrying on the tradition of their ancestors.

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CR: Absolutely, we tend to lose a lot of cultural traditions over the generations. It’s nice to see people who still carry them out. Now, we have to touch on Italy’s food. Talk about that a little.

TM: Oh man, it was so different. I was actually a little shocked. The pizza is a lot different. Everything I had was just amazing, and it was a lot different from anything you can expect to see around here. Even the pasta was cooked a little different and the wine was amazing. It’s somewhere I recommend everybody go at least once.

CR: I agree. You said previously that you have been all over the country. Is there anywhere you have not been yet that you would like to potentially visit or play in?

TM: I’ve always wanted to visit Bali. I’ve done a lot of research online and I am fascinated with the culture and the physical terrain. Southeast Asia, in general, is just somewhere that I want to visit and experience the different cultures.

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CR: To wrap this up, if you could perform at any three places in the world, where would those places be?

TM: I’d have to say Madison Square Garden, Hollywood Bowl would be cool and lastly, I think I would like to play on top of Apple Records. I think those are my top places, and hopefully someday I’ll cross them off my bucket list!

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