Interview: Zach Tenorio (Taper's Choice)

Taper’s Choice is an unrepentant jam band. 

The group checks all of the boxes that one associates with that particular musical subculture: topnotch musicianship, passages deliberately written to be stretched out in concert, dynamic setlists, and whimsical lyrics that may or may not be placeholders. Even the band’s name is an implicit nod to the tape trading community of Grateful Dead fans that goes back to the ‘70s. 

These attributes were premeditated in the formation of Taper’s Choice in 2021 as the band members began playing together with the goal of intentionally creating a jam band. Said members came from different circles of the indie and experimental music scene, including bassist Alex Bleeker (Real Estate), Dave Harrington (Darkside) on guitar, drummer Chris Tomson (Vampire Weekend), and Zach Tenorio (Arc Iris; Willow) on keyboards. 

Despite its short history, Taper’s Choice has officially released a number of live recordings on the group’s Bandcamp page and, living up to its name, are friendly to show tapers. This past fall, Taper’s Choice issued a studio album, Prog Hat, made up of only four tracks, three of which include extended jams. This album title pays tribute to a genre that serves as a bedrock to the members of Taper’s Choice as well as many others in the jam band world: progressive rock. The prog-soaked influence is especially true for the ultra-talented Tenorio.

In the wake of releasing Prog Hat and before hitting the road to support the album — which will bring the band to the Asheville Music Hall on Wednesday, Feb. 4 — Asheville Stages spoke with Tenorio about a unique bit of musical training he received in his youth, joining Taper’s Choice, the songwriting for Prog Hat, and more.  

Scott Bunn: I heard that, as a teenager, you toured with John Anderson of Yes fame and you played all the keyboard parts. How did that come about and what was that experience like?  

Zach Tenorio: I grew up in New Jersey and I was a part of an after-school music program that would tour with classic rock heroes. Yes was and still is my favorite band, so playing these shows with a true hero of mine was nothing short of magical. I played “Close to the Edge” when I was 16, which is pretty insane. He later hired me to play in his band for a tour and continues to send me vocal ideas whenever I throw him an MP3. It's an incredible honor.

SB: In the band’s promotional materials, the description of Taper’s Choice is a “self identifying and unapologetic jam band.” Were you a fan of jam band music before joining the group? 

ZT: My early roots were in prog rock: Yes, ELP, Genesis, King Crimson, [Frank] Zappa. There's a ton of crossover in there, especially in those ‘70s King Crimson Wetton-era records and the long solos in Zappa's music. Then, in my later formative years, I got heavily into [Miles Davis incorporating electric instruments] which is basically a jam band, right? 

I've always hovered around the “jamland” but never fully dove in. The Benevento/Russo Duo [Marco Benevento on keyboards and Joe Russo on drums] were incredibly influential to me as a young player, as were Andrew and Brad Barr from The Slip. I've never actually seen Phish or [Dead & Company], though I'm sure that'll change soon. It's a fascinating and beautiful world, and I'm enamored with the culture that surrounds it.

SB: From interviews, it seems as though you were the final member to join Taper’s Choice. Is that chronology correct? What were the circumstances of you joining the band? 

ZT: That is correct. I had known Dave [Harrington] peripherally from our East Coast days but we'd only played together once before. We both moved to LA during [the] COVID[-19 pandemic], and when things started opening up, Dave started calling me for improv gigs around town. Soon after, I got the call to jam at Chris [Tomson]’s' studio in Eagle Rock, and the rest, as they say, is history.

SB: Taper’s Choice toured extensively in the first year of the band’s existence and put out live recordings from that tour before issuing the first studio work, History of Taper's Choice Vol. 1. It feels a bit like a collection of demos and jams rather than a proper studio album. Is that accurate or way off? 

ZT: History is the result of Dave's wizardry. There's everything in there: studio, live, demos, interviews, found sounds. There's sounds in there where I truly have no idea where they came from. 

SB: It’s almost received wisdom that studio albums by jam bands aren't as good as their live shows. Since you all set out to create a jam band, did you discuss that stereotype of jam bands? Was there trepidation about studio work? 

ZT: I'm sure there was internal discussion among the group's jam aficionados, but it's never something I had thought about. Making records has always mattered to me as much as playing shows, and I believe that holds true for this band.

SB: This past fall, the band put out Prog Hat. Please tell me that there is an actual prog hat that inspired the album title!

ZT: In Taper's, we're often moving back and forth between the proggier numbers and the more classic jams, hence putting on a figurative Jam and Prog Hat. There are indeed Prog and Jam hats you can buy at the merch table.

SB: Are all of the songs co-written as a band or is there one person who takes the lead with songwriting? 

ZT: It varies from song to song, but most begin with one member bringing in a largely fleshed-out idea, which we then shape collectively — working out the arrangements along with any chord or form adjustments. The big prog numbers — “The Dave Test,” “Doner Wrap,” and “Pino Botticelli” — came entirely from the brilliant mind of Chris.

SB: A snippet of “Doner Wrap” appeared on History, but we get a nine-plus-minute version on Prog Hat. It’s been a staple of the band’s repertoire since the beginning. Was it accepted that you would include an expanded version on the new album? 

ZT: “Doner” had to be on Prog Hat. I feel like it's our anthem — our prog "Born to Run.”

SB: Did the band write any songs specifically for Prog Hat or was it all music that you had previously performed live? 

ZT: “Song Hat” was the only tune that was written specifically for the record, and it happened very quickly while I was away on tour with Willow. It happens to be my favorite song on the record.

SB: What's changed about the band over the past three years?

ZT: We have so many kids now! Improv is a musical conversation, and we’ve learned a great deal about how to listen and respond to each other. The sets are getting more and more adventurous, and the repertoire is swiftly growing. I'm starting to sing more, which is a challenge and a delight. 

SB: Are these songs that you have written that you will be singing or are you adding vocal parts to other band members' songs? 

ZT: Both.

SB: Taper’s Choice will be playing Big Ears [Festival in Knoxville, Tenn.] for the first time in March 2026. Have you been to Big Ears before? Do you think you will approach it as just another gig or will you prepare something special? 

ZT: I have never been to Big Ears but I've been dying to go for years. The lineups are insane, ±like, I would literally see anybody on that 100-band bill. As far as our set, we always like to prepare something that makes each show special. You'll just have to wait and see.

SB: Rich Ruth is opening for you on the tour that will bring you to Asheville. How does his music fit with Taper’s Choice? Do you think he’ll be joining you all onstage during the tour? 

ZT: I caught some of Rich Ruth's set at the Newport Jazz Festival and I was blown to pieces. That band is unbelievably vibey. There will 1000% be sit-ins.

IF YOU GO

Who: Taper’s Choice with Rich Ruth
When: Wednesday, Feb. 4, 8 p.m.
Where: Asheville Music Hall, 55 College St., ashevillemusichall.com
Tickets: $20

(Photo courtesy of Wasserman Media)