Kelvin Baron Rocks!

As lead guitarist for the Austin, TX based band Tornahdo, Cenpatico’s Web Portal Specialist Kelvin Baron is making his mark in “The Live Music Capitol of the World.”

Baron has been at Cenpatico for three years, playing the computer keyboard daily, as the single point of contact for Cenpatico’s web portal support and managing its day to day operation.

But, outside our walls, Baron’s instrument of choice is the guitar which he has been playing for nine years, though that wasn’t his first preference. “I started out drumming, but had to switch because a full drum set in an apartment isn’t the easiest thing to make work and doesn’t make you friends with the neighbors.” Baron’s parents saw how interested he was in music so they pointed him in a new direction. “My parents gave me my first guitar,” Baron said. “They are very supportive of me. I wouldn’t be doing this if it wasn’t for them.”

Baron’s parents aren’t the only ones supporting him. “At least one Cenpatico employee has been at every show we’ve played. Everyone here has been very supportive of us,” said Baron.

The “us” Baron refers to is his band Tornahdo, (the name comes from a lyric by the band Joan of Arc, “You say Tornado, I say Tornahdo.”) a five piece rock group consisting of Kurt Rightler on bass, Burt Snover on keyboard/synthesizer, Aaron Perez on drums, and Ayde Navarro on saxophone/percussion.

The best way to describe Tornahdo’s sound is, as Baron puts it, “Rock and roll without frontiers. We’re a rock band at heart, but we like to experiment with other genres in our music.” When asked his favorite kind of music, Baron quickly says, “Mathrock.” That sounds perfect for someone who works with a web portal, but might not be what you think. “Mathrock,” according to Baron, “is a hybrid between the stuffy rock of the early 1970s and the snarly rock and frantic punk of the late 70s/early 80s. It’s a fusion of punk and progressive rock.” That can be seen…or better heard in Baron’s musical influences: The Mars Volta, King Crimson, and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Frank Zappa.

Tornahdo has only been together about 16 months, but has already been asked to play in the World famous South by Southwest Music Festival. “That hasn’t set in yet,” explains Baron. “Getting to this point so quickly was a shock. I don’t think it will truly hit me that we’re playing this festival until we’re setting up right before the show.”

Baron hopes that by year’s end Tornahdo will begin recording their first album and the band plans on hitting more cities this summer.

To see Tornhado at South by Southwest, check out their free outdoor show March 19th at 516 E. 6th Street in Austin, TX. The show starts at 8pm. To learn more about the band check out www.myspace.com/tornahdo

This entry is filed under Close Up.