When Adam Putzer and Dave Muntner performed together recently in Williamsville, it wasn’t the first time the two had ever shared the stage. After all, they had been bandmates for more than a decade in the very successful Buffalo-indie band, The Tins.
But, as the saying goes, “that was then, this is now.” It’s been years since The Tins have played together. Members Michael Santillo and Justin Smith went on to own and operate Mammoth Recording Studio in Buffalo and follow their own musical pursuits including Matches and Laces and Aircraft, respectively. Meanwhile, Putzer and Muntner each began performing as solo artists — Putzer under the name ‘asalone,’ and Muntner as ‘Davey Harris.’
So, when the two artists shared the same bill as solo performers at Lloyd’s Taco Factory recently, the show had a familiar feel despite its different look.
“I think it’s fun to hang out and see each other grow as musicians, in a different way,” Muntner said. “We have inside jokes that we forgot we knew. So, it’s nice to bring them back and it’s fun.”
For his part, Putzer said in watching his former bandmate perform, he saw a lot of things that were a part of the The Tins that came across in Muntner’s work.
“It’s strange watching one of us on stage and the other one is kind of sitting in the audience like an observer. It’s like almost an out-of-body experience,” Putzer said, laughing. “This was like ‘my thing’ and now I’m watching it like I’m a dead person. Like a ghost haunting the stage.”
The Tins, which originally formed as a three-piece band before Smith joined years later on bass, started at SUNY Binghamton where Santillo (keyboards), Putzer (guitar) and Muntner (drums) were students. Later, the band moved to Buffalo where Santillo had some family and the group quickly cemented their place in the city’s music scene, releasing a five-track EP in 2010 followed by a full-length album two years later titled, ‘Life’s A Gas.’ The prolific band continued its upward trajectory until the pandemic hit in 2020, and then The Tins went on “hiatus.”
Officially, that’s where they remain, though the prospect of reuniting doesn’t seem to be in the cards — at least not at the moment.
Still, the former members can be seen supporting each other’s work. Putzer and Muntner have recorded their solo music at Mammoth, and the former bandmates still joke around. The old arguments and resentments? Well, as Muntner said, they are simply just the “trauma of being in a band.”
In fact, as old friends go, neither Muntner nor Putzer were shy about giving each other advice.
“My only critique is for him to release more songs, because I think he’s written more than he’s released. That would be my one thing. I’m like, ‘Keep going!’” said Muntner, who recently released his first solo EP “Animals Vol. 1,” which he will perform at Mohawk Place, Saturday July 13.
“I think you should have an acoustic album,” Putzer replied. “It would be easy. You just rehearse, go into the studio — one mic on the guitar, one mic on your vocals and just do it live. I mean, you’ll be done in a day.”
Meanwhile, though The Tins reuniting doesn’t appear on the horizon, that’s not to say a future collaboration between members of some kind won’t happen.
“It’s always a possibility,” Putzer said.
“Yeah,” Muntner chimed in. “I even asked Adam to play bass for my show” on Saturday.
We’ll see what happens.
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