Boyce Avenue bring sibling revelry to Bengaluru

Florida-based Boyce Avenue will be performing in Bengaluru on April 11

If you have ever preferred a cover version over the original, chances are it was by Boyce Avenue. The band comprising brothers Alejandro, Daniel and Fabian Manzano, will be in India this weekend and though they made a name for themselves with their rendition of popular numbers, the trio have three original albums and singles to their credit as well.

Speaking over phone, before setting off on their tour, Daniel’s excitement is palpable. “We’ve been touring for almost 20 years and this will be our third visit to India. We love coming there.”

Boyce Avenue, which come to India courtesy BookMyShow, derived their name from two streets the brothers lived on as children.

Daniel says their “origin story is quite simple, because we’re brothers”. At the same time, he admits their foray into music was rather “atraditional in a sense”.

“We started into music late since we were all interested in sports. Alejandro, our lead singer and youngest brother, did not start playing music or pick up a guitar till he was about 13. I was 19 then, so that was a late start. But, Alejandro was so passionate and intense about it, almost obsessed, and in two years, he was an exceptional guitarist.”

Daniel says that over the next few years, they worked on covers, “occasionally writing an original and playing in little pubs and college towns, trying to do whatever we could”.

“It wasn’t until MySpace came up and we started posting our music online, that we realised it would have a broader reach. You have to remember this was a different time, a different era,” he says, adding that it was the band’s transition to YouTube that truly boosted their profile.