The band's assembly began in 2007, when guitarist Alex Wilcox and drummer Mason Young began to play music with each other as an outlet for their youthful musical pinings. Mason's powerful and elaborate yet well-controlled drum technique combined with Alex's passionate, quixotic, and funky psychedelia made the two a perfect combo. Following these early sessions, Mason met guitarist Adam Gonzales through a friend from early childhood, and the two found themselves drawn to each other's musical...
The band's assembly began in 2007, when guitarist Alex Wilcox and drummer Mason Young began to play music with each other as an outlet for their youthful musical pinings. Mason's powerful and elaborate yet well-controlled drum technique combined with Alex's passionate, quixotic, and funky psychedelia made the two a perfect combo. Following these early sessions, Mason met guitarist Adam Gonzales through a friend from early childhood, and the two found themselves drawn to each other's musical approach and ability. Adam's style, filled with heavy drive, forceful improvisation, and marvelous technicality made him a coveted musician. Mason arranged for these two exceptionally talented guitarists to meet each other, and the perfect match of styles that followed became the underpinnings for the current band's sound. Mason, Alex, and Adam began to play together often and became confident in their ability to progress as a band. The next step was finding bassist John Cook, whom they stumbled upon at a Guitar Center. Astounded by his talent and taste, they invited him to come play with the band. After they found his funk-influenced style to be a perfect fit for the group, all that remained to complete the ensemble was a singer. They struggled to find a good vocalist, almost settling on Dan, a singer with a "rougher edge." Unfortunately, he didn't turn out to fit well with the band's feel or direction. It wasn't until one fine Friday night that they came upon a solution, when a fellow comrade of Alex suggested the fledgling singer and Jesuit classmate Reagan McCreary as a possibility for the band's completion. Upon seeing the note the next morning that was slipped in his pocket as a reminder, Alex arranged for Reagan to come to a practice, and his enthusiasm for the band's sound and passion for sharing his musical abilities made him the final piece of the puzzle.
The band's first name was Bulls In a Chinashop, inspired by the plunge of Mrs. Young's shelf of china kitchenware during one loud and particularly destructive evening of practice. The band later decided that they would rather have a simpler and more expressive title, and began thinking about a possible switch. Adam had a dream that he had a band by the name of Toro Vega. The other members found this appropriate. Latin for "constellation of the bull," their new title has a more professional feel, and it retains the spirit of their original name.
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