INDIANAPOLIS — As young boys, the cousins always used to entertain family members, singing songs and playing instruments together during the holidays and special gatherings.
Not much has changed through the years for John Tuttle, 21, of New Palestine, and Luke Tuttle, 22, of Indianapolis.
The pair are men now, but still performing together, only now their music has gone viral in more than 50 states with their band, Dream Chief.
Years ago, when they first started performing for crowds, the duo was known as John and Luke. Since then, the Tuttles have not only changed their name but their format, from contemporary to an electro-pop sound —and it’s paid off.
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They’re making some real noise in the music industry.
One of their songs, “Can’t Shake U,” recently went viral on Spotify, a popular digital music service.
They were also featured on a play list called “Fresh Finds” on Spotify as well as “Indie Pop” playlists.
From there, their music has made it to the Global Viral Top 50 and the United States Viral Top 50 lists. The cousins also have been featured on Sirius college radio several times, making them an up-and-coming band.
“We woke up one day and saw the song had 80,000 plays in just one day,” John Tuttle said. “It just totally blew our minds.”
Getting recognized by Spotify is a big deal, band members said. To be in the company of established big-name artists is generating some good buzz about the band, and the popularity has attracted the interest of publishers and labels.
The duo plays electro-pop with catchy vocals. They then couple those elements with synthesizers and drum machines to create a fresh sound.
“I think that’s what makes us different,” John Tuttle said. “We’re using electronic elements but making them feel real.”
John Tuttle, 2014 New Palestine High School graduate, is a junior and music major at Anderson University. He and his cousin are committed to making it in the music business and meet for practice and shows as often as they can.
They like combining their vocals and guitars to the generated music to create their own sound.
“It feels amazing to finally see the thing we’ve been pursuing for most of our lives starting to be seen by other people as worthwhile, and that’s good,” Luke Tuttle said.
It’s been fun watching the scope of their music catch fire beyond their family and friends, the two said.
In the two years since they formed in 2014, Dream Chief has been on stage with indie and alternative bands such as Zella Day, Atlas Genius, Gosh Pith, Panama Wedding and In The Valley Below.
Their latest single became one of the top tracks on Spotify’s Global Viral 50 chart. To date, the track has more than 300,000 plays on the site.
“Can’t Shake U” was also added to playlists from music blogs like Indiemono, My Old Kentucky Blog and others.
Dream Chief is planning to release its next single and perform select tour dates through 2017.
For more information on their music and when they play next, visit dreamchiefmusic.com.
