The Tins (www.myspace.com/thetinsmusic)

New York-based rock-indie outfit The Tins have spent the last year writing, performing, and recording their unique style of songs and making a name for themselves with music that sets them apart from other bands in their genre.

“Like any band, we try and write quality music, but we're also trying to create songs that are different than what's already out there,” said keyboardist and vocalist Mike Santillo.

“The goal is to combine our influences with the original ideas,” said guitarist and vocalist Adam Putzer, who draws from bands like Spoon and Wolf Parade. “It’s impossible to create something 100% original, but we can definitely be proactive about providing our audience with something different than what they hear every other weekend.”

The Tins is made up of three friends Mike Santillo (keyboards, vocals), Adam Putzer (guitar, vocals), and Dave Muntner (drums). Santillo and Putzer had previously played in acoustic bands together before spending a solid month last winter with Muntner writing songs as the Tins.

“We really had a good musical chemistry right from the start,” said Muntner. "We had played together in different variations of our current lineup, but when it was the three of us together we found that we really shared a common idea about the music we were making."

The Tins take a very collaborative approach to songwriting. Each member is a multi-instrumentalist, and Santillo and Putzer share lead vocal duties in the band.

The friendship of the members not only lends itself to an open songwriting process, but it also helps them maintain a sense of humor.

“We don’t want to take ourselves too seriously,” said Santillo.

“I’m considering wearing a dinosaur suit to shows from now on,” Muntner said.

Known for an energetic stage presence, The Tins have been described as “bright and lively” and have songs that can grab a strange crowd and convince them to stick around for more. They have performed in a variety of venues in their hometown of Binghamton as well as the famed National Underground and Knitting Factory in New York City.

The Tins have slowed down their show schedule to spend some time writing and recording new material. They recently signed a management contract with Metropolis Music Group and a booking contract with The Solution Agency out of Connecticut.

2009 promises to be a big year for The Tins, with new recordings and a number of planned performances. And as for the dinosaur suit?

“We may or may not be visiting some costume shops in the near future,” Putzer said.