Music of Boston, Styx come to Fox as Bostyx

Local fans of classic rock may have "more than just a feeling" on June 3 when David Victor, a former member of the band Boston, brings Bostyx a tribute to the music of Boston and Styx to the Visalia Fox Theatre.

Victor started playing guitar at 16, learning by taking lessons and playing along with records by Van Halen, UFO and Thin Lizzy.

“I took lessons for two years and I knew all this theory but I thought, ‘but how do you play?’ I hadn’t really played with any bands yet,” he says upon realizing that the best way to learn how to be in a band is to be in a band.

Victor played in top-40 cover bands for years, eventually taking on the role of vocalist by necessity. While finding additional bass players, drummers and guitarists didn’t take a Sherlock Holmes-caliber detective, finding a quality singer proved tougher.

“I figured if I had learned to play guitar, I could learn how to sing,” Victor says. “Well, it turned out to be a little harder. And I’m still learning.”

The Bay Area native moved to LA in 1999, starting a Boston tribute band called Smokin’ after a stint with his original rock band, Velocity – which is to say his rock band that played original music.

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After years of playing with Smokin’ the band caught the attention of the real Boston, the classic rock band that released hits like, “More than a Feeling,” “Rock and Roll Band” and “Smokin’” in the 1970s.

Boston founder and guitarist Tom Scholz saw a Youtube video of a Smokin’ performance in 2008 and was so impressed, he asked Victor to join Boston on their 2012 and 2014 tours.

It was like a real-life version of the Mark Wahlberg film, “Rock Star” – which itself was based on the real-life band Judas Priest.

Life imitates art imitates life like an ouroboros sometimes.

Victor’s band, Bostyx, a hybrid tribute of Boston and fellow classic rock band Styx, started in 2011 as a way for Victor to stave off the musician’s equivalent to ring rust while waiting for to go on tour with Boston.

“And we just kept it going ever since because why not? We love the music and we love to play it,” Victor says.

The band is going out on tour this summer, playing a mix of festivals, fairs, and theater shows.

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“I love playing theaters. For one thing, all those people are there to see you. With a festival, who knows why they’re there,” Victor jokes. “So we love the fact that people came to see exactly what we’re going to give them and we do our best to give them a great show.”

How to attend

What: Bostyx, featuring David Victor, formerly of Boston

When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, June 3. Doors open at 6:30. 

Where: The Visalia Fox Theatre, 308 W. Main St.

Tickets: $15-$45

Information:www.foxvisalia.org.