Tim Be Told, a group of recent University of Virginia graduates, has burst onto the pop/rock music scene with its catchy beats and soulful sound. Made up of songwriter and front man Tim Ouyang, guitarist and backing vocalist Luan Nguyen, lead guitarist Andrew Chae, bassist Parker Stanley and drummer Jim Barredo, the band is currently touring to support the release of its second full-length album.

After receiving positive critical acclaim, Binghamton University’s Asian Student Union booked the band to perform on April 13 as part of Asian Empowerment Week. Before their show, Release wanted to get to know the band, and now you can, too.

1. So how do your parents feel about you not taking the typical path after graduation?

Some of us actually had conventional career paths before dedicating ourselves to Tim Be Told full time, and it was a big step for us to exchange the financial stability/certainty for the uncertain, though we don’t regret that we did. Regarding our parents, coming from predominantly Asian American families, they had some resistance to the idea of us pursuing music careers full time, mainly because they weren’t too comfortable with the uncertainties — financially and so forth — that the industry brings. However, they’ve all come a long way, especially after seeing the response we get to our music.

2. A lot of articles out there are quick to point out that most of you are of Asian descent. Does it bother you that that’s what you’re known for, or is it something you’re proud of?

We are definitely grateful for the support we’ve gotten from the broader Asian American community; however, we ourselves are not going around highlighting the fact that we are comprised mostly of Asian American members. The reason for this is because what we are striving to do transcends race. Music, in general, should be transcendent and be relevant for the greater humanity. We should all celebrate our differences, but find ways to promote commonalities, as well. It’s awesome to know that we are embraced by our fellow Asian Americans, but it’s also just as awesome to know that the demographics of our friends and fans span a wide variety of ethnicities.

3. I noticed a lot of your gigs are on college campuses. Is that a preference of yours?

We love playing on college campuses, but our preference is to reach as wide an age bracket as possible. A lot of our fan base started in our college town of Charlottesville, Va., and at other college events around the country. I think we might have a slight preference toward music clubs, but we definitely don’t drink the haterade when it comes to venue choice.

4. An MTV blog described you as a “cocktail of Maroon 5 meets Jason Mraz meets Ray Charles meets Elton John.” If you had to choose one of those artists that you feel is most like your sound, who would you choose?

Those comparisons are justified, to a degree, especially considering the material being alluded to. However, our newer stuff is a progression from our existing recorded material, and I think our live sound is as well. Other artists we’ve been compared to are OneRepublic and Coldplay, and we think that they may be a closer comparison for our newer material. But for the most part, we like to think our music is unique and transcends comparisons.

5. At this point in your career, what was the best moment you’ve had while touring?

It’s hard to say that one experience was greater than all the rest. Our favorite part of touring in general is definitely meeting and working with all the people we encounter, from the people who put us up for the night to the fans we talk to after a show. We’d also never be where we are if we didn’t have those who root and cheer for us back home. These are the people who make what we do worth it. If we had to pinpoint one memorable moment on tour, I’d [Luan] definitely say the time we almost made a church building collapse by getting everyone in the audience to jump up and down to the beat of the a song. A gathering below thought there was an earthquake and fled.