They
started off performing in coffee houses seven years ago. The
coffee houses turned into small venues and those small venues
turned into opening slots on major tours. Now, they are headlining
their own sold out shows and collecting awards. They are Train.
It
has been a busy three years for Train as they have travelled
the U.S. many times while performing on bills with the Dave
Matthews Band, Ben Folds Five, and Collective Soul. In addition,
they toured Australia, released a very successful self-titled
album in 1998 and sold more than one million records. "A
few years ago, we would have thought that having a platinum
album was success," surmises guitarist Hotchkiss, "but
we keep raising the bar."
According
to lead singer, Pat Monahan, "You reach a point where you
have to admit that this is as far as you're going to take an
album, and it's time to go back to the studio and write more
songs." Back to the studio they went and Drops of Jupiter
was recorded in six weeks at Atlanta's Southern Tracks Studio.
"We're
really proud of this album," says Monahan. "After
years on the road, supporting an album that we wrote so long
ago, we were obviously excited about getting a bunch of new
material out there. But beyond that, these songs just have a
quality about them. Our song-writing, our relationships, our
ability to get our thoughts into songs--all that got stronger
after playing in front of a live audience for so many nights."
In
the summer of 1999 you may have heard "Meet Virginia"
playing on the radio, or seen its video (starring model Rebecca
Gayheart). This was when things really started to pick up for
the band.
"The peak moment was when we played this radio show in
Philadelphia that summer," recalls Monahan. "We were
on after some band I'd never heard of, and before Sean Lennon.
Just as we're backstage waiting to go on, we hear thousands
of people rushing the stage and chanting, 'Train, Train, Train!'
We sort of knew that there was this swelling fan base around
the country, but until we had the hit on the radio, we didn't
get to see it in such a ravenous way. That was such a high."
Train
has certainly arrived.
Checkout
their website at www.trainline.com
Photos
courtesy of Sony Music Canada. Photographer: Ralf Strathman.
