Train - Biography

Train is a Grammy Award-winning alternative rock band, formed in San Francisco, California, in 1994. Their music is difficult to classify, as it contains traces of country, rock, adult contemporary and various other genres.

History

The group started out in San Francisco with only two members, Rob Hotchkiss and Patrick Monahan, performing in coffee houses and local clubs. After deciding to form a full band, the duo recruited Jimmy Stafford on guitar, Charlie Colin on bass and, at a later date, Scott Underwood as drummer.

By 1997 they went on tour, opening concerts for groups such as Barenaked Ladies and the Counting Crows.

Train attempted to get signed under Columbia Records in 1996 but were rejected. The band members financed their self-titled 1998 debut, which cost them a total of $25,000. Columbia Records agreed to sign Train under Aware Records after hearing their first album.

Their first major hit was "Meet Virginia" from their self-titled debut. Later, Train also had two other songs which reached #1 on the Billboard Adult Top 40: the title track from their second album, Drops of Jupiter, and "Calling All Angels" from 2003's My Private Nation.

When Drops Of Jupiter was released in March 2001, the title track "Drops Of Jupiter (Tell Me)" was already a hit on several Billboard charts. By June 2001, Drops Of Jupiter was RIAA-certified platinum. By April 2002, the single had spent a total of 53 weeks on the Hot 100. It won a Best Rock Song Grammy for Train, as well as a Best Arrangement Grammy for Paul Buckmaster.

Both Drops Of Jupiter (2001) and My Private Nation (2003) were recorded at Southern Tracks Recording in Atlanta and produced by famed rock producer Brendan O' Brien.

Towards the end of 2002, co-founder Rob Hotchkiss left Train and the band's third album, My Private Nation, was released in June 2003 with "Calling All Angels" as the lead single. The album's second single was "When I Look To The Sky", a song relating to a lost loved one.

Their song "Ordinary" is featured in the movie Spider-Man 2. This song also drew a younger audience with its 'heavier than the norm' Train sound. The music video for "Ordinary" was in rotation on MTV.

In July 2005, after the song was featured in an advertising campaign for Cingular, the band released "Get to Me" as the final single from My Private Nation. "Get to Me" reached #9 on the Billboard Adult Top 40. The band never expected to release a third single from My Private Nation but its popularity due to its presence in the Cingular commercial caused them to release the song.

Train began recording their fourth studio album, For Me, It's You, in Atlanta during the summer of 2005. They released the first single "Cab" on November 14. The album was released on January 31, 2006.

For Me, It's You is the first Train album that includes new members Johnny Colt on bass and Brandon Bush on keyboards. It was produced by Brendan O'Brien.

In a recent interview with Billboard.com, Pat Monahan stated while still in the middle of their tour supporting their latest album "For Me, It's You," Train is ready to get together to record their fifth studio album.

Members

Current members

• Patrick Monahan - vocals
• Jimmy Stafford - guitar
• Scott Underwood - drums
• Johnny Colt - bass (2004)
• Brandon Bush - keyboards (2004)

Former members

• Charlie Colin - bass (1994–2003)
• Rob Hotchkiss - guitar (1994–2002)

Additional facts

• Train wrote and recorded a song called "Fall Out" at Abbey Road Studios for the soundtrack of the movie We Were Soldiers (2002).
• In 2002, Train was chosen to do a cover of Aerosmith's classic rock staple "Dream On" on an episode of MTV's Icon which was dedicated entirely to Aerosmith. Train performed the song with Aerosmith watching in the audience.
• It is rumored that producer Brendan O' Brien only agreed to produce the band's second album Drops Of Jupiter after hearing Train's cover version of "Ramble On". Train is no stranger to doing Led Zeppelin song covers, as lead singer Patrick Monahan was once in a Led Zeppelin cover band.
• Train's 2006 tour has included a stripped down acoustic set, featuring a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Going to California". Aerosmith's "Dream On" has been played near the end of the show.
• During concerts, Patrick sometimes tells a joke about meeting Britney Spears. He claims to have hit on her "back when she was cute", but she rebuffed him. He responded by saying "We would be great together. I can bring a lot to the relationship. I can do lots of things you can't do... I can sing!” It is unknown if this was just a joke, or a story about a real event. Patrick also frequently brings audience members up on stage to sing "She's On Fire" with him.

Train Official Website

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