13 Dec 11

"...where do you want to perform next..."
"Earth"

Hey, blogspot readers, are you ready to experience a trip of the mind through music? SouthSide recently took such of an experience at Elbo Room when seeing her new friend, Trip Effect. This unique trip of musicians impressed this reviewer with a contemporary rock sound that was laced with heartfelt yet energizing music. The music alone had this certain kind of momentum unfortunately hard to describe in which each member immersed themselves into Trip's songs. Yet, that's barely the tip of the iceberg about this new band rising super fast within Chicago's music scene. Before their Elbo Room debut, SouthSide talked to Aaron (bassist) and Derek (front man and guitarist) of Trip Effect via telephone about the music, songwriting and plans of performing on the International Space Station after a "Bonnie and Clyde" style bank robbery (don't worry - not really happening).

SouthSide likes bands that bend the rules. So when asking Aaron and Derek to describe Trip's live performances in five words or less, she received not only five words but a full a paragraph, blogspot readers. Their answers ranged from "...powerful, raw, soulful, entertaining music and energetic..." to "...make you want to dance..." as well as "...captivates the moment..." Then the guys went on to add "...[we're] known to dance and become wild..." while rockin' the stage amazingly "...without misplacing our instruments..." "We don't stand like statues or jump around like a metal band..." But wht Trip does for their audience is trying "...to play so people can feel the music..." the same way "as we did while practicing..." And that's exactly how Trip Effect reacted to their own music the moment they hit Elbo Room stage ...they were totally vibin' and moving all over especially while performing Save Yourself Tonight and new song, Second Life (not on the current EP).

With a band name like Trip Effect, SouthSide wanted to know why such a name and what did it signify to them. Well, according to the band, they tried a couple of other names when forming however it was front man and guitarist Derek who came up with the name Trip Effect even though Aaron and Eric weren't completely sold. Derek says the name's signature tagline is "...divine imprint on the soul..." meaning "...the effect of life and journey we each take..." Trip's songs try to "...captivate the experiences [in which] we can all relate..." plus "...you can listen to them without skipping..." around the CD. And speaking of songs, Trip Effect advises fans to listen to Past At The Edge and The Rain because "...[the] lyrics are less straight forward..." since the band likes "...to keep people guessing..." what the songs are about. SouthSide, when hearing both songs live, did get the sense of how thought-provoking the words could be based on her own personal experiences. If you're also thinking this band has their own secret or political agendas hidden within their songs, you're totally wrong, blogspot readers. "If you had a life experience, these expereiences will fit [our] words..." says Trip. And the secret to this band's unique songwriting style - music is written first and then words are added. For Aaron, this was a different writing process than he's used to in which he likes not having to sit down and write songs. Derek, on the other hand, a former metal rocker who never though of playing acoustic rock before, handles that task by putting in some serious time and effort into each song he writes. He might spend 10 to 12 hours a day playing the guitar ...gradually putting together the melody line and everything else. This is quality time and hard work here - so you won't be hearing songs that Trip cranked out within five minutes time.

Trip Effect being such a young band, has accomplished much within a short amount of time, blogspot readers. Besides a mention in the December issue of Illinois Entertainer and an on-air interview at Fearless Radio, they opened for Sister Kill Cycle and Mechanical Animals (a Marilyn Manson tribute band) at Penny Road Pub. They even have a fan who resides in Isreal. So what do they attribute to their success thus far? Basically with Trip Effect, it's all about quality and producing really good music. While Derek writes "...like a tornado...", Aaron handles the administrative side of the band duties i.e. fan mail, answering emails, sending press releases, etc and their booking agent Monica does the rest. "...[a] perfect fusion..." for Trip Effect especially since Derek comes to practice every week with a new song "...if you want to get your band going, you have to put in the time and effort..." the band advises. Yet, despite the success rolling their way, they are very humbled and feel blessed. Derek and Aaron couldn't even begin to verbally describe what the journey has been like for them thus far however they do want it to be known that they're not doing this for the money - just to share music with everyone.

And speaking of music, Illinois Entertainer called Trip Effect - a power trio which according to Aaron, is a good description of the band. Meanwhile, someone at Elbo Room told Eric (Trip's drummer) that they sound like "...Dave Matthews on steriods...". This isn't the first time, blogspot readers. "People usually have two bands mixed together..." to desctibe Trip Effect's unique pop with a metal mix sound after attending a live performance. SouthSide asked them what could she expect to see and/or hear during their record release show. "We're just going to play our originals as many as we possibly can...[going] to hear diversity of music off the EP [Second Life]..." Yes, this band can truly rock a stage with a heavy power sound within less instrumentation. "...[we] make our sound big as possible with little as possible..." That power was definitely felt during Trip's acoustic jam session - improve style. The music electrified the stage amidst the lively rhythms and vibrant acoustic melodies in which you can clearly notice each Trip member zoning out to their rockin' sound.

Now that Trip Effect is a member of the music scene, SouthSide wanted to know their thoughts and opinions about popular (mainstream) music today. To Derek, "...pop music is somewhat disgusting...[a] money-making enterprise producing cookie-cutter songs..." adding "...[it's] not about artistry anymore..." Believe it or not, blogspot readers, classic rock bands like Led Zeppelin or The Beatles never had number 1 hits - only memorable songs and music that still stand the test of time even in the new millennium. Aaron loved this question. The bassist and producer of a hip hop artist had this to say "..Thank God for the internet...[it] gave indie scene a place to ship out music without having to bow down to big record companies..." adding "...if you have good music, people will find [you and] it..." Lastly, Trip Effect wants everyone to know all of their songs are downloadable off Facebook and Reverbnation ...and you can find them on December 30 at Chicago Loop's Sports Bar (located in Streamwood). This reviewer highly recommends checking out this hot rising band - Trip Effect ...one mind-blowing experience.


Until next time, support your local scene,
SouthSide