#30BandsIn30Days Train: more than a band

Heather talks to Mindi about the band, their music and the best of times.

Quick Facts

A pop rock/alt rock band formed in 1993, they self-released their debut eponymous album in 1998 after failing to sign a record deal.  Train has since released 6 studio albums and sold over 10 million albums and 30 million tracks worldwide.

Train believes in philanthropy.  The band has a brand of Chocolate and Wine called Save Me San Francisco.  The proceeds from sales go to support Family House, a home away from home for families whose children are seriously ill and receiving medical treatment.

Hometown:  San Francisco, California

Members and Instruments:  Pat Monahan (vocals), Jimmy Stafford (lead guitar), Jerry Becker (rhythm guitar and piano), Hector Maldonado (bass), Drew Shoals (drums), Nikita Houston (backing vocals) and Sakai Smith (backing vocals)

Best Song In Our Opinion:  Soul Sister

Connection to The Script:  The Summer of 2013 The Script, on their #3 tour, supported Train in the US.  In addition, the lads from The Script joined lead singer Pat Monahan on one of his podcasts (called Patcasts).  You can watch it, here.

Band Review

Her love of music shines as brightly as her personality.  She’s the quintessential band girl: effervescent, bubbly, and great to gig with.  I first met Mindi when we flew across the country to see The Script together; she from the west coast, me from the east coast, and we met in the middle in Chicago and St. Louis.  While she loves almost all good music, no band has quite captured her heart so completely as Train.   

I was fortunate enough to sit down with Mindi, and get her take on Train, their music, and some awesome intel.

What drew you to Train’s music first?

The thing that first drew me to Train’s music was Pat’s voice. He has an incredible gift, a distinct sound. He never fails to amaze me.  Secondly, probably would be the lyrics.  His ability to write a song with lyrics that are meaningful and deep, but at the same time relatable and fun.  The writing is just SO good.  I wish I had the ability to express myself in that way.  But, I guess that’s why we all love music.   It helps us express those words and feelings we can’t otherwise.

Do you remember the first song you ever heard by them?

I do remember the first song I heard it was  Meet Virginia.   I remember exactly where I was the first time I heard (it).   I was 15, it was a rare sunny day in Oregon, I was watching TV and saw Train performing “Meet Virginia.”  I distinctly remember thinking; “who is this band!? They’re great!” “Those lyrics!” “That Voice!”   It was just something I felt, although I didn’t know back then what it was.

Looking back now it all makes sense.   After all these years, why that memory always stuck out to me.   It was as if it was predestined that this band would be a huge part of my adult life.
And not just the band, but the people I have met because of Train.

How many gigs have you been to and which one has the best memories?

How many gigs? I believe, if I counted correctly… 27.  Which consists of multiple concerts, 3 cruises, and 2 television events.

As for which one has the best memories, I don’t think I could choose. They all have some pretty awesome memories with all my amazing Train friends, especially the Train cruise called “Sail Across The Sun.”

But if I had to choose, I would say it was the first time my 2 daughters saw Train. It was a little over a year ago at the Pantages Theater in Los Angeles. Not only did they have an incredibly fun time, Pat and the band made my daughters feel so special. From the signed shirt, to the drum stick and guitar picks, to the moment that Pat came out into the audience, put his arm around my oldest daughter and sang with her, then the moment they got to meet everyone after the show and take pictures. That was a great memory for me, I was so happy they got to experience that, and that I got to share that moment with them.

If you had to pick 5 Train songs to listen to for the rest of your life, and only 5, which would they be?

This might be the toughest question of all! Only 5 songs? Lol. This is so hard!
Let’s see… I would say:
     For me, it’s you 
     Underneath the Dogwood Tree (the Wildflower song)
     Give It All
     Get to me
     Save me San Francisco

And I’m sorry, I’m adding 3 more, I have to!

     You can finally meet my mom
     I’m about to come alive
    All American Girl

You have a necklace that’s very important to you.  Can you share it’s significance?

Yes, the necklace that my friend and I were wearing while we were on The Script tour circuit.  It is a necklace with a key on it.   This necklace was sold on the Picasso at the wheel tour last summer. Proceeds from this necklace went to this amazing charity organization that Train is a part of called Family House in San Francisco. One side of the key says ‘Train’ and the other side of the key says ‘Family.’

Which is pretty accurate.

We are a family.   And for some of us, like myself, it’s really the only family I have.   I’m tearing up as I write this.

That’s what the necklace means to me, it not only represents the band, but the people from all over the world that I’m blessed to have met and that are now a huge part of my life.   We are with each other not only at shows, but there for each other in life’s up’s and down’s.   Through the loss of jobs, loved ones, the birth of children, the relationships and even marriages, the “hey, how are you, just checking in with you” messages, the spending holidays together, and vacations on cruise ship.

These people are my family, due to Train. I never would have thought that any of this could happen because of band. But it has and I am forever grateful.

Have you met them?  The band members?

I have had the honor of meeting them! It’s always a blast! Here are a few pics:

In five words, describe how Train’s music makes you feel.

Joy, Nostalgia, Thankful, Love, Friendship

If you had to guess their superpowers, what would they be? 

Name their superpowers!  Well, I had to give them non traditional superpowers…

    Pat: Sarcasm AND X-ray vision 😉
    Jimmy: Ability to read minds
    Jerry: Humor
    Hector: Tequila (not traditionally known as a superpower, but for people who can handle  Tequila, I think it is 😉 )
    Drew: Intelligence
    Sakai: Ability to make everyone feel loved.
    Nakita: Ability to win others over with her warmth and charm

 

What’s Coming Next:  Train is currently on a mini-tour of the US.  You can find upcoming tour dates and purchase tickets, here.

Connect with Train:

Train   Twitter   Facebook   Instagram   YouTube   iTunes  Spotify   Amazon

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In April we’re featuring 30 bands in 30 days as part of the A to Z blogging challenge. We’ve selected the bands from the artists that worked or toured with The Script before – simply because they have good taste in choosing bands to work with! The posts are written by regular contributors, some special friends as guest bloggers and Andrea. Sign up if you’d like to keep in touch via email.

Today’s post was written by our own, Heather.  You can follow her here:

Twitter:  @heather_paige    Instagram: heather_paige_86

And make sure to follow us on twitter @MusicWordsBlog for Heather’s #HumpdayHappyHour on Wednesday where we share our Top 10 favorite YouTube video’s of the week from some of our favorite bands.

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As always, if you enjoyed the post, have a similar experience, or want to share some tunes with us, we’d love to hear from you.  Just comment below.