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Press / Reviews
“Peekskill trio The Trike play punchy, unvarnished rock 'n' roll with touches of punk, prog, reggae, and a whole lotta late-'80s/early-'90s college radio: Think Fables of the Reconstruction-era R.E.M. with more crunch, Camper Van Beethoven with less wiseassery, or Matthew Sweet with Hudson Valley dirt under his fingernails. On their self-titled debut EP, they make the unusual move of presenting the same six songs twice—first in mixes by lead vocalist/guitarist Fred Gillen, Jr., then the same recordings (albeit in a different running order) mixed by bassist/keyboardist John Banrock. It's an interesting experiment, at least in theory, though Gillen and Banrock serve up only slightly varied sonic interpretations of their material. Banrock's mixes come off a little stronger to these ears; but in both cases, the ringing, emotional "Ghosts," the loping travelogue "Kathmandu," and the bumper-sticker-waiting-to-happen "Don't Die in the Waiting Room of the Future" stand out as the record's most endearing tracks. ” - Dan Epstein
Music & live video
The Trike
A bit prog, punk and reggae, but all rock ‘n’ roll…
The Trike is a rock trio consisting of Fred Gillen Jr: electric guitars, harmonica, and lead vocals; John Banrock: bass guitar, synthesizer, harmonica and vocals; and Paul JM: drums and vocals. It began its life as the band for the album release show for Fred Gillen Jr.’s “If I Woke Up This Morning and Died” in early 2020. Fred, John, and Paul had all worked together before on various recording projects, and Fred thought the three would work well as a trio. The album release show was a big success and they decided to continue performing, booking a bunch of shows for the Spring of 2020. The Covid-19 Pandemic canceled everything but when things opened back up the trio got busy quickly and soon began to grow into more of a “band” than a sideman thing. They still lean on Gillen’s songs and quirky cover songs mostly from the 80’s and 90’s, but John and Paul are both prolific songwriters and the band is beginning to incorporate their songs as well as some co-writing. The band is a little bit prog, and little bit punk, a little bit reggae, and all rock ’n roll. The rhythm section is groovy and creative and in the trio format they’ve got plenty of space. Gillen’s unique electric guitar style fits well in the trio- he plays less but with a big sound. The background vocals add to the defiant yet fun energy, and no subject is off limits in the lyrics of the songs. In early 2023 they released their debut e.p. and will continue to perform as much as possible.