Band: Tripper
CD: Yesterday, Friday & Today
Produced by: Dave Feeny, Jim Kissling & Tripper
Recorded at: The Tempermill, Ferndale
Band Members: Frank Buscemi (vocals, guitars, harmonica, mandolin, keys), Steve Marvicsin (guitars, vocals, keys), Ken Thomas (drums, vocals, percussion), Steve "Sky" Walker (bass, vocals)
Guest Musicians: Aaron Berch - piano on "One Summertime"; Jill Jack - backing vocals on "My Angel" & "Cloud IX"
Radio Babies & Mall Friends
Since I'm late coming to the party (as usual), I perused Tripper's posted reviews for "Yesterday, Friday and Today", their second release following 2000's "Moxie Stick". After three or four complete spins on my home decks, I'd have to agree with Real Detroit on this one: 'It's (as) if Dave Matthews and the Counting Crows had a baby...' Nowhere are those comparisons more evident than on "Near" (track 4) and "Hammock" (track11). On other tracks, such as "The Good Guy" and "So Believable" the bands leans more towards pop-rockers The Goo Goo Dolls (my wife's comparison) or, I'd say, any other darling of "Modern Rock" who received too much airplay in the last few years.
Singer/songwriter Frank Buscemi's recognizable vocal grit and Tripper's radio-friendly sound seem especially crafted for the twenty-something Starbucks set who suck on $5 lattés at the mall and reminisce about their favorite episodes of "Friends". In fact, this CD would be perfectly suited to a montage on that sitcom, originally pitched to the networks as, "a show about nothing". This disc contains twelve highly-polished tracks about nothing, or at least not much anyway: the first clue comes on "Barefoot" (track 2) with a chorus that repeats incessantly, "And we'd ride / your bare foot out the window / and we'd ride (etc...)" Or the chorus of "Holiday" (track 8) that closes with the benign and quotidian, 'Baby's on a holiday / Baby's on a holiday/ Baby's on a holiday...'. Had there been a bit more depth to the preceding verses, the chorus' might not feel like repeated thumps on the head.
So tired, tired of waiting, tired of waiting for you...
The lyrics throughout this CD are cryptic and innocuous, dealing mostly with vague themes of unrequited love, longing and mostly just waiting around for someone to do something. On "The Good Guy"(track 3) Buscemi sings, "I'll be waiting / 'cause I've got nowhere to be." On "Cloud Nine"(track 7) he sings "Give me something for the waiting." On "Near" (track 5) he sings "It must've been Monday / you've got me waiting again." All that waiting and, lyrically, nowhere to go.
Then again, vague feelings of unrequited love, longing and hanging around (the mall?) waiting for something to happen are exactly the type of things a certain market (13-18yr olds) of consumers with a lot of disposable income can relate to. Perhaps Tripper is so good at what they do nothing is left to chance.
It's only on "One Summertime", guitarist Steve Marvicsin's ode to a summertime love-affair, that I have any clue what the song is about. But then "Yesterday, Today and Friday" can't be about the content of the lyrics, but the character of the sound. This disc is probably the closest thing I've heard to MODERN ROCK RADIO! that wasn't from a major label.
Charting an "Angel"
On the CD's shining moment, "My Angel" (track 4) we hear Buscemi pleading, "Don't leave me standing / Don't leave me stranded / lift me up / lift me up my angel' (perhaps she's an A&R rep?). This semi-precious gem has a thick & hearty Americana vibe seasoned with mandolin & hammond organ that reminds me of The Wrenfields - without the compelling lyrics. It's flawlessly delivered and the production sounds amazing thanks to the genius of Dave Feeny and Jim Kissling @ The Tempermill - I just don't find it terribly interesting. Nevertheless, "Angel" charted at #4 on MP3's National Top 100 and led to the group being named by that site as 'one of the best unsigned bands of 2001', which, unfortunately, means exactly dick with the coming extinction of that site. The band is also mourning the loss of actor John Ritter whose most famous character (Jack Tripper from "Three's Company") was the inspiration for the band's name. Sorry guys.
Conclusion
Tripper has achieved a sound on "Yesterday, Friday & Today" that, I think, commercial radio expects. In fact, It sounds so much like radio that local indie snobs like me, whose tastes run closer to the fringe, keep turning it off before the CD has run its course. So judging from my current success, that probably means they'll get signed by a major label, sell a million copies and laugh about a certain poor, self-important local music critic who doesn't know a $winner$ when he hears one. Hey, I know my luck. - Mitch
Track Listing
1. Clearly Mistaken
2. Barefoot
3. The Good Guy
4. My Angel
5. Near
6. So Believable
7. Cloud IX
8. Holiday
9. Remind Me
10. See You Out There
11. Hammock
12. One Summertime
-- Mitch