ARTIST

Train

A no-nonsense mainstream rock outfit from San Francisco, Train has approached success in the music industry like the little engine that could, slowly climbing the mountain that at first seemed unattainable. Following a year and a half of practically nonstop work, their self-titled debut album finally reached the Billboard Top 100, which has no doubt turned the band mantra from "We think we can" to "We know we can."

The start of Train's route can be found in an L.A. band called The Apostles, which broke up in the early '90s. Their lead singer, Rob Hotchkiss, relocated to San Francisco in 1994, and there met up with another aspiring vocalist, Patrick Monahan. The two became friends and soon launched a regular coffeehouse act -- two singers, one guitar, kinda like Simon & Garfunkel.

After making the Bay-Area rounds for a while as a duo, Hotchkiss and Monahan decided they should get out of the folk ghetto and form a real band. For this purpose, they recruited fellow ex-Apostles Jimmy Stafford (guitar) and Charlie Colin (bass). Colin, in turn, recommended that Scott Underwood be hired to man the drums, and when a bassist recommends a drummer, you listen. Thus Train came to be.

Once the initial writing and rehearsing stages had taken place (compositions are credited to all five members) the band began to look for as much live work as possible, starting out in tiny venues and taking it from there. Over the next few years, Train became a well-known name in northern California, eventually winning opening slots for such top artists as Hootie & the Blowfish, The Dave Matthews Band, Collective Soul, Counting Crows, Blues Traveler, Better Than Ezra, Cracker, Barenaked Ladies, Big Head Todd & the Monsters, and the Neville Brothers.

Signed to Aware/Columbia Records, Train released their debut album -- mixed (with the exception of one track) by Counting Crows guitarist David Bryson -- on Feb. 24, 1998, to little notice. But a grueling tour schedule and a little help from TV gradually raised public awareness. The album's first single, "Free," was featured on the popular series Party Of Five, while its follow-up, "Meet Virginia," was slated for inclusion on Dawson's Creek. In addition to that, the video for "Meet Virginia," starring supermodel/actress Rebecca Gayheart, got prominent play on VH1, and the band itself made a successful appearance on NBC's Late Night With Conan O'Brien.

The results of all this prime exposure were unsurprising. Radio play and sales soared. As of Aug. 15, 1999, Train was shifting more than 10,000 units per week. By October it had vaulted above No. 100 on the Billboard album charts. By November it had been certified gold. But for Train themselves, probably the most gratifying sign of their success was the fact that they sold out their hometown's most prestigious venue, the Fillmore Auditorium.

The real breakthrough, however, came with the single "Drops Of Jupiter" from the album of the same name in March 2001. Significant airplay of the single helped Drops Of Jupiter debut at No. 6 on the Billboard 200. The single, which Monahan wrote late in the album's recording process, reached No. 5 in the U.S. and also became a hit in the U.K. Perhaps sensing the tune's commercial potential, the singer-songwriter played it for Columbia Records head Don Ienner before presenting it to the band. The song also scored Grammy nominations for Record of the Year and Song of the Year, as well as Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocal. The band took home the award in the latter category, besting such high-profile competition as U2, Coldplay, and Aerosmith.

In 2002 Train once again hired producer Brendan O'Brien and headed into the studio to cut its follow-up to Jupiter. Initially set for a fall 2002 release, Train's third album My Private Nation was unveiled in June 2003.

Written by Mac Randall