ION INDIE MAGAZINE December 2014, Volume 7 | Page 65

circle there and became friends with the guys from STONEY CREEK (local PA band), most of who would eventually become M80.” M80, the award-winning 1980’s-inspired cover band with which Train currently devotes much of her musical time, is among the most dynamic live acts--original or cover--to play the PA/NJ/NY area in 2014. “M80 became so popular, so quick, that I didn’t’ t even get to give Brian my notice at the bar,” she begins, “I just kept calling off more and more because the band kept becoming too busy. I thought that yeah, this must be my new career. We’ve done great--I’ve been with them for ten years, which I can’t believe.” Though M80 continues to be a central focus of Train’s life, her heart always lied within her original music and the freedom of expression it brought her. That leads us to her new “Diary” solo album—a document of the trials, tribulations, and ultimately, the overcoming that she’s done in recent years. “A few years ago I got the itch to do my music again,” she tells. “Having gone through a lot of heavy stuff, the only way I knew to express myself was through music and words. Now, that I’d had a failed marriage that was so incredibly toxic, I had a lot to get out. I wasn’t feeling that fulfillment in a cover band. The artist in me came alive again after going through something so traumatic.” Train launched a successful Kickstarter campaign to help with the record. Even though she’s incredibly grateful for the assistance in getting the album out, the Kickstarter funds were only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the scope of this album and the amount of time it’s taken to materialize. “It gave me about a third of the money I need which is part of the reason it took so long to finish. Between that…and I’m still busy with M80. There were other holdups, like I had to wait for other artists to finish in the studio before I could get back in. At least I learned what not to do with my next record, which will not take two years against my will. I did everything myself--right down to the graphic arts.” The other artists of which Train speaks are some of the biggest names in the contemporary Hard Rock world-all of whom she can call friends--guests like DUG PINNICK from KING’S X, AARON FINCKE, MARK JAMES and CHAD SZELIGZ (all ex-BREAKING BENJAMIN), CLINT LOWERY of SEVENDUST and DEREK SHRINIAN (exDREAM THEATER)--all came together to lend a hand in the recording of “Diary”. “I’ve known most of these guys for a while, but I never asked them for anything, because I wasn’t doing anything for all these years. The only thought I’d put to these celebrated friends was to call them once in a while to catch up, or if they’re passing through on tour, go see them.” Most of the other artist’s parts were recorded remotely--as Train jokes--she wasn’t about to ask them all to pack up and head to Pennsylvania. Impressed that her famous friends had turned in for the record, she began to turn to even newer acquaintances; like DALE STEWART, bassist for national recording act SEETHER. “I met him while I was planning all of this, and I said, ‘Hey, you should play in this,’” she says. “He’s a big fan of Dug Pinnick’s. I asked Dale if he had any way to record his parts at home, and he said ‘No.’ I thought, ‘Wait a minute, Dug does!’ So, I got him in touch with Dug, and got the two of them to hang out and that’s how they recorded for me.” As far as the material on the “Diary” album is concerned, you’ll find a healthy mix of radio-friendly ear candy wafting among the darker-edged songs--all in a trend towards the uplift that music tends to give to hardfought experiences. “I tend to write even poppier than I want to,” Train jokes. “You’ll find that the edgier stuff on the album when Clint from Sevendust (the album’s producer) came into the picture. When I first started