Publication Date: Friday Jan 22, 1999

Slow Train coming

In a day when disgruntled rappers beat up magazine editors in payment for bad reviews, misguided rockers use heroin as a status symbol and seemingly nobody has time for autographs anymore, it's nice to see the good guys win in the shaky music world every so often.

San Francisco's Train is making a name for itself by working hard, playing within the rules as opposed to outside them, and developing a grass-roots fan base. When they reach the Bay Area next week after a long national tour, fans familiar with the band's easy flowing rock will pack the Cubberley Community Center on Thursday to welcome home their conquering heroes and hear tunes that are quickly becoming radio staples.

"We've actually got a reputation around the country as one of the hardest working rock bands out there right now," said Train guitarist Jimmy Stafford during a recent phone interview from Boise, Idaho.

Train formed in 1994 with the belief that if you write and perform solid rock songs, people will listen. Familiar with the L.A. hustle, the five-member band--Stafford, vocalist Patrick Monahan, guitarist Rob Hotchkiss, drummer Scott Underwood and bassist Charlie Colin--picked San Francisco to hone its craft because the laid-back scene would allow Train to work at its own pace.

"We moved to San Francisco in the first place to give us the time to naturally grow," Stafford said. "It's hard to do that in Los Angeles with the music industry breathing down our necks."

With an acoustic guitar-driven sound that is easily comparable to the likes of the Counting Crows or Hootie and the Blowfish--one that is modern, yet easily digestible for those weaned on the Eagles or James Taylor--Train began to find a passionate core of fans throughout the Bay Area.

"When we first started out we were doing coffeehouses five nights a week," Stafford remembered. "We would play everywhere and anywhere."

As the crowds grew, record labels began to pay attention. Train ended up signing with Columbia Records and was placed on the Aware label--which is intended for new artists that need the proper attention to reach the next level. The intention of Aware is to actually grow the acts as opposed to the regular "one-hit-and-gone" mentality. As it turns out, the match was perfect. The self-titled album has been out for about a year, but it continues to gain momentum.

"So many of these bands come out with a bang--'We're here!' With us, I think Columbia is thinking we are going to be around for a while. Hopefully, we'll be around for many years and make many records," Stafford said. "We aren't in this to become big rich rock stars--I mean, it would be nice--but we want to make records."

Train began touring nationally in January 1997, and, accustomed to warm fan support in the Bay Area, found it to be quite a change. The five guys found themselves playing to very sparse crowds in unfamiliar clubs. But, instead of getting down on themselves, they just worked harder. They would do one, sometimes two, radio shows a day, appear at whatever in-store could be booked, talk to every journalist with pen and paper, and play a club gig each evening. By the time Stafford picked up the phone for this interview, the band had already completed two radio performances and was scheduled to play a show that night.

But now it's payoff time. Tickets are no longer easy to come by for Train shows, and that night's gig in Boise was expected to sell out. "Free," the catchy lead single from the album, is getting plenty of radio play with "Meet Virginia," a sure-fire hit, waiting in the wings. Already, "Meet Virginia" is getting air from Bay Area stations. The band has opened for such major and fairly similar bands as Blues Traveler, the Barenaked Ladies and Big Head Todd and the Monsters. On its last pass through town, Train sold out San Francisco's most prestigious venue, the Fillmore. It seems everybody is either already on the Train or ready to climb aboard.

"We are hearing people sing the words to our songs in Boise, Idaho, and Columbia, S.C.," Stafford said. "It's making all the hard work (worth it). And it's getting fun."

While the band still has plenty of work to do in support of the debut, Stafford said that they have the songs ready for the follow up. One of the most appealing aspects about Train's first album is how cohesive the work sounds when taken as a whole. Its distinct tone comes directly from the back-porch school of folk-tinged rock--which may be somewhat surprising, given the band members' individual musical tastes.

"I think the influences that come from that is what makes Train, Train," Stafford said. "I might bring in some Led Zeppelin influences. Pat might bring in some James Taylor influences. Scott might bring in some hip-hop influences."

Stafford warns fans not to get too comfortable with the band's current sound because it's changing all the time.

"I have a feeling that the next record is going to be quite different than this one," he said. "We are certainly not going to fall into some category that says 'That's Train.'"

What: Train in concert; Far Too Jones open.

When: Music starts at 8:30 p.m. Thursday.

Where: Cubberley Community Center, 4000 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto.

How much: Tickets are $10.

Information: Call 949-4507. 

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