Dub Trio

Dub is the foundation. It’s in everything we do, whether it’s the structure, the effects,
or the bass line. It’s what all other elements are based on. You hear that
even on the heaviest parts of the new record. – Joe Tomino, drummer

New Heavy is indeed heavy, and hard. It references Metallica more than Marley, and features the one and only MIKE PATTON (Faith No More, Mr Bungle, Tomahawk, Fantomas) on “Not Alone,” which Billboard Magazine describes as “an old school Faith No More-style rocker.” A re-mix of this track by Mike Patton as “Peeping Tom” will soon be released on Mike’s own Ipecac Recordings later this year.

How did this collaboration come about? Simple. Mike Patton heard Dub Trio’s music. Yep, that’s all it took. No mutual friends, no money, no label pressure, just a few rough mixes from the New Heavy sessions and Patton knew they were on to something:

Dub Trio are very talented musicians that cover many different genres in each
piece they play. They are doing something that very few artists are doing today,
and doing it their own way. – Mike Patton

Their versatility and singularity have as much to do with musical acumen as with the communication between each member’s unique personality:

We have our own musical language. We communicate with each other through
our instruments, eye contact, energy. That’s why no two live shows are the same,
no two performances of a song. That’s also why it’s as important to see us as it is to hear us,
because you can see that interaction on stage. – Stu Brooks, bassist

THE PLAYERS:
Joe, Stu and Dave not only bring individual talents and personalities to Dub Trio but also a unique set of professional experience, having worked with 50 Cent, Common, Mary J. Blige, Mos Def and Mobb Deep. Joe currently drums with the recently reunited Fugees. Stu continues to work with G-Unit & 50 Cent (he dropped the massive bass line on this summer’s hit “So Seductive (feat. 50 Cent)” by Tony Yayo). And Dave, along with his brother, started the punk/emo band Like Yesterday with Matt Rubano, the bassist for Taking Back Sunday (who Like Yesterday tours with frequently). And perhaps all this crept into Dub Trio’s sound, which is undoubtedly more aggressive and bigger than before. They are poised for a large impact, and this album will put them there.

In Joe Tomino’s hands, the drums function as an entire section, rather than as one instrument. You will hear this section transform over the course of a song; the pulse never wavering but morphing from drum machine-esque sounds, to a big rock assault, to spaced out dub rhythms, echoes spiraling from his kit. In other words, Joe is a madman on drums—the Muppet’s Animal in human flesh—guiding much of the band’s energy and intensity.

The bass is the foundation. Stu Brooks delivers low end like it was a weapon; one moment it’s a telephone pole swinging towards your gut, the next a playful rump shaking pulse locked in with Joe. Amazing that a player’s "feel" is measured in milliseconds, when Stu is at the controls of a huge oceanic sound, cigarette dangling from his lips.

DP Holmes plays guitar in Dub Trio. He makes shapes and colors, monsters and mothers of sound. Aggressive, dreamy, liquid, solid, there is a command of the elements in the guitar section. You’ll see Dave on the floor during shows, not writhing around in some Zeppelin-esque stage hackery, but implementing huge washes of sound with his crescent of guitar pedals & effects. It’s a unique approach to guitar playing that serves Dub Trio’s music supremely.