Trolley
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Trolley

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States | Established. Jan 01, 1995 | INDIE

Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States | INDIE
Established on Jan, 1995
Band Rock Pop

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This band has not uploaded any videos

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"Last Chance Dance"

"Trolley is nothing short of amazing. Over the last eight years the Milwaukee band has released a string of virtually flawless recordings that revitalize '60s rock (plus a nod or two toward '70s punk) without sounding especially nostalgic. It's not an easy balance to maintain. Trolley succeeds because they are deeply informed about two-guitar rock, the '60s British Invasion and everything that happened in its wake. Songwriters Terry Hackbarth (vocals, bass), Paul Wall (vocals, guitar) and Mike Perotto (vocals, guitar) aspire to the levels set in the mid-'60s by Ray Davies and George Harrison. At its best, Trolley's music is every bit as good as the band's role models. Trolley spent two years making their fifth CD, "Last Chance Dance". The result is worth every minute." - The Shepherd Express


""Power-poppy, ultra-hooky""

"Power-poppy, ultra-hooky" - The Onion


"Record Review- Trolley 'Things That Shine and Glow'"

TROLLEY
Things That Shine & Glow
CD / Download
Easter Records

Remember when Teenage Fanclub had the bit between their teeth and produced brilliant song after brilliant song? Listening to this album reminds me of those times. The Milwaukee quartet’s third full-lengther is a modern-day classic. Never repetitive, every song either gets you with melody, or guitar riff, or harmony, and always with great musicianship.

Where they sound most assured is on the Beatles-meet-Zombies numbers like ‘In The End’ and ‘Out Of Love’. The arrangements are so strong it's as if they are working parts of a fine Swiss watch. The vulnerable, halting singing of Paul J. Wall can really tug the heartstrings on ‘I Can’t Hide’ and the title track, the latter also demonstrating some breath-taking harmonies. And as for closer ‘Love The Way You Look’...it’s like Big Star and R.E.M. personally dropped by and gave you an early Christmas present. Yes, that good.

‘She’s The Kind Of Girl’ displays Kinksian fuzz guitar to make you feel right there in ‘65, and during it I imagined them sharing an IPO stage with The Len Price 3 and Muck & The Mires somewhere in America’s backwaters. Of course I’m contractually obliged at this point to mention the understated psychedelic tinges scattered throughout the LP, and the influence of their Paisley Underground forefathers. I love this album. Power-pop and Mop-Top fans will certainly cream themselves when they hear it. Why aren’t these guys megastars? - Shindig


"Rock That Shines And Glows"

Trolley's new record, Things That Shine and Glow, is a powerful reminder of rock albums as they once were. Each track is distinctive on this cycle of memorable songs delivered with velvety insistence, but the sum of all parts has a character of its own. Shine and Glow is strangely timeless yet rooted in a special time—the cusp of 1966 and '67, when rock assumed a psychedelic glow and “pop” was not a dirty word.

Trolley's core lineup, bassist Terry Hackbarth and guitarists Paul Wall and Mike Perotto, has been around since 1995, but the band had been absent from live music of late, until the release of Shine and Glow. The hibernation resulted from a complex of reasons, including the loss of a drummer, Perotto's sabbatical to concentrate on marriage and fatherhood, and Hackbarth and Wall's other band, the punkier Nice Outfit. Likewise, several factors combined to put Trolley back on track. Hackbarth and Wall grew tired of the Nice Outfit, Perotto was ready to resume playing and a new drummer, Patrick Morrow, walked through the door.

“He actually owned the Trolley CDs,” Wall said, referring to the band's handful of long-players. “We started running into Patrick right around the time Mike was coming around again. And Mike is the architect of the band in terms of arrangements.”

The invisible architecture of sound is clearly audible in the strong symmetries of Things That Shine and Glow, especially the shifting dynamics, emotional power and bittersweet vocal harmonies by Hackbarth, Wall and Perotto. Great songs by all the core members, however, are the building blocks, lending themselves to the melancholy jangle reminiscent of The Byrds or guitar duels suggesting an encounter between The Kinks' Dave Davies and The Yardbirds' Jeff Beck. “That Made Me Wanting You” is like a great lost track from the Beatles' Revolver album. The urgency of the performances occasionally relaxes. “Vanity's Song” recalls The Beach Boys from Pet Sounds ruing the end of summer.

Another set of hands lifted Shine and Glow over the top: Decibully's Ryan Weber co-produced and Nick Sanborn co-engineered. “They really know what they're doing and they were part of the recording process,” Hackbarth says. “We'd say, 'We want a 1966 Vox organ,' and they'd say, 'How about the one The Monkees used?' They understood what we were looking for.”

The great recordings of '60s rock inspired the members of Trolley from the beginning, but when the band formed they were also influenced by the music of their time. “There was a little bit of alternative rock in our sound,” Wall admits. “Now, I feel a complete disconnect with anything modern.”

Trolley headlines a Dec. 3 show at Linneman's Riverwest Inn. Also on the bill are Testa Rosa and the Sugar Stems. - Shepherd Express


"Sugarbush Records Story"

So who are Trolley? They are a band from Milwaukee, who have recreated the authentic sound of paisley/psychedelic underground with elements of Sixties power pop, garage and classic rock.

Their album Things That Shine And Glow is available on limited edition vinyl (CAT No: SB 400, £10.99, sugarbushrecords.com or from their eBay store).

The intro to I Woke Up transported me back in time to such an extent that I was compelled to dust off and switch on the lava lamp. This is a fabulous album with an accent on the “Fab”.

Without being at all derivative, Trolley manage to introduce elements of the Doors, the Kinks and even the Byrds. The juxtaposition of jangling Rickenbacker guitar and Hammond organ is evocative of a time when music was purer, the musicians could actually play and the singers could sing.

It is so nice to hear that there are still bands who can do that.

Even the sleeve, with its artwork by Plastique Pep, looks like something out of 1968/69, with its muted pastel colours. Think Cream’s Wheels Of Fire sleeve but more laid back and in colour.

The tones, textures and harmonies are, at points, evocative of early Beatles. For any aficionado of music from this period, this album is a must.

If I had heard this band playing in London’s Chalk Farm Roundhouse back in the day they wouldn’t have been out of place - and that is a real compliment. - Daily Express


Discography

Love's a Twister (e.p.)
Put a Gun To You (45 single)
Star of Wonder (Christmas e.p.)
Here Comes Summer (surf instro e.p.)
Head Vs. Heart (full-length)
Last Chance Dance (full-length)

Untitled 2010 (full-length)

Photos

Bio

Trolley is a power pop mod combo based out of Milwaukee, WI, that regularly tours the midwest and beyond. They have shared the stage with Dick Dale, Los Straightjackets, Cotton Mather, Tommy Keene, The Batusis and many like-minded pop-freak outfits. They have toured with the likes of New Found Glory and Reel Big Fish and have played Austin's SXSW and Toronto's NXNE, as well as Milwaukee's Summerfest and Chicago's International Pop Overthrow. With four cds and one 45 to their credit, Trolley entered Madison's Smart Studios to complete mixdown on their last cd, "Last Chance Dance", with engineer Mike Zirkel, who has worked with Garbage and The London Suede. Combining all the great influence of sixties pop and mod along with seventies punk and new wave, "Last Chance Dance" is truly a gem for the ages. After a long three year hiatus, Trolley has just finished their as-yet-untitled third full-length cd with Ryan Weber and Nick Sanborn of Milwaukee's Decibully. With a kitchen-sink production and Trolley's trademark melodies, harmonies and charging guitars, this one's gonna be a BLOWUP!!!

Band Members