Train (band)
American pop rock band known for Grammy-winning hits.
Train is an American pop rock band from San Francisco that formed in 1993. The band achieved mainstream success with its debut album in 1998 and won two Grammy Awards for the international hit "Drops of Jupiter (Tell Me)". As of 2025, the band consists of Pat Monahan, Butch Walker, Hector Maldonado, Jerry Becker, and Matt Musty.
Quick Facts
- Origin
- San Francisco, California, U.S.
- Genre
- Pop rock
- folk-pop
- alternative rock
- roots rock
- Years active
- 1993–2006, 2009–present
- Label
- Atlantic
- Warner Music
- Columbia
- Aware
- Current members
- Pat Monahan
- Hector Maldonado
- Jerry Becker
- Matt Musty
- Butch Walker
Facts from the source article.
History
After his Led Zeppelin cover band Rogues Gallery dissolved, Pat Monahan left Erie, Pennsylvania, in late 1993 and moved to California. There he met Rob Hotchkiss, a Berklee College of Music alumnus who performed in coffee houses and clubs. The two shared lead vocals, with Hotchkiss on guitar and harmonica and Monahan playing percussion. Hotchkiss had been lead singer for L.A.-based Apostles. They recruited Jimmy Stafford, Charlie Colin, and Scott Underwood to form Train in 1994. Columbia Records rejected them in 1996, so the band released their first self-titled CD independently. By 1997 they were touring nationally, opening for Barenaked Ladies, Hootie & the Blowfish, Cracker, and Counting Crows. Their debut album, Train, was released on Aware/RED with Columbia on February 24, 1998, self-produced for $25,000. The single "Meet Virginia" became a top-20 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2000. The album was certified platinum by the RIAA.
Related ventures
In 2011 Train founded the Save Me, San Francisco Wine Company in partnership with ACME Wine Movers. The business sells wines named after the group's hits, including Drops of Jupiter California Red and Soul Sister Pinot Noir, made in the Livermore Valley. The company partnered with Ghirardelli Chocolate Company to sell pairings, with a portion of proceeds supporting the Family House of San Francisco. Train also supported Little Kids Rock through the Road Trips and Guitar Picks campaign, meeting students in Atlanta.
In popular culture
Train's song "Calling All Angels" served as an unofficial theme for the Los Angeles Angels, airing at Angel Stadium before each home game in 2010 alongside a historical team montage. The track also closed out the One Tree Hill episode "Life in a Glass House," while "Marry Me" appeared in "The Other Half of Me." The album's second single, "When I Look to the Sky," was heard in the trailer for the 2004 film Jersey Girl. On CSI:NY, both "Hey, Soul Sister" and "Calling All Angels" were used in the season six episode "Second Chances." Saturday Night Live parodied the band twice: first in a January 2013 "Band Face-Off" sketch where they clashed with Adam Levine, and again in October 2024 with Andrew Dismukes performing "Hey, Soul Sister." Train later said they approved of the earlier parody.
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