Tripmaster Monkey is an indie rock band from the
Quad Cities
The Quad Cities is a region of five cities (originally Tri-Cities, later four, see #History, History) in the U.S. states of Iowa and Illinois: Davenport, Iowa, Davenport and Bettendorf, Iowa, Bettendorf (the fifth to be included) in southeaster ...
in Illinois and Iowa. Members of the band are originally from
Davenport, Iowa
Davenport ( ) is a city in Scott County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. It is situated along the Mississippi River on the eastern border of the state. Davenport had a population of 101,724 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 cen ...
,
Rock Island, Illinois
Rock Island is a city in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. The population was 37,108 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located at the confluence of the Rock River (Mississippi River tributary), Rock a ...
, and
East Moline, Illinois
East Moline is a city in Rock Island County, Illinois, United States. The population was 21,374 at the 2020 census. East Moline is one of the Quad Cities at the confluence of the Rock and Mississippi rivers, along with neighboring Moline and ...
. They broke up in 1996 after a long American tour. They played straightforward guitar-driven rock, influenced by punk, grunge and other alternative or college rock. The name is a reference to the novel,
Tripmaster Monkey.
Lead guitarist Jamie Toal currently resides in Chicago, IL and used to perform as part of the band "Tenki." Lead vocalist Chris Bernat still resides in the Quad-Cities and performs with his band "Chrash." Bassist Wes Haas currently resides in Portland, OR. Drummer Marty Reyhons briefly played drums with another Quad-City band "
Einstein's Sister."
The cover art for Tripmaster Monkey's album, "Practice Changes", was done by
Pete Schulte.
Their single "Present Tense" appeared on the soundtrack for the 1993 film ''Naked in New York.''
In 2019, Tripmaster Monkey reunited and recorded their third full-length album, My East is Your West.
Line-Up
Band members:
*
Chris Bernat, vocals
*
Jamie Toal, guitars
*
Wes Haas, bass
*
Marty Reyhons, drums
Discography
*"Faster than Dwight" (EP, 1993) See How/Warner Bros.
*"Present Tense" (EP, 1993) Che 7
*"Goodbye Race" (LP, 1994) Reprise/Sire
*"Practice Changes" (LP, 1996) Sire
*"Bright Orange End" (EP, 2000) Independent release
*"My East is Your West" (LP, 2019)
References
American indie rock groups
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