The Kimberly Trip
Encyclopedia
The Kimberly Trip is a pop
band
from Sacramento
, California
.
) and drummer
/keyboardist
Dave "Bractune" Meyer. The two began playing in bands together in junior high school, such as Thin Ice, a progressive rock
band influenced by groups such as Marillion
and Rush
. Thin Ice survived through two full-length releases, 1994's Breaking the Elements and 1996's Love is Murder, before the band dissolved. Prince and Meyer then went on to form Roy's Love Virus. The band hired a backing and harmony vocalist named Kimberly "Kimberlina" Prince for their live shows and began building a following in Sacramento. Prince and Meyer began working with Kimberlina on an unnamed side project. During a discussion between Meyer and Prince, Meyer suggested they disband the Virus and pursue the side project with Kimberlina as lead singer full-time. The three recruited programmer and bassist
John Facundo and started writing songs geared specifically toward Kimberlina's voice and personality, and began playing shows as The Kimberly Trip in 2001.
for use in their programming, including the track "Just What I Wanted", which was featured on the teen decorating show Knock First
. In the wake of Catastrophic Behavior, the band recorded an acoustic
"house party" concert, which was then released under the title Mimicking the Cool Kids, in November 2004.
Jeffry Wynne Prince - guitars, harmony vocals, programming
Dave Meyer, a.k.a. "Bractune" - drums, percussion, keyboards
Nolan - bass, fretless bass, piano
Simon Ennis - bass
Colin "Misha" Davis - Programming, live guitar
Sierra Kempster - bass
Catastrophic Behavior, Glitter Kitty Records, April 2004
Mimicking the Cool Kids, Glitter Kitty Records, November 2004
You'll Get Nothing and Like It, Glitter Kitty Records / Mondo Distribution, July 2005
Popularity Contest, Glitter Kitty Records, May 2007
Generation Stereotype, Glitter Kitty Records / Sony RED distribution, Oct 2009
, Garbage
, The Go-Go's
, Cyndi Lauper
, Nerf Herder
, No Doubt
, Rush
, The Smiths
, and Sugar Ray
.
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
band
Band (music)
In music, a musical ensemble or band is a group of musicians that works together to perform music. The following articles concern types of musical bands:* All-female band* Big band* Boy band* Christian band* Church band* Concert band* Cover band...
from Sacramento
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
.
Prehistory
The Kimberly Trip started with founding members Jeffry Wynne Prince (guitaristGuitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
) and drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
/keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
Dave "Bractune" Meyer. The two began playing in bands together in junior high school, such as Thin Ice, a progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
band influenced by groups such as Marillion
Marillion
Marillion are a British rock band, formed in Aylesbury, England in 1979. Their recorded studio output comprises sixteen albums generally regarded in two distinct eras, delineated by the departure of original vocalist & frontman Fish in late 1988, and the subsequent arrival of replacement Steve...
and Rush
Rush (band)
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
. Thin Ice survived through two full-length releases, 1994's Breaking the Elements and 1996's Love is Murder, before the band dissolved. Prince and Meyer then went on to form Roy's Love Virus. The band hired a backing and harmony vocalist named Kimberly "Kimberlina" Prince for their live shows and began building a following in Sacramento. Prince and Meyer began working with Kimberlina on an unnamed side project. During a discussion between Meyer and Prince, Meyer suggested they disband the Virus and pursue the side project with Kimberlina as lead singer full-time. The three recruited programmer and bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
John Facundo and started writing songs geared specifically toward Kimberlina's voice and personality, and began playing shows as The Kimberly Trip in 2001.
Not Compatible with My System
The album, Not Compatible with My System (2002), was called an "album of demos" by guitarist, Jeffry-Wynne Prince. Following the album's release, the band immediately began writing material for their next album, but ran into a snag when Facundo eventually parted with the band. He went on to provide technical assistance and programming for the band's next album, and continues to work with the band on the graphic design elements of their CD booklets.Catastrophic Behavior
The Kimberly Trip hired bassist Sierra Kempster and a second guitarist and programmer, Colin "Misha" Davis (both formerly of Sacramento-based RazorLily) to fill out their lineup. This new lineup completed the band's second album, Catastrophic Behavior. Catastrophic Behavior was released to laudatory reviews, and four songs from this album were subsequently picked up by the ABC Family NetworkABC Family
ABC Family, stylized as abc family, is an American television network, owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company...
for use in their programming, including the track "Just What I Wanted", which was featured on the teen decorating show Knock First
Knock First
Knock First is a reality television series in which an adolescent is chosen for a total room makeover by the Knock First crew. The first series aired starting in the fall of 2003 on ABC Family....
. In the wake of Catastrophic Behavior, the band recorded an acoustic
Acoustic music
Acoustic music comprises music that solely or primarily uses instruments which produce sound through entirely acoustic means, as opposed to electric or electronic means...
"house party" concert, which was then released under the title Mimicking the Cool Kids, in November 2004.
You'll Get Nothing... and LIKE It!
In January 2005, the band began recording their third studio album, entitled You'll Get Nothing... and LIKE It! The album was completed in May, and released on July 23. The first single from the album not only received airplay on the alternative, ground-breaking stations Live 105 in Orange Co, and KWOD 106.5 in Northern California, but found a home on terrestrial radio in Great Britain and the Philippines. This led to a publishing deal as well as distribution of "You'll Get Nothing...and LIKE it" in Asia on the bands own "Glitter Kitty Records". This brought the attention of Sutton Music Group in Seattle Washington, who then signed the band to a 5 year, 2 album contract for distribution through Sony/BMG Worldwide. 2005 saw a very busy year on stage for the band as well. They performed in excess of 90 shows that year, including headlining concerts @ Ceasar's Tahoe in Nevada, and the infamous Crest Theatre in their hometown of Sacramento, Ca.Popularity Contest
2006 would be a year of writing and recording for the band. The success and impending release of the next album on a major-label, had the band feeling their first bit of pressure. Initially, the label wanted to take 6 songs from each of the last 2 albums and release that as the debut record. The band really did not like this idea, and suggested if they liked the old songs so much, why not just expand the deal and put THOSE albums out? Eventually, an agreement was made that if the new material was better than the last 2 CDs, they would release that. With a sarcastic nod towards the concept of the label wanting to do a 'greatest-hits' album for a band with only independent releases, and no real 'hits' The Kimberly Trip decided to call the record "Popularity Contest". The album was ready to go in late 2006, but financial problems @ Sutton Music Group prevented a 2006 release. The date kept getting pushed back until the band decided to release the album on their own label, just as they had on the previous 3 studio albums, and on May 15, 2007 it was released to critical acclaim and very encouraging sales. The subsequent singles "Not the One" and "Second to Fade" both charted in Brazil, with "Not the One" cracking the top 10. While on tour, long-time studio keyboardist and live second-guitarist, 'Misha' came down with severe tendonitis. It became chronic and his injury forced him to leave the band. The Kimberly Trip decided not to replace him, and continued on as a 4 piece.Generation Stereotype
It has been said by the band that this has been the fastest album to write, and the longest to record, and have been quoted "it will be worth the wait, and will either put The Kimberly Trip on a whole new level, or will completely kill our career." Released Oct 10th, 2009, and was awarded the "5 Carrot Award" and listed in the top 10 albums of 2009 by The Blues Bunny in Glasgow, Scotland. Sierra left the group in early 2010 and was replaced by longtime Sacramento solo singer-songwriter Nolan on bass (also of Nolan & the Last Action Heroes).Current lineup
Kimberly Prince, a.k.a. "Kimberlina" - lead vocalsJeffry Wynne Prince - guitars, harmony vocals, programming
Dave Meyer, a.k.a. "Bractune" - drums, percussion, keyboards
Nolan - bass, fretless bass, piano
Former members
John Facundo - bass, programmingSimon Ennis - bass
Colin "Misha" Davis - Programming, live guitar
Sierra Kempster - bass
Discography
Not Compatible with My System, Dimm Records, 2002Catastrophic Behavior, Glitter Kitty Records, April 2004
Mimicking the Cool Kids, Glitter Kitty Records, November 2004
You'll Get Nothing and Like It, Glitter Kitty Records / Mondo Distribution, July 2005
Popularity Contest, Glitter Kitty Records, May 2007
Generation Stereotype, Glitter Kitty Records / Sony RED distribution, Oct 2009
Influences
The Kimberly Trip cites a diverse array of bands and artists as influences on its sound and style, including Tori AmosTori Amos
Tori Amos is an American pianist, singer-songwriter and composer. She was at the forefront of a number of female singer-songwriters in the early 1990s and was noteworthy early in her career as one of the few alternative rock performers to use a piano as her primary instrument...
, Garbage
Garbage (band)
Garbage are an alternative rock band formed in Madison, Wisconsin in 1994. The group consists of Scottish singer Shirley Manson and American musicians Duke Erikson , Steve Marker and Butch Vig . All four members are involved in songwriting and production...
, The Go-Go's
The Go-Go's
The Go-Go’s are an all-female American rock band formed in 1978. They made history as the first all-female band that both wrote their own songs and played their own instruments to top the Billboard album charts....
, Cyndi Lauper
Cyndi Lauper
Cynthia Ann Stephanie "Cyndi" Lauper is an American singer, songwriter, actress and LGBT rights activist. She achieved success in the mid-1980s with the release of the album She's So Unusual and became the first female singer to have four top-five singles released from one album...
, Nerf Herder
Nerf Herder
Nerf Herder is a punk rock band from Santa Barbara formed in 1994 by Parry Gripp , Charlie Dennis and Steve Sherlock . They describe themselves as a "geek rock" band, and are known for simplistic modern punk-style songs with frequently humorous, juvenile and pop-culture-referencing lyrics...
, No Doubt
No Doubt
No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California that formed in 1986. The ska-pop sound of their first album No Doubt , failed to make an impact...
, Rush
Rush (band)
Rush is a Canadian rock band formed in August 1968, in the Willowdale neighbourhood of Toronto, Ontario. The band is composed of bassist, keyboardist, and lead vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson, and drummer and lyricist Neil Peart...
, The Smiths
The Smiths
The Smiths were an English alternative rock band, formed in Manchester in 1982. Based on the song writing partnership of Morrissey and Johnny Marr , the band also included Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce...
, and Sugar Ray
Sugar Ray
Sugar Ray is a band from Orange County, California. The band, starting off more as an alternative metal band, first gained fame in 1997 with their release of the song "Fly". This song's success, coupled with its pop rock sound that was quite different from the rest of their material at the time,...
.