Have some good music and a flashy stage show. Or, get with the times and just throw some Pokémon lures, and wait for the stampede.
We managed to snag a few minutes with Lafayette, Louisiana gumbo-fueled six-piece rock band, Secondborn. Or, we should say that the guys drew straws and Pat Trumps lost and had to do it. But either way, we guarantee an interesting talk between us and the unlucky shredder. They are currently working on a new album to be named something or other and eventually be put other there; just no one knows when exactly at this point.
So, grab a most relaxing adult beverage, slip on your Pikachu fuzzy slippers and enjoy a few minutes with us in Creole country. As far as who is in the band and their history, read on, Jack. It’s been a long week and you can help us out with being overworked, so do some of the groundwork yourselves and let us know your results on Facebook or Twitter. We owe you up.
NRR: Thanks for taking some time out of your busy schedule to answer some questions for National Rock Review’s coverage of stellar bands. What’s been going on with the band, Secondborn, so far in the first half of 2016?
Patrick Trumps: Hey, thanks for reaching out with the questions! 2016 has been productive for us, to say the least. We’ve been writing and recording a lot. We’ve put out a few music videos. We’ve played a number of shows. It’s been great so far!
NRR: I have to say it was a brilliant bit of enticement to use Pokémon Go as a reason to head out to a recent show. Now, the question is who in the band has enough free time to find this sort of thing out, (laughing)?
Patrick Trumps: Well, while there is six dudes in this band, the marketing stuff generally comes from our manager, Alice. Between she and Tim, I’m pretty sure they’ve figured out the marketing strategies that work, and some that do not, (laughing).
When we arrived at the venue and saw that it was a PokeStop our manager figured since the game is so popular why not see if we can “lure” a few more people to the venue! Yes, laughter indeed.
NRR: I hear that you guys do a feature called Thirsty Thursdays when the beer drinking and time permits. Explain to me what was the genesis of the videos and do you guys have fun doing them?
Patrick Trumps: We try to post as much content as possible without over doing it. One of the guys that works with our band, James, managed to hook us up with SVEDKA vodka. So, we thought it would be fun, informative, and fun to do these Thirsty Thursday videos that feature myself and Alex making drinks with SVEDKA products.
Lee and I also do a Music Mondays video series where we talk about bands we like both national and local/regional. Since we film a few of each video series in the same video shoot, we found out early on that we have to film the Music Mondays first. Otherwise, I tend to ramble on and on and on if we film those after the Thirsty Thursday videos (laughing). It’s just fun, man. I hope we can keep doing it for a while. I think we’re hoping to do more videos as well, but we’re still in the planning stages on that one.
An all new Thirsty Thursday to cool you off in the summer heat wave!https://youtu.be/Iiz7TLj6iu8
Posted by Secondborn on Thursday, July 21, 2016
NRR: If you bring the vodka and lemonade, we can talk about hosting a series on NRR just for you guys. Tell me who all is in the band, your history, and do you guys still have fun with one another on stage?
Patrick Trumps: Daniel Pinner (vocals), Tim Benson (guitar), Pat Trumps (guitar), Stefan Hawkins (guitar), Lee Gauthreaux (drums), and Alex Daigle (bass) happens to be the band as it is.
Let’s see… the history. Tim and Daniel started writing and recording tunes. Tim got myself and Lee involved. I made the comment that we’d need a third guitar player if we ever wanted to play shows.
Enter Stefan. And Tim randomly asked Alex, a barista at Starbucks, if he played guitar or bass. He did, aaaaaand we got a bass player.
It was “supposed” to be just a writing/recording project, yeah. That lasted all of three weeks. So yeah, that’s how we formed. Hell yeah we have fun on stage. We’re all best friends playing music that we wrote. It’s a blast!
NRR: How was playing Springboard South Music Festival this summer and what festival(s) would you love to play next year?
Patrick Trumps: Springboard was great! We met lots of talented musicians and made great connections with industry people. I’m fairly certain we’d play any festival that would have us. We’re not picky, (laughing)!
NRR: Okay, the band’s equipment is over a pit of boiling lava, your answer determines the safety of it all. Pokémon or Digimon?
Patrick Trumps: Welllll… since I don’t even know what a Digimon is (I know… I know… I KNOW), I’m gonna go with Pokémon. Hopefully the Pokémon masterball is big enough to catch ALL of our equipment… we have lots!
NRR: You guys hype as many other bands as your own posts for shows and other endeavors. Is your local scene that tight or are you guys the exception not so much the rule when it comes to cross-promotion of other outfits?
Patrick Trumps: Well, the music scene in Lafayette, Louisiana was incredible ten years ago. Venues would be packed. Bands all over the place.
But, something happened. Not sure what exactly, but it went downhill fast. Clubs started closing. Not as many bands playing.
It’s slowly on the rise again, though. We’re just fans of our friends’ bands. It’s not a competition. If any band gets heard, that’s a win for everyone. We just do our small part to pass the word along, so to speak.
NRR: If you were in the crowd after your set, and heard two people talking about Secondborn, how would you hope the conversation might go?
Patrick Trumps: It would probably start with, “Wait, why do they have three guitar players?” (Laughing), I’d hope it go something like, “Man, those dudes can rip!” or “That drummer is bad ass!” Something like that. Hopefully it’s a positive conversation that starts in the crowd and carries over to our merch booth! We like talking to people.
NRR: Is there a moment, that thinking back on it now, in the your time together, or with any band in the past, that you can’t help but still feel a tad bit embarrassed about, a situation that makes you laugh about despite yourself, or just still makes you shake your head in disbelief? A Spinal Tap moment if you will, that you’d be willing to share with me?
Patrick Trumps: Well, the only one I can think of off the top of my head is in the beginning of this band, I think I was in the band for a month before I had even met Daniel. I’d heard him sing on some of the recordings, but hadn’t even met him. ACTUALLY, the first time all six of us were in the same room together was for our video shoot of “A Call to Arms!” How wild is that?!
NRR: I would be slacking in my journalistic duties if I didn’t ask about two things. First, tell me about the rumored LP in general, the goodies if you will?
Patrick Trumps: Ah yes, the goodies/LP/EP/huh, (laughing)? We’ve got five or six songs done. We technically could release another EP fairly soon, if we wanted. We’ve got soooo many ideas/half songs/almost finished songs left to sift through. I think we have a pretty quiet August, so that’s the plan. Flesh out more ideas, possibly write/rewrite existing ones and record.
I wish I had more information to give you. Hell, I wish it even just had a title. But alas, I’ve got nothing. I can say that we’re about to release another song off of it, and video too, for a song called “For the Sake of Safety.” And it’s my favorite song we’ve done to date. So there’s that, (laughing).
https://youtu.be/NTkwc5l0z5o%20
NRR: And second, tell me about your video support for “Carrie,” Why was that track good enough to get the love?
Patrick Trumps: I remember when Tim recorded the basic idea of that song. He played it for Daniel and I. We offered a few suggestions, made a few note changes, and just started writing it. We had a chorus with some vocals on it, but I remember when we worked out the pre-chorus, I was like, man, this part is more epic than the chorus, but then ideas were flowing and the chorus came together. And it was great! I think we wanted to do a more cinematic/story driven video and that song lent itself to being perfect for that. Plus, we think it’s a killer track.
NRR: When you read about 80s pop music in a rock band’s bio, you get that “huh?” face. What are some of your influences and how would you describe the unique sonic signature of the band that they helped to create?
Patrick Trumps: The thing about 80s pop is the layers involved. You listen to a song by Tears for Fears, there’s a lot going on in those songs. I think our influence from the 80s comes out in the synth that we add to our songs. It’s not as prominent as the vocals, but it’s an underlying texture that helps shape the song. Sometimes it’s very beat driven and other times it’s just a few notes to add more color. The 80s were a great time for music. Not just in the pop genre. Lots of good hair metal and rock bands too.
NRR: Last one guys, any stage, any venue, any band… what configuration would be your dream come true for a night?
Patrick Trumps: Red Rocks Amphitheatre. Foo Fighters, Thrice, and Secondborn. Done.
