Trixter-The Spirit of 89'

Interview with P.J. Farley of Trixter

The early '90s saw the decline of hair bands as grunge music rose to take market share and attention away from rock music fans. It was also in the early '90s that the New Jersey rock band Trixter came to prominence for a short time. The band had MTV hits with “Give It To Me Good,” “One In A Million,” and “Surrender.” They toured with heavyweights at the time, such as Poison and Skid Row, and even their heroes in KISS.

The band's second album, Hear!, ended up not having much of a chance, even though it matched their debut in style and quality of songs. The rock world had just moved on, and this young band caught the tail end of the era. In an interview I conducted with bassist and vocalist P.J. Farley, I asked if the single “Road of A Thousand Dreams” from that album would have been a hit if it had come out before Nirvana. The whole ‘what if’ scenario didn’t seem to hold much weight for him. Guitarist and vocalist Steve Brown, in his appearance in the Netflix documentary Nothing But A Good Time, shares the same sentiment. They both seem to appreciate what they have had and are happy to have been part of it all.

The two of them have been touring again for a while now and will headline the Spirit of '89 tour, heading to Bushwackers in Ralston this Sunday. The full lineup includes Enuff Z’ Nuff, Pretty Boy Floyd, and Christian Shields. You can get tickets HERE. I spoke with P.J. in advance of the show about keeping up appearances, the duo's work on the new Ace Frehley album, and whether there is a resurgence in this era of music.

Omaha Buzz: Were you happy with how the *Nothing But A Good Time* documentary turned out? Did you feel any new attention came from it?

P.J. Farley-You know what? I hate to even say it, but I didn't even see it. I heard all about it from Steve. He was in it and also in the book. We did get a lot of attention from it, and it was all positive. Anytime something shines a light on this era of music, it's good for us and all the bands involved. Nothing but great stuff came out of it.

Omaha Buzz: I thought you guys came across pretty well in that. You're involved in Ace Frehley’s latest album, and Steve produced it. What was that experience like?

P.J.:- I won't speak for Steve, but I could speak for him because we were both involved. I went along with him, and it was surreal. Based on what he says and what I’ve seen, it’s just a surreal thing for him, in particular, to work so closely and in such an impactful way. It’s a dream come true for him and for me. Ace is a really big part of the reason that we're here to begin with. The magnitude of who he was working with was definitely not lost on him. It says something about Steve's songwriting and producing ability that Ace trusted him to the utmost extent. He did a great job. I think Steve made the Ace Frehley record that we all wanted to hear. I told him that, and I was lucky enough to be able to play on a couple of songs, including the title track “10,000 Volts.” Just to be part of that is a pinch-me moment. He was extremely proud, as he should be. And so am I of him and of us, just getting to work with one of our heroes.

Omaha Buzz: What is the format for this current tour? I know you guys have changed things up on stage over the years.

P.J.-We are a power trio now, and it's Steve and I singing the songs. It's ironic that KISS and Van Halen are our biggest influences. For the first part of our career, we were kind of modeled after Van Halen in terms of lineup. Now we're more modeled after KISS, with two frontmen keeping the dream alive.

Omaha Buzz: You guys were a little younger than some of the bands from your era, but not as young as you claimed to be. Do you credit that with sounding good on stage these days, while some artists may be a bit more rough around the edges in this genre?

P.J.- What we said about our ages was a whole record label thing. They devised a plan based on me being the youngest band member, applying my age to everyone in the band essentially. It definitely plays into it, but we also took care of ourselves. Did we party? Yes. Did we party hard? No. We drank, of course—maybe some other stuff here and there along the way. But for the most part, we kept our eye on the ball. I always tell people, especially my musician friends, that keeping yourself in shape and presentable, and not being a disaster with drugs and alcohol—at least on stage while you're performing—is a sign of respect to the people who want to see you play. It’s easy to go, “To hell with it, I’m drinking, and I’m not stopping,” but it’s about respect for the people you want to draw into your circle, your business, your show, your music, your life, essentially. I feel it’s our responsibility to do whatever we can, whatever’s in our power, to keep ourselves in presentable shape, preserving ourselves as best we can—not just externally, but internally, too. It’s about not abusing the gift we’ve been given to do this after all these years and showing appreciation. We’re all getting older; there’s nothing we can do to stop that. But hey, if we can keep some pounds off and maintain a bit of muscle tone by putting in a little effort, I'll do it. And I do do it. We try to, you know—it’s about respect, man. That’s it.

Omaha Buzz: I see you guys played the Whiskey A Go Go a couple of days ago. How was that?

P.J. -That was great, man. It's always good to be back at the Whisky. Every time you walk in there, it’s a routine—you walk down those stairs, go to the stage, and you feel the ghosts.

Omaha Buzz: Are there any bands from your era that you haven't toured with that you would like to?

P.J.:- If you’re talking about someone like Def Leppard, there are a couple we could cherry-pick from. I think we’ve hit them all. At this point, I’d like to tour with any band from our genre that’s still doing it, still enjoying it, still able to do it, and still wanting to do it. A lot of people are doing it because they have to, as we do too, but they’re not exactly wearing it well—no real poker face. I just want positive, upbeat, and fun. That’s what the whole Spirit of 1989 Tour is all about, and that’s what I want to keep it about.

Omaha Buzz: I saw a band out of Nashville a few weeks ago called Ace Monroe—really young kids, and they were kind of nailing that '80s rock thing without making a parody of it. They were just being genuine. Are you seeing more young people or musicians interested in rock music from that era?

P.J.-Absolutely. It’s funny; I mentioned this last year when we started doing these tours over the last decade. I’d see young kids at our shows every once in a while—maybe ironically, or because their parents brought them, or something like, “I got junior here, and he likes ‘Give It To Me Good.’” But now, as of last year, I’m seeing kids in their early twenties, maybe late teens, attending as fans, even by themselves. They’ve discovered us somehow, and they’ve worked us into their playlists. It’s not just, “Oh, I like this old band, Trixter.” They found us and are fans of the band now, so we’ve turned that generation around. I’m slowly starting to see that, and it’s bleeding into these new bands. You’re starting to see bands that are adapting the essence of that genre, and it’s great—it’s something different. As long as they’re playing and singing, I love it.

Omaha Buzz:-Are there any new bands or artists that are piquing your interest?

P.J.:- We have a band on the road with us right now. The Christian Shields Band is our opening act on the Spirit of 1989 tour. It’s a high-energy throwback to the good times of rock and roll. Paul Stanley is his idol, so his raps in between songs are very high-energy, engaging the crowd and getting them riled up. That’s what it’s about—that’s the essence of it.

Omaha Buzz:-Who has the gold record? Did you all get one?

P.J.:-We all got one. We all received it, and we got it for our friends and family. Hell yeah.

Omaha Buzz: And then one last question, which I’m sure you get asked the most: Is there any new music coming?

P.J.- There is! We’ve begun putting ideas together. Steve’s got a bunch of songs, I have songs, and we have ideas together. The lid to the song barrel has been opened, and there are plenty of contents. The plan is the one thing we don’t have as of right now. It could be early next year, but we are slowly working on something. It’s definitely in the beginning stages. The seeds have been planted.