Trust Company (band)

Trust Company
Also known as41Down (1997–2002)
OriginMontgomery, Alabama, U.S.
Genres
Years active
  • 1997–2005
  • 2007–present
Labels
SpinoffsAmity Lane
Members
Past members
  • Walker Warren
  • Eric Salter
  • Wes Cobb

Trust Company (also typeset as TRUSTcompany and TRUST*CO) is an American rock band from Montgomery, Alabama. Formed in 1997 by guitarist/lead vocalist Kevin Palmer and drummer Jason Singleton. Trust Company has sold over 1 million albums worldwide. They are best known for their 2002 song "Downfall".

History

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Formation and The Lonely Position of Neutral (1997–2002)

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Originally formed in Montgomery, Alabama in 1997 under the name 41Down,[1][2] the band began with vocalist/guitarist Kevin Palmer and drummer Jason Singleton before recruiting bassist Josh Moates and guitarist James Fukai. After building a local fan-base and releasing a self-titled album as well as a couple demos, the band went on to sign a major label deal with Geffen Records. On March 3, 2002, the band changed their name to Trust Company to avoid confusion with the Canadian band Sum 41.[3][4]

Trust Company's debut album, The Lonely Position of Neutral, was released on July 23, 2002.[5] The album was well received, with the lead single, "Downfall," gaining heavy exposure through MTV2. Subsequently, the song entered the Billboard Hot 100 singles charts. A second single "Running from Me" followed with more moderate success. "The Fear" was released in 2003 as the album's third single. The Lonely Position of Neutral was certified gold by the RIAA, and the band went on to tour with artists such as Thirty Seconds to Mars and Papa Roach. They also toured with Korn and Disturbed as part of the Pop Sux Tour in 2002.

True Parallels and hiatus (2003–2006)

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Trust Company was scheduled to play at Ozzfest 2003 but was forced to back out by their label in order to work on their second album, True Parallels, which was belatedly released on March 22, 2005, after an 8–10 month delay. Several months prior to the album's release, original bassist Josh Moates left the group and was replaced by Walker Warren.[6] Despite little promotion from their label, the album entered the Billboard album charts at No. 32, and has gone on to sell in excess of 200,000 copies. The first and only single from the album, "Stronger," made a moderate impact on mainstream rock radio. According to drummer Jason Singleton on the band's website message board, the second single may have been "The War is Over."

In August 2005, the band decided to take a break and focus on side projects and spend some time at home. Soon after the break, Palmer and original bassist Josh Moates came together to form a new band called Amity Lane. The band released its debut album The Sound of Regret on October 31, 2006.[citation needed] In an interview with IndyConcerts.com following their show in Indianapolis on April 6, 2011, Kevin Palmer was quoted as saying the Amity Lane album was never intended to be released. The whole album was just a fun side project and not even studio-produced. Palmer went on to say that he and Moates recorded the whole album on a computer. Jason Singleton played drums for several bands in Montgomery, including Arm in Arms, The Spicolis, and The Escape Frame. James Fukai reunited with his old band, Hematovore.

Reunion, Dreaming in Black and White and inactivity (2007–present)

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On August 11, 2007, the four original members of the band – Palmer, Moates, Singleton, and Fukai – announced they were reuniting and planned two reunion shows in Montgomery, Alabama and that they will be writing and recording a new album for release sometime in 2008. On March 18, 2008, the band posted two new songs titled "Waking Up" and "Stumbling" on their Myspace page. The band stated in a blog that these were demos and may be re-recorded. They later announced that they would be handing out CDs with previously unreleased or rare material from past years at concerts with the purchase of a T-shirt.[citation needed]

Josh Moates chose to leave the band and was replaced by bassist Eric Salter. Eric Salter left the band in 2009 and was replaced by Wes Cobb.

Trust Company carried out a small US tour at the end of 2010 to promote their new single, "Heart in My Hands", from their third studio album, Dreaming in Black and White, which was released on March 8, 2011. The lead single was released on iTunes on October 5, 2010. In late October 2010, the band finished the music video for "Heart in My Hands" and the video premiered on Vevo on December 15, 2010. The music video features bass player Rachel Bolan of heavy metal band Skid Row. The band went on a two-month tour with Drowning Pool on the promotion of the album.

Trust Company's social media has been virtually untouched since 2015, except for on March 3, 2017, when the original unreleased music video for "Stronger" was posted on Facebook, and a post made on Twitter on March 7, 2017, marking 15 years since The Lonely Position of Neutral was released.

On October 16, 2017 the official Trust Company Twitter account replied to a fan and stated that a new album is currently in the process of being written.[7] After another two years of inactivity, the band's Twitter again confirmed that a new album was in the process of being written on February 22, 2020, although the band stated that it did not have plans to tour at that time. [8] Trust Company's original lineup performed at Blue Ridge Rock Festival in 2023.[9]

Musical style

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Trust Company has been described as alternative metal,[1][10][11] nu metal,[12][13] hard rock,[2][14] and alternative rock.[1]

Members

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Current members

  • Kevin Palmer – guitar, lead vocals (1997–2005, 2007–present)
  • James Fukai – guitar, backing vocals (1997–2005, 2007–present)
  • Jason Singleton – drums, backing vocals (1997–2005, 2007–present)
  • Josh Moates – bass (1997–2004, 2007–2008, 2022–present)

Former members

  • Walker Warren – bass (2004–2005)
  • Eric Salter – bass (2008–2009)
  • Wes Cobb – bass, backing vocals (2009–2011)

Discography

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Studio albums
Album details Chart positions Sales Certifications
US
[15]
The Lonely Position of Neutral
  • Released: July 23, 2002
  • Label: Geffen
11
  • US sales: 500,000
True Parallels
  • Released: March 22, 2005
  • Label: Geffen
32
  • US sales: 200,000
Dreaming in Black and White 175
Compilation album

In 2010, via Myspace, Trust Company gave their fans the opportunity to obtain a Previously Unreleased LP for free after purchasing a T-shirt from their online store. The album contains rare demos and tracks not included in their previous two albums. The track listing is as follows:[17]

1. "Stronger" (Piano with drum loop version)
2. "Closer"
3. "I Can't Breathe"
4. "Seasons Change"
5. "Today"
6. "Moving in Circles"
7. "Hover" (Quiet mix) [Underworld soundtrack]
8. "Sterilize"
9. "Something Perfect" (New version)
10. "Losing View"
11. "Rock the Casbah" (The Clash cover)
12. "Time After Time" (Cyndi Lauper cover)

Singles
Year Song Chart positions Album
US
[18]
US
Alt.

[19]
US Main.
[20]
UK
[21]
2002 "Downfall" 91 6 6 89 The Lonely Position of Neutral
"Running from Me" 22 24
2003 "The Fear"
2005 "Stronger" 20 22 True Parallels
2010 "Heart in My Hands" Dreaming in Black and White
"—" denotes a release that did not chart.

References

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  1. ^ a b c Apar, Corey. "Trust Company". AllMusic. Retrieved August 24, 2010.
  2. ^ a b Walters, Barry (August 8, 2002). "Recordings: TRUSTcompany, The Lonely Position Of Neutral". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on August 17, 2002. Retrieved December 2, 2012.
  3. ^ TRUSTcompany (March 3, 2002). "New Band Name". 41down.com. Archived from the original on March 29, 2002. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
  4. ^ Gant, Brandy. "Trust Company rocks SLU". The University News. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
  5. ^ Taylor, Jason D. "The Lonely Position of Neutral". all music. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved August 24, 2010.
  6. ^ wookubus (October 29, 2021). "It Turns Out A Theprp.com Post Helped A High School Musician Join A Gold-Certified Nü-Metal Band Back In 2004". Theprp.com. Retrieved June 3, 2024.
  7. ^ [1] [dead link]
  8. ^ "TRUSTcompany on Twitter: "Hey! We're slow, but we're working on it. Thanks for asking and for listening! 👊🏻💥… "". twitter.com. Archived from the original on February 22, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  9. ^ "TRUSTcompany on Instagram: "After more than a decade away, we're so excited to finally announce that we're playing live next year! And we were announcement 41! We hope to see you there!!". Instagram. Retrieved March 30, 2023.
  10. ^ Borjon, Jeremy (March 11, 2011). "Review: Trust Company – Dreaming in Black and White". Revolver. Archived from the original on December 22, 2015. Retrieved December 19, 2015.
  11. ^ Moss, Corey (December 23, 2022). "Trust Company's Original Lineup To Reunite For Blue Ridge Rock Festival Performance". Blabbermouth.net. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  12. ^ DeCaro, Alessandro (April 14, 2022). "11 most underrated nü-metal bands that shaped a generation". Alternative Press. Retrieved May 16, 2023.
  13. ^ Moss, Corey (December 17, 2002). "Trust Company Writing New Album, Looking Ahead To Tour". MTV News. Archived from the original on December 12, 2015. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
  14. ^ Luerssen, John D. "Trust Company – True Parallels". AllMusic. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
  15. ^ "TRUSTcompany Chart History - Billboard 200". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  16. ^ "RIAA database". Recording Industry Association of America. Archived from the original on September 4, 2015. Retrieved September 17, 2011.
  17. ^ "TRUSTcompany on Myspace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads". Archived from the original on December 8, 2010. Retrieved September 14, 2010.
  18. ^ "TRUSTcompany Chart History - Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  19. ^ "TRUSTcompany Chart History - Alternative Songs". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  20. ^ "TRUSTcompany Chart History - Mainstream Rock Songs". Billboard. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  21. ^ "TRUSTcompany Chart History - Official Charts". Officialcharts. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
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