Tripmaster Monkey – Summer Bummer

After years of a musical hibernation, the original members of the popular Indie band, Tripmaster Monkey, reunite for their comeback album My East Is Your West.

“Summer Bummer” is part of an 11-track album filled with enthusiastic, inspiring and reminiscent sounding songs. You may be surprised to learn that the band never stood together in the same studio for the recording, yet its clear harmonies flow simultaneously so well together in this song.

My East Is Your West comes after Tripmaster Monkey’s devisal in 1996 after the band lost their recording contract. More than two decades later, the band is taking control of their dream and choosing to produce music independently. “Summer Bummer” tells a story of getting out into the world during the summer and experiencing life. A few lyrics are reminiscent of the experiences they endured when they were starting and thriving as a young Indie band.

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And Yet Maybe… I apologize for my tardiness in getting this out. Perhaps it is a young person’s game after all. Came down with a nasty cold – as did my oldest boy – upon returning home from Iowa. But I wanted to take this brief moment of social media space and time to thank everyone who came out to see us, supported us through our album making process, helped us get the word out to the world (our world), and just kept us motivated throughout this nearly two-year experience. You all know who you are. The three geniuses who lent their talents to making the album (Pat, Jeff, and Jacob). Writers. Artists. The friends that gave us their critiques. The families who gave us their patience as hours of rehearsal, conference calls, load ins and load outs gobbled up our time. Everyone who asked with genuine curiosity, “Where, when, how?” And a special shout out to our old friends at KUNI and those who booked us at their clubs and helped make all our shows possible. So what’s next? Well, we should have a couple more videos coming your way and we’ll let you know when those are ready. We have a song we have to write for Emmeline, the wife of our past manager who donated a big 1k to our efforts as long as we penned a tune for his better half. And who knows… more shows here and there (as long as we can quandranglate from our four corners)? And then…? It’s interesting now. Things are different. There was a time when bands/musicians/bards would say, “Well, why continue to do it?” But with technology the way it is, with social media – though I hate it so – being such a great way to get the music to the people who want your music, if the inspiration is there, the real question is, “Why not continue to do it.” The pressure is off. The art is purer. The reason is inventible. And that all goes back to you. Because we really don’t need to take any world by storm besides our world. We write and play music for the fans, friends, and freaks who dig Tripmaster Monkey. And, as long as they do, we will. The timeline is unknown but the throughline is always there.

A post shared by Tripmaster Monkey (@tripmastermusic) on Oct 2, 2019 at 4:21pm PDT

With lyrics such as, “Returning to the place we started, though we thought we’d never,” it relates to deciding to come back to the music since it was a huge part of their lives. Although life took over as they moved from place to place and started their own families, music kept them together.

“Summer Bummer” is just that. The connection is evident and reminds fans of the times when the younger band was in fruition.

Listen to My East Is Your West below and let us know your thoughts in the comments! Did you listen to Tripmaster Monkey before this release?