Getting to Know Treadmill Trackstar

I get a lot of pr type emails. It's not always easy to keep up, but every once in a while I get something that seems at least halfway inspired. This post comes from one of those emails.

Treadmill Trackstar is a 90s band (think in the vain of Smashing Pumpkins... but better) that managed to revive itself after getting dropped from Atlantic Records and not really doing anything for the next ten years.

Granted, to this point giving the old rock and roll dream a 2nd shot doesn't sound too noteworthy, but the band did something really interesting. They asked for money from old fans in order to make a new record-- and folks actually pried open their wallets.

The internet can really be a burden sometimes-- a land of unnecessary time wasters, but there's good out there. How great is it that you can take so much control over what you do instead of waiting on the powers that be to throw you a bone.

On the Treadmill Trackstar website, there's a line written by vocalist Angelo Gianni that says "Here’s the thing. We don’t want much. We just really want this music to be heard by a few humans. This isn’t a career. We don’t want anything other than to spread our music and maybe do another project. That’s it."

Sounds reasonable.

So, I gave it a listen. Their album is called I Belong to Me. You can definitely tell that this band has their roots in the 90s. The album comes somewhere around in the hour range. The most interesting feature is definitely their use of cello which adds a dimension of maturity that feels quite appropriate, especially after learning the back story. The sound pulls you in.

There's also something about their style in general that has more depth than a lot of other alt-rock that came out in the 90s. With that, there's also a darker intriguing edge that's hard to pin down. Maybe it's Gianni's sometimes raggedy vocals, maybe it's the buzzed guitar work. Either way it sticks with the listener.

At times the album runs the risk of blending into itself because the sound is so overarching, but it definitely has some stand out tracks like "I Belong to Me" and "Read You Wrong," which will bury itself in your head on loop if you're not careful.

In any case, you should take a spin around the Treadmill Trackstar website. It's a good story and they're worth checking out when you get a second.

The Musically Inclined gives major props for guts and resourcefulness, and wishes Treadmill Trackstar the best of luck.

Peace.