By B.J. Lisko
Andy Gallagher sounds like a guy who is having an awful lot of fun. His folk rock ‘n’ roll outfit, Trains Across The Sea, comes off as a catchy, upbeat, humorous blend of They Might Be Giants/Bruce Springsteenish no-frills-get-your-dancing-shoes-on fun.
Maybe it’s because unlike so many other weekend warriors, Gallagher left the day job, grabbed the guitar, threw caution to the wind and said music is my life and I’m not stopping unless I have to.
Trains Across The Sea sounds like a band living the life they choose with no pretensions other than to be the best band they can possibly be.
“The root of what led to that decision is the same human desire I think we all have,” Gallagher said of giving music the full-time treatment. “To cut ties with it all and give your childhood dream one fair shot because you finally figured out the pain of having not tried is going to be worse than any future uncertainty, financial or otherwise.”
Trains Across The Sea sounds like a dream coming true. And however cheesy that line sounds, it’s spot on.
Gallagher found his kindred souls, i.e. band mates, in one way or another by running an open mic night in Columbus.“You have to find people who are masters of their instruments,” he said. “People who are willing to sleep in a van for two greasy weeks, who respect the song enough to not play when their instrument doesn’t have a necessary part. Real musicians. With this current lineup I’ve been incredibly lucky in getting the four greatest musicians you could ask for. They know exactly how to flesh out a song and never overdo it. They all understand and respect Trains is my baby.”
Gallagher wasn’t always so lucky. The band formed in early ’07 and Gallagher honed his songwriting skills with the help of mathematicians moonlighting as musicians who eventually went their own ways.
When he stumbled upon violinist Adrian Jusdanis, Trains became a two-piece, unplugged, wandering outfit that played all over Columbus.Later, the additions of piano player Counterfeit Madison, guitarist Joe Gilliland, drummer Adam Nedrow and bassist Michael Kohn, all who came together at one time or another because of Gallagher’s open mic nights, solidified the project. The group accented and complimented Gallagher’s songwriting with sometimes artful, sometimes melodic, sometimes rocking and sometimes all of the above accompaniment.
“The five piece we’re at now (violinist Jusdanis left to focus on his own project), is as solid and as comfortable of a lineup in a musical project I’ve ever experienced, and we’re definitely done with lineup changes for a good long while,” Gallagher said. “None of us quite seem about to enroll in a doctoral mathematics degree.”
Gallagher is currently working on new material for the band’s next recorded release, a follow-up to the group’s most cohesive effort, “Live at Groovebox Studios.”Whether his music does indeed afford him the opportunity to steer clear of the day job at this point seems irrelevant. Gallagher has already taken the plunge.
“The interesting part I didn’t expect to learn is that whether or not I achieve success at this point is moot,” he said. “I’m an unquestionably happier human being then when I left that job and have stumbled, by chance or inadvertent design into a life I can call my own. Whether or not it’s popular enough to pay my rent is a question I’ve decided to leave for chance. I like writing songs. I like making records, and I love what happens in the air at our live shows. I’m going to keep doing it until people stop asking, a better idea comes along, or until all the people I’ve borrowed money from ask for it back.”
Gallagher will represent Trains Across The Sea solo when he makes his appearance Nov. 18 at The Lemon Grove, and while the absence of the full band might diminish the all-out aspect of Trains, the songs are still certainly there and more than worth a listen.
still at it