The cover of the 2012 Trypes album, “Music for Neighbors.”
No band exists in a vacuum, and it’s hard to imagine any band for which that is more obvious than previous 350 Jersey Songs honorees The Feelies, whose members have played with countless other Jersey-based groups over the years. One of those is The Trypes, the title of whose eerily hypnotic song “Belmont Girl Is Mad at Me” refers to Belmont Avenue in the Haledon neighborhood that produced The Feelies and various other associated musicians.
The Trypes actually existed before The Feelies, and evolved into another group, Speed the Plough.
Trypes music is generally more laidback and psychedelic than Feelies music. In 2012, the album Music for Neighbors complied the five songs the band had released in the ’80s, along with other material (including “Belmont Girl Is Mad at Me”). The lineup on the track is Elbrus Kelemet on vocals, Marc Francia on guitar, John Baumgartner on keyboards, Toni Baumgartner on woodwinds, and Feelies singer-songwriter-guitarist Glenn Mercer on percussion.
New Jersey celebrated its 350th birthday in 2014. And in the 350 Jersey Songs series, we marked the occasion by posting 350 songs — one a day, from September 2014 to September 2015 — that have something to do with the state, its musical history, or both. To see the entire list, click here.
CONTRIBUTE TO NJARTS.NET
Since launching in September 2014, NJArts.net, a 501(c)(3) organization, has become one of the most important media outlets for the Garden State arts scene. And it has always offered its content without a subscription fee, or a paywall. Its continued existence depends on support from members of that scene, and the state’s arts lovers. Please consider making a contribution of any amount to NJArts.net via PayPal, or by sending a check made out to NJArts.net to 11 Skytop Terrace, Montclair, NJ 07043.
