The Trypes

Playing moody, psychedelic-tinged folk-rock distinguished by an unusual array of instruments, the Trypes are frequently regarded as an offshoot of the Feelies on account of overlapping personnel from that group. Yet the Trypes operated as an independent ensemble prior to the involvement of Feelies principals Glenn Mercer and Bill Million, and the band’s originators sustained an extended, fruitful trajectory once Mercer and Million turned their attention elsewhere. The Trypes came together in Haledon, New Jersey, in 1982, with John Baumgartner handling keyboards, Toni Paruta on woodwinds, Marc Francia on guitar, Brenda Sauter on bass, and Elbrus Kelemet supplying lead vocals. Mercer and Million, who had placed the Feelies on hold following touring behind their first album, resided in the same town and soon endorsed the Trypes, ultimately joining the lineup. With the arrival of drummer Stanley Demeski and the exit of Kelemet, the ensemble expanded to six members. The group issued its four-song EP The Explorer’s Hold in 1984; later the same year Mercer and Million departed to reactivate the Feelies, taking Demeski and Sauter along as the new rhythm section. Baumgartner, Paruta, and Francia then disbanded the Trypes and established Speed the Plough, whose debut album—produced by Bill Million—appeared in 1989. In 2012 Acute Records issued the anthology Music for Neighbors, gathering the tracks from The Explorer’s Hold, a scarce compilation cut, and several previously unheard demo recordings.