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PRESS REVIEWS
THE TRUCKS
The Edmonton Journal Roots
Notes, Peter North
You can be excused if you thought that The Trucks, a local band of well-known musicians, had slammed their musical
vehicle into fourth gear and were long gone over the hoizon, never to be heard of again.
From about '84 to '89, the group was a hot commodity on the country/rock and roots scene, playing clubs as the
headline act and backing other artists at festivals and showrooms.
Like most groups with a creative streak, the members were also involved in projects outside the band and there
were times when The Trucks would take a back seat to other endeavours.
When the group originally came out fo the rehearsal studio, the membership was the Martineau Brothers, guitar-playing
Dave and drummer Paul, bassist Fred LaRose, steel player Stan Stward and percussionist STu Mitchell.
Well, three of the original five are still at it and they'll be bringing their blend of roots music styles to The
Sidetrack Cafe tonight, a venue the band hasn't played in years.
"We actually never did shut down," says multi-insturmentalist Dave Marineau before laughing and adding,
"We've just been in obscurity, doing the stuff we always do."
By stuff, Marineau means original tunes that stir vintage rock 'n' roll sounds with shades of blues, hard country
and Cajun influences.
By we, Marineau was referring to his brother, LaRose and newest member Gary Bowman who handles keyboards, vocals
and accordion.
After years of playing the coutnry rooms and touring as far west as Vancouver Island on a regular basis, it was
time for a new game plan for the band.
"We felt like we were always walking the fence playing in the 'new country' rooms. Sometimes waht we do would
go over great and other times not at all," added Martineau, who is married to singer/songwriter Laura Vinson
and is a creative force in her band Free Spirit.
"It looks like The Trucks will finally have an album out by summer. We've got twelve tunes recorded. Eleven
are ours and the lone cover is called Too
Cool, which was written
by Sharon Anderson. Before Sharon headed back to Nashville, she had been doing some shows with us and she'd always
do that song. When she left, we just kept it and put our own spin on it," continued Martineau, who is playing
everything from lead guitar to steel to dobro and mandolin during a Trucks show these days.
If you never had the chance to catch the band back when they were a regular fixture at places like Cook County
or The Track, odds are that you'll like the group if your musical preferences lean towards acts like The Band or
Delbert McClinton. The cover charge tonight at The Sidetrack is $4 and the tunes start flying at 9:00 p.m.
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