True to their Roots - Trinity Roots

It is often asked what makes a particular band special from any other band? What distinguishes it - differentiates from other acts around? When you meet Warryn Maxwell, singer/guitarist of TrinityRoots, you don’t have to ask this question. The first time I interviewed Maxwell, I came away thinking he was possibly one of the most interesting musicians I had ever had an in-depth conversation with. After this latest meeting I know it.

There is an aura around Maxwell, and indeed around the whole band, that is special. He possesses a fierce determination matched by a quiet humbleness, and the love and spirit he puts into his music has an earthiness that conjures up images of one working the land, carving out his or her own paradise.

"I have a little piece of land outside my place," he tells me. "It’s not big, but big enough to put a rocking chair on. I love to go out and push my toes in the dirt. I’ve spent many peaceful hours out there in that chair. The land is not big, but it will grow."

And so the music of TrinityRoots is like the earth beneath us; lay the seeds, let the roots grow, and nurture it into your dreams. TrinityRoots (formerly known as Trinity until they ran into possible copyright conflicts) was started in 1998 by Maxwell and Rio Hemopo (bass/vox) after they had finished attending the Wellington Conservatorium of Music’s jazz school.

"We had wanted to get back to our roots and play some cafe sets - just a couple of bros and their guitars," Maxwell remembers. "After the discipline of jazz, we wanted to have a casual, loose approach. We were going to play party songs - old Motown tunes. When we realised how much we enjoyed it we got Riki (Gooch) in to drum and debuted at a private party in August ‘98."

Gooch was the third element, hence the name Trinity, but they never did play any cafes. A week after forming the band entered Victoria University’s Operation Music Storm Battle of the Bands. Incredibly, considering the short time they had been together, they won. The prize was recording time at Inca Studios with Mike Gibson, from which the ‘Little Things’ EP was born. By then TrinityRoots had grown to a four-piece, with Darren Mathiassen taking over drums, allowing Gooch to switch to turntables/samples. The EP, finished in March 2000, was the band’s priority last year. They went about promoting it with a stack of high profile gigs around their home city of Wellington, where the band has a devout following, as well as support slots with internationals such as Ben Harper, Lee Scratch Perry and Mad Professor. The band also played out of town events, The Gathering and Orientation.

Maxwell says the point of the EP was to "test the waters for an album". The test proved positive, the independently released ‘Little Things’ selling out its run of 2,000. It is believed that Real Groovy in Wellington sold over 400 copies, an indication of the support TrinityRoots has in the capital.

With the EP completed and still receiving significant airplay, the next step in the TrinityRoots journey is to release an album. TrinityRoots have made the decision to go it alone, putting out the album themselves.

"A few labels have shown interest and we will look at a label for overseas, but for New Zealand we don’t want a label at this stage, we want total creative control," Maxwell explains, although aware of the benefits a label can bring.