It's a sad state of affairs when you have to look really hard to find a band that ignores the current trends and sets out simply to create great music and put on a dynamic show. I was fortunate to discover such a band on the southern California scene recently and this rowdy little outfit call themselves The Trust. 

There are a lot of aspects of the trust that conspire to set them apart from the plethora of bands trying to break in to the big time. While many bands look to what's hot at the moment and dedicate all of their energy into cloning that sound or image, The Trust set out to do their own thing and in the process they have created a remarkably refreshing CD and put on one hell of a live show! 

Be it the powerful vocals of frontman Cory Wilson or the equally appealing voice of Mary Langlie who shares the microphone with Cory and in the process give their music a greater depth than would be achieved with simply a man or a female lead vocalist. Under that duel vocal powerhouse lies some serious rockin' musicians. Lead guitarist Erik Erath does not subscribe to today's school of thought that down tuned guitars and power chords are king. He takes us back to the day when rock meant flashy leads and strong rhythms. To help achieve the ladder and in the process give the band a much deeper sound, rhythm guitarist J. Paul Wilson helps bassist Jill Guidoand and drummer Tom Curry lay the foundation for some solidly written hard rockin' music. 

The CD contains ten solid rock songs but the real secret of The Trust's magic appeal lies with their live shows. While it is true that the music combines influences ranging from classic punk to the 90's alternative rock sounds with an undercoating of the funky rock thrown down by Prince, when they perform live the band explodes into the territory previously occupied by Axl Rose and Robin Zander of Cheap Trick. If you put down your hard earned cash for a rock show, you will get every penny's worth with The Trust. 

Cory Wilson's command of the songs delivered with a "Live at Budokan" attitude like he's playing to tens of the thousands adoring fans really propels the group to shine in every area. Not to be outdone Mary Langlie captivates the audience when she receives the spotlight. On a deeper level, while Cory and Mary stand out in front encouraging the crowd to move to the music, lead guitarist Erik Erath does not waist one opportunity to show the world what he is made of. His subdued stage presence really focuses the audience on the magic that is created with those tiny six strings. In his subtle way he shows that the guitar is meant to be a LEAD instrument not simple a tool of ignorance used to deliver simple power chords that every garage band in the world knows.  Often overlooked in most bands the key ingredient to any potent rock performance is the rhythm section and drummer Tom Curry does his job well. He provides a solid beat that bassist Jill Guidoand and rhythm guitarist J. Paul Wilson use to create The Trust's big rock sound.

The end result is a band that reminds us what rock music is really all about, the songs and outstanding performance. If you are looking for a band that doesn't buy into the pretenses of the big business advertising driven rock formula for success that instead wants to bring their music to world by focusing on musicianship and great songwriting you can do no better than The Trust. 

Visit WeAreTheTrust.com to hear samples and learn more about the band