San Francisco’s music scene in the 1990s was thriving, as the city was home to myriad fledgling bands that would become some of the best-known groups of the decade: Counting Crows, Third Eye Blind, Primus, and Green Day, to name a few. I was living in the city then, and I’d head to clubs to hear up-and-comers such as Sean Hayes, Michael Franti, and Train. Led by singer/songwriter Patrick Monahan, Train would play to a packed audience at the Last Day Saloon, a delightfully worn-in neighborhood bar and music venue on Clement Street. As Train trotted out the buoyant “Meet Virginia” and introspective “I Am,” it was clear the band would one day outgrow the intimate San Francisco scene.
In 1998, Train released its eponymous, self-produced debut record; the songs we’d been singing along to in the small clubs quickly became radio hits. Train went platinum, and the album’s second single, “Meet Virginia,” landed in the top 20 on Billboard’s Hot 100. Three years later, the band was launched into the stratosphere with its sophomore album, Drops of Jupiter. The title song, with its soaring strings, epic lyrics, and engaging beat, spent more than a year on the charts and earned them a Grammy for Best Rock Song.
Over the next two decades, Train would record eight more albums and score as many more hits — “Calling All Angels” and “Hey, Soul Sister,” for example. With a fan base that ranges from millennials to baby boomers, Train’s impressive career doesn’t seem to be slowing down. On tour for its Greatest Hits album, which was released last year, Train is playing the Santa Barbara Bowl on June 11. I recently spoke with Monahan about the band’s career arc and what’s next for the group.
