The Electric Trains – Roots Music June 24, 2011

The Electric Trains is the name of a roots music trio from CT, consisting of Jack Collins, Jim Romanow and Duke York. What is so special about this ensemble is that in the last ten years they have specifically devoted themselves to songs about the history of transportation in America. Each and everyone of their songs sings about the circumstances that can occur while traveling in their homeland America , be it by train, by truck or by car. For this they write some numbers themselves on the topics, they also cover songs by others and they perform traditionals. A striking fact here is that all three write songs but not together each one, in this way, makes his own contribution to the song repertoire of the Electric Trains.

The group was founded in 2002 as a due by Jack Collins and Duke York. The idea for this arose when Jack Collins, as a member of a train club that annually organized exhibitions of model trains, decided that it would be nice to play, during these exhibits, some music that was fitting the theme. Their idea met with a lot of approval from the many visitors to the exhibitions and so the group grew to the current membership and they played these shows annually.
The train shows ended in 2008, but the trio diligently continued their new hobby and making transportation songs their trademark. These songs are offered on various styles, ranging from folk to blues to rock and country. The cover songs on their new CD “Put the Track Back” are “It Takes a Lot to Laugh, it Takes a Train to Cry” by Bob Dyland and “Running Down a Dream” by Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers ( in 1989 on their debut record “Full Moon Fever”). The only traditional on this disc is “Good Morning Mr. Railroad Man” a song of which the Ry Cooder version was the most familiar for us and which was already on his 1972 “Boomer Story” CD.
The Electric Trains provide these covers in a version which is entirely their own and true to their style, but is is primarily their own songs that enchant us. We love for instance blues rocker “East Thompson, 1891″, “Circus Train” and “Ghost Train”, three songs rooted in the imagination of Duke York. And the Jack Collins composition “Dead Horse” and Jim Romanow’s “Electric Trains” which are easy to listen to, accessible folk rockers.
All in all a striking recording in a thinly populated genre and very nice to listen to on your ear buds while on a train ride.

Official Website: http://www.theelectrictrains.com/