In January 2013, Tripmaster Monkey — drummer Marty Reyhons, bassist Wes Haas, guitarist Jamie Toal and singer Chris Bernat — performed at the Rock Island Brewing Company as part of the Bertual Reality Benefit, a gig to raise funds for local producer Rob Cimmarusti, who was battling pancreatic cancer and whose production and performance expertise were crucial to the creative evolution of a plethora of area acts, including the eclectic Tripmaster foursome. Cimmarusti passed away the following year, but still lives on in the memories of local musicians and people who were touched by his... Read More

Back in 1994, the local band Tripmaster Monkey toured the UK to support their debut EP, “Faster Than Dwight,” playing at various locations in support of the disc, released overseas on Che Records. The footage below captures the band in performance at TJ’s, Newport, UK, and includes tracks from “Dwight” as well as the group’s then-upcoming record, “Goodbye Race.” Footage of the show can be seen on YouTube, where you can check it out here:  Read More

Back in 1994, the local band Tripmaster Monkey filmed the video for their first single, “Shutters Closed,” off their album “Goodbye Race” here in the Quad-Cities, featuring a variety of area folks as extras, including this reporter. The video was shown on MTV and other national video shows, and lives on in the recesses of YouTube, where you can check it out here:  Read More

A look back at Quad-Cities indie rock band Tripmaster Monkey, from their start in the late ’80s through their heyday in the mid-late ’90s signed to the Sire and Elektra Records labels, to the recording of their current album, “My East Is Your West.” (Photos are taken from the Tripmaster Monkey Facebook gallery.)  Read More

It was always stunning to me that Tripmaster Monkey never hit it bigger than they did. Back in the mid-late ‘90s, the band – singer Chris Bernat, guitarist and singer Jamie Toal, drummer Marty Reyhons and bassist Wes Haas – had everything going for them. They were of and in the zeitgeist, with a perfectly tuned sound aligned with the times, and had a brilliant string of killer tunes, from the dreamy “Shutters Closed,” to the Nirvana-pop of “Liquid Sky” to the heartbreaking alt-rock beauty of “Colts.” The songs were there, as good as anything else soaring through the stratosphere... Read More

Tripmaster Monkey, one of the most commercially and creatively successful bands in Quad-Cities music history, will release its first album in more than two decades, “My East Is Your West,” in record stores and online stores and sites on August 6. The group — guitarist and singer Jamie Toal, singer Chris Bernat, drummer Marty Reyhons, and bassist Wes Haas — is not signed to a label and has released the record independently. The disc is already available for streaming on Spotify. “It’s been great, the album has been a lot of fun to put together, and it’s just been... Read More

Tripmaster Monkey released its first album in over 20 years, “My East Is Your West,” this week, and like the veering navigation implied by the title, it’s been a strange trek of various directions for the members over the past few decades back to their current reunion. At their mid-’90s peak, Tripmaster were signed to Sire and Elektra Records, had a video, “Shutters Closed,” on MTV, were part of a soundtrack to a major motion picture, “Naked In New York,” and played everywhere from London clubs to New York and Los Angeles. The band parted amicably... Read More

Tripmaster Monkey, one of the most commercially and creatively successful bands in Quad-Cities music history, has reunited to begin recording a new album, and has begun a kickstarter campaign to get fans involved in the process and raise money for the project. The group — guitarist and singer Jamie Toal, singer Chris Bernat, drummer Marty Reyhons, and bassist Wes Haas — is not signed to a label and is recording the disc locally with producer Patrick Stolley, who also co-produced the album “Practice Changes” with the band. The album is tentatively slated for release in the fall,... Read More

Tripmaster Monkey, one of the most commercially and creatively successful bands in Quad-Cities music history, has reunited to begin recording a new album. The group — guitarist and singer Jamie Toal, singer Chris Bernat, drummer Marty Reyhons, and bassist Wes Haas — is not signed to a label and plans on releasing the record independently, sources with the band said. There are no release dates or indications of when the band plans on debuting any new material, but producer Patrick Stolley and drummer Marty Reyhons both posted on social media today about the recording sessions. Tripmaster was... Read More