TREY: Spotlight Into Blooming Success

Around the Greenville University campus we have all heard of All Caps Trey, and might have been to a performance, but where did this band come from? In this spotlight, I get to highlight the four members of TREY and the individualized experiences that have shaped their band into the success they are today. As for the name of the band, TREY or All Caps Trey, originally went by The Great Indoors. Lead singer Trey Brockman states, “Trey is my name, but TREY (‘all caps trey’) is the band as a whole, and it’s kind of rooted in the idea that the songs I’m writing based on my experiences are also experiences that we’ve all had as humans.”

Media from TREY’s Facebook.

The band consists of four members: Carter Walker, Brian Gertler, Trey Brockman, and Dan Chiofolo. Walker handles most of the lead electric material; for example, the little hooks and runs you can hear in their songs.  When asked when and how he met his band members, Walker responded, “I originally met Trey about two and a half years ago at a camp in Springfield, IL. He was on a Greenville Pursuit Team and we bonded over guitar.” Walker elaborated in saying, “My friend Bre Pollitt ended up reconnecting us at the beginning of this year because Trey was in search of a guitarist and he knew that I played. I met Brian and Dan at our first rehearsal together back in February. It was a little weird joining an already established group, but these guys made it super easy.”

Media by Russell Lamb.

As for the other members, Brockman writes songs and fronts the group, as well as a lot of the engineering and production for the studio, but all the members work and throw ideas around together. Chiofolo plays bass and wittifully claims, “does whatever Trey asks me, of course.” Gertler is the drummer of TREY and quotes, “I’m a few years older than the other guys and I tend to be the more cautious one of the group (for liability reasons).” Gertler continues to say, “Though I do have a lot of fun, I also want to make sure that we’re not having too much fun. I also tend to be the one guy in the group that needs to ‘get with the times’.”

Media from TREY’s Facebook.

With any band, there are always people working behind the stage to help contribute to the rise to success. When asked if there was anyone these guys would like to acknowledge, they showed their appreciation for multiple people. Gertler gives a playful shout out to Jesse Taylor, “Jesse, I acknowledge you and I want you to know that I have your cymbal and I’m bringing it back to Greenville soon.  If you’re reading this and it hasn’t gotten back to you by now, I’m either dead or someone stole it from my car. Either way, I apologize for taking it and forgetting that I still had it under my bed.” Both Walker and Brockman give a well deserved appreciation to Becca McLemore and Anna Brannon. As stated by Brockman, “They both deserve a ton of acknowledgement and respect, two things that generally women in the music industry don’t get enough of, which really blows because they’re incredible and we couldn’t exist without them.”

Walker also states, “Anna Brannon and Becca McLemore have been laying the foundation for us, honestly. Their work is just all behind the scenes so they deserve to get some love.” Finally, Chiofolo gives a shout out to Peter Huston, who lives in St. Louis. “He has come to almost all of our shows the past few months to set up lights and make our show that much better. He does all of this for free at his own expense which is amazing for somebody because most people would charge a large amount of money to do that,” said Chiofolo.

Media from TREY’s Facebook.

The biggest part of growth involves overcoming challenges. When asked the biggest challenge TREY faced up to this point, the answer was synonymous. Distance seems to be the overwhelming problem for this band, with Gertler living in Chattanooga, Tennessee, Walker living in Springfield, Illinois, Chiofolo heading to New York, and Brockman rooted here in Greenville, Illinois. “We’re not quite to the point where we can do this full time yet, so planning shows, tours, and time to write or work in the studio together can get tricky, but I don’t think it’s held us back from making progress,” concluded  Brockman.

Nothing seems to hold back this group from making serious progress and gaining success as they go. Want to catch a performance and check out their music? Follow TREY on Instagram or Facebook to keep updated with new music being released, as well as shows and more!

Media by Russell Lamb. 

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