Playing moody, psychedelic-influenced folk-rock with a distinctive instrumental pallete,
the Trypes are often thought of as a side project of
the Feelies, due to the participation of several key members of that band. However,
the Trypes were a functioning unit before
Feelies leaders
Glenn Mercer and
Bill Million joined the group, and the group's founders would enjoy a long and productive career after
Mercer and
Million began pursuing other projects.
The Trypes were formed in 1982 by
John Baumgartner on keyboards, Toni Paruta on woodwinds, Marc Francia on guitar, Brenda Sauter on bass, and Elbrus Kelemet on lead vocals.
The Trypes hailed from Haledon, New Jersey, which was also home to
Glenn Mercer and
Bill Million, who had put
the Feelies on hiatus after touring in support of their debut album.
Mercer and
Million championed
the Trypes and began working with the band; they became a six piece with the addition of drummer
Stanley Demeski and the departure of vocalist Kelemet. In 1984,
the Trypes released a four-song EP, The Explorer's Hold, but later that year,
Mercer and
Million left the group to launch a new edition of
the Feelies, with
Demeski and Sauter becoming the band's new rhythm section.
Baumgartner, Paruta, and Francia dissolved
the Trypes, but then formed a new group, Speed the Plough, who released their debut album (produced by
Bill Million) in 1989. In 2012, Acute Records released a
Trypes collection,
Music for Neighbors, which collected the material from The Explorer's Hold, a rare compilation track, and a number of unreleased demo recordings. ~ Mark Deming