When anyone asks, “What band do you play in?” the first thing I always say is, “New Primitives.”   It was the summer of 2003, and The Beads were going to be playing at the Cabooze  There was an opening act called “New Primitives,” so I went to their website to have a look.   Well . . . what I saw scared me:  quotes from Mickey Hart, 3 drummers, keys, everybody sings, Afro Cuban beats  Being a huge Santana fan, as some of you know, I really had to see this  So, the Wednesday before the show I went down to Nye’s Polonaise in Northeast Minneapolis.   I walk in and Nye’s is sort of a long, narrow bar on the left – we all know the kind  Well, coming from the back of the room, on a stage so small only 3 of the 7 members could fit on it, was the most beautiful wall of sound  I sat down, had a bourbon, which was custom in those days, and just listened in amazement:  Reggae, 3/2 clave, montuños, drums, congas, bongos, and timbales.  I remember thinking to myself, “Oh my God, we’re gonna get blown away!”

That Saturday at the Cabooze, after sound checks, I’m just hanging out backstage and in walk three Primitives – the ones I really remember, too, from Nye’s  Well, let’s get to gettin’.”

“Hi, I’m Javier,” I say to one of them.   “Chico, Chico Perez (congas, bongos, vocals) . . . . Oooh, tough crowd.”   Proceed to meet Joel Arpin (drums) and then Stanley Kipper (timbales, lead vocals.)  We talked for a while about influences, global consciousness, literature (I happened to mention my love for Holden Coughfield) and before you know it, they are up to play 

They do their show, we do ours -- it was a great night  Both bands complemented each other very well  During our set, Stan, Chico, and Tom Peterson (bass), all stand right in front of me, arms crossed, and just stare  It made me quite nervous.

Two weeks later, I get a call from a friend, Rick Egan, who knows Stanley Kipper  And Stan wants to get together and talk  I tell Rick, “Sure, maybe we’ll do more shows together or something.”  I go down to Tuggs at St. Anthony Main and sit down to a table with Rick Egan, Stanley Kipper, and Chico Perez.   This isn’t a meeting about more shows together; their guitar player is on the fence and they need someone for hmmmmm . . . . Wednesday nights  The Beads play on Tuesdays and weekends, so Wednesdays wouldn’t be a problem at all  I accept, and in one month I start Wednesdays . . . October 1^st to be exact  Stan’s Birthday.

The problem New Primitives had with guitar players, The Beads had with drummers  We found ourselves drummerless again.  It was only natural to follow the music  With a heavy, yet optimistic heart, The Beads, which I had spent most of my career in, was set aside and I became a full time member of New Primitives.

Where there was once a lack of drummers, there was now a surplus  I think, between all of them, they know every Drummer and Percussionist in the country.   It is an honor and a privilege to play with such talented people.  With New Primitives, we’ve received two Minnesota Music Academy Awards for Best Reggae Band, opened for The Neville Brothers, Big Brother and the Holding Company, been on two t.v. shows, and four different radio station interviews  It has been an amazing year and I look forward to the future  Anyone who knows my influences could see it is a perfect match. 

God works in mysterious ways.
   

--Javier Trejo, Spring 2005