Bow Thayer & Perfect Trainwreck

Singer, songwriter, playing a variety of stringed instruments. Cursed with the notion that he should be playing music to possibly benefit a failing society.

Life philosophy: live, love, learn, and leave a good soundtrack.

Jeremy has been making music with Bow since the early/mid 90's. They played together in a band called Elbow, a quasi blues swamp garage band from some junkyard dimension and Jethro: an experiment in rockers turning to bluegrass which ultimately led Bow down a path to create The Benders with fellow like minded rock and rollers. In addition to these bands, Jeremy has lent a hand in Bow's solo efforts playing on "Spend It All (featuring Levon Helm)" and "The Driftwood Periodicals Vol. 2". Since being reunited with Bow in Perfect Trainwreck, Jeremy has also been fortunate enough to tour and record with many a respected musician including Booker T, Levon Helm, Dave Alvin, Twinemen, Bill Morrissey, Howie Day and many more. He is most proud of his work with Bow and Perfect Trainwreck and plans on making many more great records with them.

I was born and raised in Northeastern Pennsylvania. I started playing drums when I was 4 years old, inspired by my grandfather who was a big-band drummer.

I moved to Boston in 1992 and took advantage of music scene there, playing jazz for several years and then weaving myself into the Americana, roots and singer-songwriter scenes. I've been lucky enough to work with some amazing artists over the years, including Boris McCutcheon, Rose Polenzani, Meg Hutchinson, Brian Webb, Jimmy Ryan, Catie Curtis, Jabe Beyer, and Deb Talan, to name a few.

After visiting Vermont many times to play shows with Bow, my wife and I made it our permanent home in 2005. I'm inspired daily by my surroundings.

I love playing drums in the Trainwreck. I get by with Miles, Coltrane, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Zeppelin, Joe Walsh, Wilco, Mötorhead, Sabbath, QOTSA, good bourbon and good beer.

James has been wrestling with the piano since the age of 5. Sometimes he tries to play all 88 keys at once, sometimes just a few. He began his professional career at 14 in a BBQ joint in New Mexico where he played a piano for ribs. Since then, James has been interested in all types of music, including Free Jazz, Haitian Voodoo Chanting, Mariachi, and Sea Shanties. He has played in a wide variety of bands of all shapes and sizes, and leads his own band The Blue Ribbons, which he describes as Ray Charles and Sun Ra on a pirate ship with Captain Beefheart.

Through some accident on the cosmic highway, James ended up with Bow Thayer and PTW. He has always felt like a trainwreck, so in a way, it is fitting. James loves his wife, making music, eating, drinking, and will wear fairy wings when his daughter tells him to. James has also become somewhat proficient in referring to himself in the third person.

Growing up just outside of Boston, Chris was exposed to a wide variety of music, and encouraged to play from a young age. The real life shaping moment was hearing Jimi Hendrix at age 12. He retired from playing classical guitar shortly thereafter, and spent the next 5 years or so playing good (and loud) music—mostly in his own, and friends'—basements. Stopped playing at 17, and claims he didn't even think about playing for around 25 years while he did some other stuff. But then, at the dawn of the present century, Chris crossed paths with his first pedal steel guitar and fell in love. He has been happily playing a lot of music since, and is quite certain that he found his true calling. Playing with the Trainwreck is the best! Chris lives in Vermont too. Just up the road from Jeff and Bow..