Trixter

Trixter is a US hard rock band from Paramus, New Jersey, active from 1983 to the present. The group forms in 1983 and is associated with hard rock and glam metal, with a sound that places it within the late 1980s and early 1990s hard rock scene.

Formation and early years

The band begins in June 1983, founded by Steve Brown and Doug “Dougie C.” Cowie. The original lineup includes drummer Mike Pane, with Pete Loran joining later as singer. Pane is replaced by Mark “Gus” Scott, and the group adopts the name Trixter. By 1986, the band is active on the concert circuit and plays with acts including Kix and Skid Row, which helps bring interest from record labels.

Recording and commercial breakthrough

In 1988, Trixter starts recording a debut album at Bear Tracks Studios in New York under the working title Just Having Fun, but that project is not released. PJ Farley replaces Cowie on bass in November 1988, and the band signs to MCA Records in May 1989. The debut album is recorded in September 1989 with producer Bill Wray, and some tracks from the earlier sessions, including “Ride the Whip” and “Only Young Once,” are included on the finished record.

The self-titled debut album appears in 1990 and gives the band its biggest commercial success. “Give It to Me Good” reaches number 65 on the Billboard Hot 100 and also receives heavy MTV rotation, while “One in a Million,” “Surrender,” and “Line of Fire” also gain radio and video play. The album is certified gold. Trixter tours widely in support of the release, opening for Stryper and Don Dokken, then for Poison and the Scorpions, and also appears on the “Blood, Sweat & Beers” tour with Warrant and FireHouse. The band records “One Mo Time” for the film If Looks Could Kill, with Edgar Winter contributing saxophone.

Second album and later releases

Trixter begins work on its second album, Hear!, in early 1992 with producer James “Jimbo” Barton. Released in 1992, the album leads to a North American tour opening for Kiss and a club tour titled “The Hear Club for Men.” Hear! performs well in Japan but receives less attention in the United States as grunge rises in popularity, and the band is subsequently dropped by MCA Records.

In 1994, the group releases the Undercovers EP on Backstreet Records, made up of cover versions. After a period of inactivity in the late 1990s, Trixter reunites in 2008 for the “Give It to You Good” tour, playing several shows including appearances at Rocklahoma and a hometown date in New Jersey. The band also releases the live album Alive in Japan and a Best Of compilation. In 2012, it issues the studio album New Audio Machine, followed by Human Era in 2015.

Live activity

Trixter continues to perform intermittently and internationally. One noted appearance is as a headliner at the Rockingham 2016 melodic and hard rock festival in Nottingham, England.

Studio albums

Trixter (1990)
Hear! (1992)
Undercovers (1994)
New Audio Machine (2012)
Human Era (2015)