Benny Trokan

Benny Trokan was born on June 20, 1978 in New York City.^{[18][19][20][21]} During his early childhood, which took place in Manhattan, he reports taking drum kit lessons and listening to his mother's records by artists such as The Beatles, Sam & Dave, and Dionne Warwick.^[22][23][24] By the time Trokan was in middle school, the family (Trokan, with his parents and younger sister) had moved to the Poughkeepsie area.^[24][3] There, Trokan met fellow student Steve Mercado, and the two became friends over a shared love of Led Zeppelin.^[3] While attending Arlington High School in LaGrange, NY, Trokan reports that he began teaching himself to play electric guitar.^[25][24] He and Mercado played in various student rock bands.^[19]

Summarize Timeline Fact Check

In 1997, after high school, Trokan moved back to New York City and joined Marky Ramone and the Intruders on guitar.^[26][27] This band was founded by drummer and fellow Brooklyn resident Marky Ramone of the Ramones, and continued the Ramones' style of short and fast punk songs.^[27] Trokan performed with the band from 1997 through 2000.^{[28][27][29][30]} Around this time he also performed with Dee Dee Ramone in his project with Marky, The Ramainz, appearing on a live album The Ramainz: Live in N.Y.C.^[31]

In 2002, Trokan began working with his childhood friend Steve Mercado again to form the band Robbers on High Street.^[26][32] Supplying lead vocals, guitar, and keyboard, Trokan and the band released the EP Fine Lines in March, 2004 on Scratchie Records (which folded into New Line Records, now WaterTower Music).^{[18][32][33][34][35]}

Trokan gained more national attention in 2005 with Robbers on High Street's first full-length album, Tree City (Scratchie / New Line Records) and subsequent tour.^{[36][37][38][20][39][26][40]} Trokan wrote or co-wrote all songs on the LP. ^[36][37][41] The same was true for the band's 2007 LP from Scratchie / New Line Records, Grand Animals, on which Trokan also played "75% of the instruments."^[42][4][43] He also co-produced 2011's Hey There Golden Hair, while continuing as frontman, guitarist and songwriter.^{[44][45][46][47]} For this and their next and final release, 2012’s  Anything Could Happen EP, he appears to have established a label, Rocco Grecco, which he would use later in his career as well.^{[44][48][49][50]}

During Robbers on High Street's final years, Trokan became the bassist for The Jay Vons, described as having an "evergreen sound" of "garage rock and soul."^[51][52] In 2011, the Jay Vons were tapped to back up Greg Cartwright in Reigning Sound, performing on 2011’s EP, Abdication…For Your Love. ^[53] Trokan additionally contributed to the "nostalgic pop" of the band Boy Morgan by playing drums on their 2012 self-titled EP and on tour dates in subsequent years.^[54][11] He was also the bassist on Reigning Sound's 2014 album Shattered, and embarked on a tour with the group.^[13][55] He played bass and contributed vocals on the single "It Was Wrong to Love You" by The Jay Vons plus members of Reigning Sound, recorded at Daptone Records.^[56] Trokan served as bassist and co-engineer on The Jay Vons' 2019 LP The Word.^[52][57] 2019 also saw Trokan touring with The Jay Vons, as well as playing guitar and touring with Lee Fields & The Expressions.^[58][59]

In 2017, while touring with fellow Daptone Records artist Charles Bradley, Trokan re-connected with Jim Eno (a friend Trokan had known since his 20’s) of Spoon, one of the most critically acclaimed rock acts of the 21st century so far.^{[24][60][61][62]} To fill the role of departing bassist Rob Pope, Spoon recruited Trokan in 2019 to tour with them, and in 2021 Trokan became the band's official bass player. ^[63][64][5] He joined the band in recording the Matador Records 2022 release, Lucifer on the Sofa.^[65][66][67] In 2023, he shared in the Best Rock Album Grammy nomination Spoon received for that album.^[6]

Trokan embarked on solo and additional projects as well during this time. In July of 2022, he released an EP of solo work, Hey Lovers, on Daptone Records.^[68] He recorded as the bass musician on Lee Fields' 2022 album Sentimental Fool, also on Daptone Records.^[69] Trokan opened for Fields during the tour for that album, and has continued to tour with Lee Fields & the Expressions.^[70][71]

In August of 2024, Trokan released Do You Still Think Of Me, his first full-length solo LP, on Wick, an imprint of Daptone Records.^[72][73][74] Trokan wrote and produced the album, which was recorded by Daptone Records co-founder and Dap-Kings bandleader Gabe Roth (a.k.a. Bosco Mann) at Roth's studio in Riverside, CA, and at Daptone's House of Soul in Brooklyn. Described as "spaghetti soul rock" reminiscent of "late-’60s AM radio," the songs feature him on guitars and lead vocals, as well as some keyboard and percussion.^[2][15][73] The album attracted favorable reviews. ^{[2][72][15][75]} Globally-recognized radio station KEXP added Do You Still Think of Me to rotation, after which the album charted at #49 on the station’s Top 90. ^{[76][77][78][79]}

Following release of the album, Trokan toured with fellow Daptone musicians The Budos Band, as well as members of The Jay Vons and Reigning Sound.^[80][16][81]

Trokan continues to tour as a solo artist, as well as to record, collaborate, and perform with Spoon and other musicians.^[82][83]