Shrink Trip

Shrink Trip was formed at Drew University in Madison, NJ, circa 1989, originally by drummer Bob Joyal, guitarist Andrew Hurford and guitarist/vocalist Marc Beschler. Taking their cue from a variety of musical sources, most predominantly Camper Van Beethoven and the Butthole Surfers, with occasional forays into Bad Religion-style hardcore, Shrink Trip wanted to play a kind of psychedelic punk rock that would appeal to their mixed crowd of friends, which included punks, hippies, and plenty of in-betweens, as well as reflect their interest in, shall we say, alternate states of mind. The original line-up was filled out by Nick Boyle on bass. In 1990, Boyle was replaced by Mike Thomas, who added a funky dimension with his bass work reminiscent of Fishbone and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. This line-up recorded the 'Puce-Colored Glasses' demo. For a while, they enjoyed being part of a mini-scene concentrated at Drew University, with several different on-campus bands playing joint shows at the university's coffee house The Other End and at outdoor seasonal events. Thomas subsequently left and was replaced by Jeff DeSmedt, a veteran of the multi-faceted band Roadside Myth. Not long after this, Beschler switched to concentrating purely on vocals, with Peter Bonnell of fellow Drew band Skeevy Jeets joining as the second guitarist. This quintet recorded the 'All-Purpose Creamy Head' demo, which included the song 'Curse,' a track composed by all five members that reflected their then-intense love for Fugazi. Founding member Hurford left the band a while later, to be replaced by Jason Johnson on guitar. This line-up recorded the 1993 'The 'O' Single' for Oculus records, with Bonnell deciding that it would be his last effort with the band. A while after this, another founding member, Joyal, also went on to other things and was replaced by long-time friend of the band Django Phillips, who had also done the graphic design for 'The 'O' Single.' This line-up of Beschler (vocals/guitar), DeSmedt (bass), Johnson (guitar) and Phillips (drums) played gigs in New York and New Jersey for a time before ultimately going their separate ways. DeSmedt went back to working on Roadside Myth, recording a full-length CD album, 'Surreal Woman and Other Songs,' in 1995 that included appearances by Johnson, Joyal, Phillips and Beschler. Johnson went on to spearhead the jazz rock project Fern Hill, and Beschler and Phillips joined up with Jennifer Werner and Dominick Nervi to form the mid-'90s stoner-punk-metal outfit Nancy Sumatra (originally called Guttersnipe).