Of all the new female singer-songwriters to emerge in Germany over the last few years, Trinah stands out. This is not just due to her youth, but also to her combining mature creative power and the freshness of youth, intimacy and style.
From the beginning, she was able to surround herself with an exceptional supporting cast of musicians - like bass player Bernie Batke, guitarist Dirk Hess, pedal steel guitarist/guitarist Oliver Stangl and producer/keyboardist Peter Hoppe - who take her warm, melodic voice and create little musical pearls, and who also grew together as the band to perform the songs live on stage.
In 1986 Kathrina ("Trinah") März was born into a musical family in Nuremberg, Germany. Her father Matthias is an obsessive collector of old and rare guitars and amps. Despite being surrounded by these all around the house, Trinah fell in love with the piano standing in the hallway.
Early on, family friend and session musician Peter Hoppe gave her her first piano lessons. As a teenager she expanded her repertoire of instruments to include the double bass and finally, the guitar. Early stage experience with school bands followed at the music-oriented Labenwolf grammar school in Nuremberg.
Back then, she still lacked the confidence to feature the instrument which moved people most: her voice.In 2002 she asked Peter Hoppe if she could use studio downtime to record one of her own songs. The combination of a simple chord progression and her clear distinctive voice made a lasting impression on him.
He instinctively knew how best to arrange the song and developed a sparse, soft soul backing which left Trinah’s voice plenty of space in which to work its charm.The final production of “Miss You” marked the beginning of a fruitful partnership with Peter.
With a potent mix of naivety and ambition, she began to be a regular visitor to the studio microphone, to record songs and develop her own style. Trinah's sparse piano or guitar parts always stand at the beginning of a new collaboration.
It's the immediacy and magic of these demos which they try to preserve in the finished product.Talent tends to attract talent, and the Nuremberg downbeat scene provided a rich source of musicians to help refine the demos recorded over the last three years.
People like bass player Norbert Schoepa and guitarist Dirk Hess had already contributed to recordings of well- kown local bands such as Trio Electrico and Boozoo Bajou. The latter were so impressed that they wrote the song “I Wish” for Trinah while they were recording their own second album.
These recordings for a debut album clearly show Trinah’s influences – from Bob Dylan to Bonnie Prince Billy, from Carole King to Erykah Badu – whose spirit she captures, but also enhances with her own unique style.
The subtle soundscapes crafted by Peter Hoppe and his team form an innovative new oasis between soul jazz and country folk. Is it because they remind us of our earliest listening sensations in the womb that they make us feel intimately close to Trinah's voice and emotions?Positive feedback to the tracks for the debut album gave Trinah the confidence to develop her own unique style as a singer and songwriter.
More recent songs like "It's Not The Rain" show her sharpening her profile as an intimate, lyrical storyteller with a gift for infectious melody. Like the first time a tropical butterfly slowly unfolds its wings, Trinah's gifts unfold before us and we gasp with wonder.
Trinah's lineup:Kathrina März: vocals, acoustic guitar, double bass Peter Hoppe: keyboards, organ, sounds Dirk Hess: electric guitar, acoustic guitar, background vocals Bernie Batke: double bass, electric bass, background vocals Oliver Stangl: electric guitar, pedal steel guitar, background vocalsOfficial website: http://www.
trinah.deTrinah on MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/trinahmusic
