I first met Trey on the streets of downtown Greenville. I was walking with my wife (then fiance) and some of her former friends when an alluring voice singing in unison with robust guitar strings caught our ear. Upon being pulled in the right direction, we stumbled upon an expertly set-up pony-tail man. Wielding a gorgeous acoustic, his voice electrified with a mic-and-mini-amp combo; he soared along while we walked up, mesmerized as he finished a song that I cannot recall.
We talked to him about his favorite classic, guitar-driven tunes and whether he prefers 6-string or 12-string (I can’t remember which he said). He played us a sick rendition of Bon Jovi’s “Wanted Dead or Alive,” and we had a nice micro-instance of human togetherness. Anyhow, that was back in early 2019. Fast forward a couple years later to now being a resident of Greenville myself, and discovering that Trey isn’t just still doing music...he now fronts one helluva rock and roll outfit called Kings Ransome. Their Spotify is stocked with two hammering EPs and a handful of entirely-too-epic singles, including a glorious cover of Molly Hatchet’s “Flirtin’ with Disaster.”
I reached out to Trey and asked him if I could do a blog piece on him. He said he’d be honored, and I assure you that feeling is most certainly mutual. With this blog spot being centered around conversing with and experiencing others who are just as moved by music as I am, you can tell that Trey doesn’t just love music... Dude exudes it! From this point on, you will find what most would call an interview...however, I challenge everyone to see it more as a conversation. No matter how virtual it was, the connection music generates between people goes beyond fingertips and retinas trying to focus on a screen.
Here is my back and forth with singer, songwriter, music lover, and frontman of the Upstate’s most invigorating rock and roll band, Trey Duncan:
MBM: Trey! How are you, man? How’s your summer been?
TD: Hey! I’m doing better than I deserve I’m sure! This summer has been fun. We’ve been staying busy with gigs and getting to play some more out-of-town shows than we have in the past. We’ve had lots of sleepless nights and our fair share of the quintessential rock’n’roll experience- the van breaking down in the middle of Georgia at 4 AM- but also a lot of great crowds and exciting music. We also finally got back to the studio and are really excited about our new releases!
MBM: Do you have a favorite summer gig that you’ve played?
TD: I’m going to copout a bit and say two shows instead of one, but it’s because I enjoyed both for different reasons. Kings Ransome was very fortunate to pick up a last minute gig at the Main Course in Columbia opening for Small Town Titans and Hinder, and that was a lot of fun. There were some unorthodox circumstances surrounding the show, but at the end of the day it was so cool to share the stage with a band that I remember rocking out to on my ipod in middle school!
The other show I’ve been excited about is a solo gig in Chimney Rock, NC at a spot called Riverwatch.
The summer before COVID I played there a lot (sometimes twice in one weekend and back to back weeks), but they haven’t had live music since the pandemic started. It was really exciting to help them restart their live music in August. It felt like a small return to a sense of normalcy and a homecoming loaded with nostalgia.
MBM: Outside of shredding it with Kings Ransome and keeping up with your Social Media presence, what else have you been doing musically lately? Any recent, standout jam memories?
TD: In addition to the band and solo shows, I’m a music teacher at NoteAbility Community Music School and the music director at Trinity Presbyterian in Travelers Rest, SC, so I’m never in want of more music related activities! It’s been challenging to coordinate the music at church this past year, but I’m very pleased with the quality of music we’ve been able to create this summer. We moved outside onto the front lawn so people could distance a little better, and as a result we’ve been able to include more musicians. It’s been a delight to have violin, viola, and percussion back (even if we’re roasting in the sun), and I have desperately missed hearing four-part harmonies during the hymns!
MBM: What does Kings Ransome have slated for the rest of 2021? New music? A good handful of shows? Merch drops? Tell us whatever you can!
TD: We have a lot of new things in the works! Due to the chaos of the delta variant spiking I’m hesitant to discuss specific shows (we’ve already had a festival appearance cancelled), but we do have new music on the way. Definitely hit us up on Spotify, Apple Music, etc, to stay in the loop there. We also have some new shirts coming soon. Unfortunately in the independent music business it’s all about that cash flow, so I can’t promise a timeline on that. I will say the new artwork is sick, and we can’t wait to put it out!
Oh, and something fun that started as an impromptu instagram live is a new series we’re going to be doing called Sticks and Strums. We’ll periodically be hopping on IG live to discuss music, shows, and our usual band shenanigans to give fans a peak behind the KR curtain! Those will be happening on Sunday nights once a month. Hit is up on social media to stay in the loop on Sticks and Strums.
MBM: So stoked for what you have in store. Now, some different questions…
What is your favorite instrument other than the guitar or voice?
TD: Saxophone. A good sax solo summons something primal in me, and I just love it. Cello is a close second. It’s so lush, and I love how it can give you beautiful melodic lines while maintaining that rich bass-like quality. It’s a very versatile instrument.
MBM: Other than rock n’ roll, country music, etc…
What else could we find in your music library? Anything some might be “surprised” by?
TD: If you know me I don’t know how you could be surprised by anything in my music library. I’ve got some of everything- and I mean that! Something off the beaten path that your readers should check out are the choral works of Eric Whitacre. His virtual choirs are amazing. Start with “Lux Aurumque” or “Sleep.” I promise you will not have ever heard anything like it. I’m also a big anime fan, so I’ve got a handful of J-rock and J-pop songs in my library that you might not expect if you just saw me jamming on the street.
MBM: If you could jam with any rock icon/icons (late or living) who would you go for?
TD: Ooooh tough one. Some of my musical idols are Stevie Ray Vaughan, Billy Joel, Prince, and Chris Stapleton. I think it would be pretty insane to play with any of them. Also, that would be the most eclectic jam session ever if we all played at once! Let’s throw Dave Grohl in so we have a drummer to complete the dream team.
MBM: One last wonder… is there a particular instance or happening you tie to when you first realized that music can be more than “just music?” (aka, what moves you about music?)
TD: Honestly, music has been integral to my life from the get-go, and it’s important to me that I don’t squander this gift. My entire family was very musical, and I’ve been playing in church for most of my life. It was never a question of how important music was or if music would be a part of my life, but how best would I use music in my life. Being a church musician was likely instrumental in observing the transcendent qualities of music first-hand, and I feel like big arena shows are a form of secular worship- just think about all of the people raising their hands, singing in unison, and having deeply emotional experiences.
When I think about my favorite musical moments it always comes back to the way it unites people, and makes them feel important emotions. Perhaps my “particular instance” was when I found this quote in high school because I immediately knew it to be true, and to this day it is one of my favorite quotes: “Words make you think a thought. Music makes you feel a feeling. A song makes you feel a thought” - E.Y. Harburg.
I hope any and all readers had as much fun learning more about Trey and some of his music experiences as I did. I totally understand what he means when he talks about the transcendent qualities of music. I’ve gotten real emotional during church worship (every Sunday, haha) and have felt similarly adrenalized emotions during mosh pits, even. It has always been so interesting to encounter the different lenses that allow us to glimpse how music is introduced and incorporated into other people's lives.
One resounding aspect of any encounter with music stories is how it rounds back to this: music brings people together, and that is precisely what it’s meant to do.
You can find Kings Ransome and Trey's music on Spotify, YouTube, and anywhere else tunes are slung. You can also find their main socials here on: Facebook and Instagram.
Comments