MATT TRUMAN EGO TRIP: Everybody's Got One By Eric Davidson Available photos of this Bowling Green, Ohio combo imply that their costume budget only allows for gas station shades. Or maybe it proves they're only half-kidding with the rock star 'tude that permeates every riff and shout on this self-released debut. There're no devil horns, acid-washed jeans or whatever else them big-city irony-metalers are sporting for these dudes. Because when you reside in a small college town near enough to Toledo to know boredom is no joke, and if you're close enough to Cleveland to have a scholar's knowledge of classic rock deep in your genes, the need to mock what you supposedly love seems a waste of time. Hence, the Matt Truman Ego Trip wastes no time in getting down to the decadent rocking. Yalping out a fist-shove singalong chorus like "The record company buys my cocaine," ignores (humorously glorifies?) the fact that record companies can't afford much more than covering lunch at Subway these days. It's the rhythm of the words, the kicking of the riffs and the delight of the crowd that seems to most interest this fivesome. Speedy arena jumpers ("Ruin," "Ohio") are total cheap tricks. "Toni Wants To Fight" is Kiss-ed bumble boogie, that meager costume budget be damned. And their expected if still solid Stones-y slow-downs ("Chrissie") and dredged up titular declaration of, "I Don't Wanna Grow Up," are only as cheeky as, say, Redd Kross—which is pretty cheeky, like ass cheeks shaking and face cheeks getting red from all the shits 'n' giggles. October 2007

Chuck Taylors, leather suits, movie star shades. The Matt Truman Ego Trip might appear to be your average, local, rock 'n' roll band, with a slight hint of conceitedness, but they actually have something to brag about. After almost three years of playing together, Matt Truman (vocals, guitar), Zak Durst (bass), Derek Wright (drums), while later acquiring Danny Johnson (guitar) and Eric Barton (keyboard) are leaving their mark across North America. From their first appearance at the 2005 Black Swamp Arts Festival to the more recent performances at Toronto's North By Northeast Music Festival, and at Boston's Paradise Lounge - a venue they got to play for winning the ourstage.com contest - The Matt Truman Ego Trip has set themselves apart from many of the other bands in Bowling Green. "We were all in different bands for a while, but found we just don't fit in anywhere," Truman said. "We wanted to get out of it because we knew we weren't going to break out doing someone else's gig." And breaking out was probably the best choice they could have made for musicians who just didn't "fit in." Doing their own thing, which is described by the band as making "burn the place down kind of music," is comparable to bands such as Iggy and the Stooges, the Rolling Stones and MC5. Not only is their sound less than mainstream, but also is their sense of style. In past performances The Matt Truman Ego Trip took to using props like pumpkins, and people dressed liked dancing trees and magical horses. They've since discontinued this use of creativity due to differences in taste, or lack thereof. "The truth is finally coming out," Wright said. "I never liked those props." So now, doing their own thing includes a lot of crowd interaction. "Somebody will probably end up rolling around on the floor," Truman said. "And that someone will probably be me." Breaking out has even scored them three slots at the 2007 College Music Journal Music Marathon and Film Festival in New York City. "We'll be playing the Rocks Off Concert Cruise with a band from England called The Wildhearts," Durst said. The show is already sold out, so they have to use a bigger boat, which will sail around Manhattan for three hours. "It will be a couple of bands and a lot of debauchery, I'm sure," Truman said. And even after all the traveling, all the nation-wide recognition and all the yearning to get out of Bowling Green, Ohio, The Matt Truman Ego Trip isn't ashamed to play a few local performances. Their next show is with the DirtBombs on Sept. 8 at Howard's, and they will be playing there again in October for free. As much as all musicians would hate to get stuck in Bowling Green, there's something about the place that keeps them coming back - the people. "We want to thank everyone who has helped us out over the years," Wright said. Emily Rippe 8/31/07

From the rolling, sermon-like vocal diction to the crashing percussion, “Industry Standard” is a perfectly worthy soundtrack to the best mohair-clad go-go movies; not to mention the awesome confessional, ‘the record company buys my cocaine.’ -Friday, July 20th, 2007

thursday july 5, 2007 BOSTONNOW MUSIC The Matt Truman Ego Trip has been described as the MC5 meets “Exile on Main Street” but don’t call it a throwback. “We’re not ‘retro’,” says band leader Matt Truman, “and we aren’t ‘post’ anything or whatever terms the industry wants to throw around these days. We are Rock and Roll here and now”.

For self-described “nerdy dude who studies music at some community college,” local singer, songwriter and guitarist, Matt Truman has certainly found a way to break out of his sometimes less than cool façade as the lead man for the seminal Bowling Green rock quintet, The Matt Truman Ego Trip. He calls his bawdy stage presence a “Superman Cape” but a more accurate description might simply be a departure from doing what comes naturally. Think of it like the George Costanza effect…doing the opposite and putting out some serious rock and roll with his bandmates along the way. The Matt Truman Ego Trip will be warming up for their upcoming appearance at the North By Northeast Music Festival in Toronto this summer with a show at Nate and Wally’s Fishbowl on Friday. The Ego Trip personnel includes Truman on guitar and lead vocals, Eric Barton on keyboards, Derek Wright on drums, Zak Durst on bass guitar and their newest member and Truman’s cousin Danny Johnson on lead guitar. All members are from the Northwest Ohio area. Although the invitation to play at the musical showcase in Canada is a prized gig for many US bands, Truman and his comrades actually stumbled upon their invite as they searched for possible festivals applications earlier this winter. “I was actually on the Internet looking for South By Southwest (festival),” he said. “I looked up North By Northeast and they were taking applications right then. I waited for seven months and didn’t hear anything and then I got an e-mail inviting me” They will be joining more than 450 bands, the majority not from the United States, at the four-day festival. One listen to their infectious and lyrically burning rock material and you’ll know why they were selected. Formed out of the ashes of the locally-based indie group, The Drama Club, The Matt Truman Ego Trip is truly the sum of their parts put together on stage and in recordings, quickly building a local and regional fan-base over the past three years. The Rolling Stones-like instrumental influences, the industry bashing lyrics and the energy to keep a crowd enthusiastic throughout the night are just a sampling of what this group can be capable of producing on a regular basis. They are currently putting the final touches on their debut album, “Everybody’s Got One,” a showcase of their penchant for styling a multifaceted recording approach, and a recording that they hope will open up the creative flood gates for their potential as group. “Some of the stuff is recorded on my front porch, and some of the stuff is recorded on Pro Tools and we also have some studio time,” Truman said. “It is going to be all over the map as far as the sounds that are going to be coming off of it. “The music is different as well,” he added. “There is hard rock, some acoustic tracks and a piano ballad…it is all over the map. I think people’s musical tastes are kind of like that now. They don’t want the same old, same old.” Faithful fans and record deals aside, Truman cautions that his band is not ready to put it all on the line for a shot at commercial success. Instead he hopes to keep putting out new material that is unique, diverse and occasionally a bit cynical towards the cut-throat music business they all hope to avoid. “I kind of like where we are at,” he said. “I think signing with a label is kind of like another way for working for the man. I have great expectations, but I am trying to keep my head on my shoulders as far as what is to come.” By COLE CHRISTENSEN Sentinel Staff Writer