Train moves beyond just rock tracks

For a band named Train, its members seem to have the opposite of a one-track mind.

The San Francisco group known for its songs like “Meet Virginia,” “Drops of Jupiter,” “Calling All Angels,” “Hey, Soul Sister” and “Marry Me” has diversified its interests over the years. Besides its string of alt-rock hits, the band has its own brand of wine and line of chocolates with proceeds going to charity. And in June it embarked on another endeavor – releasing its first cover album, a track-for-track recreation of “Led Zeppelin II.”

Train, led by founding members frontman Pat Monahan and guitarist Jimmy Stafford, brings its music to Ironstone Amphitheatre in Murphys on Saturday.

Monahan spoke with The Bee about the band’s new projects, charity work and what keeps driving their music.

Q: Just last month you released “Train Does Led Zeppelin II,” covering the band’s album start to finish. What inspired you?

A: The last few years I just wanted to do things that we’ve never done before. So the first thing was making a Christmas album (called “Christmas in Tahoe” and released in November) and (we) had a lot of fun. In fact every year we do a Christmas show that benefits Family House, which is our charity. (The nonprofit provides housing and support for families of children battling cancer and other life-threatening illnesses.)

The other thing is record “Train Does Led Zeppelin II,” which is my favorite Led Zeppelin record. It is certainly not easy to perform, but I have a band that is the best in the world, and I wanted them to be heard doing it.

All of that money benefited our charity as well. It was just a labor of love, and we got to help people through it.

Q: What has Led Zeppelin meant to you musically over the years?

A: They are everything. When I was a kid that’s all I cared about Led Zeppelin, James Taylor, Deep Purple – and I loved Michael Jackson. I loved that weird array of music. I grew up loving hard rock but also really loving pop music, too.

Q: Will you have Zeppelin songs in your set? What can folks expect from the live show?

A: We wanted to keep I think the Led Zeppelin stuff its own special thing – we did so few shows (of the album from start to finish in June). We may do a few covers in the show – we’ll play some tributes to people we lost and some new songs on the horizon.

Q: So your show at the amphitheater of Ironstone Winery is in rival territory, since you have your own wine label. Tell me more about your Save Me, San Francisco, wine label.

A: We just wanted to provide fans of Train with something that was a great part of San Francisco. And we couldn’t think of anything better than a delicious line that comes out of the Bay Area. The red blend is called Drops of Jupiter. It sold hundreds then thousands and then millions of bottles of wine. It has been a real joy for us being able to support Family House and seeing all the good it does for these families who are at the worst point in their lives.

Q: You also have a line of chocolates, also called Save Me, San Francisco. Where did your interest in chocolates come from?

A: That’s because I love chocolate. I was like we need to figure this out and I need to eat chocolate. The San Francisco chocolate company is a great sponsor for us. What a fun little venture.

Q: In 2006, the band took a multiyear hiatus and came back with some of your biggest hits yet. Do you think breaks like that are a necessary part of staying creative, or just what you needed then?

A: I think it was the only way to not break up. I look at bands as any relationship. Like a lot of times your favorite band has to change over time if you want that band to continue making music. In bands, that relationship, you’re meeting people when you are 18 to 19 years old. Then you become grown men and grown women. How can you continue to expect to want to be in that same relationship? For us we didn’t want to not be in that relationship, but really needed to be away from each other. That break saved us for sure.

Q: So do you have new music on the horizon?

A: We’re having a light summer because we’ve been writing and recording a whole lot the last year and half. We’ll have a new album coming out in January. We will have a new single probably in the middle of September. I just wrote some songs that I think are my best.

This story was originally published August 3, 2016 at 11:30 AM with the headline "Train moves beyond just rock tracks."