Tripping Out

If you want to make Jeffry-Wynne Prince smile, call him Jeffry-Wynne. Not Jeff or Jeffry or Wynne or Prince, although that might make him smile for a different reason. The hyphenated first name (it’s Welsh) of The Kimberly Trip guitarist throws some people for a loop.

Their new wave-ish, charming pop music doesn’t stick to conventions either. “We are a bit different,” Prince says. “The whole focus of the band is songs that celebrate your inner geek, for discovering who you are and laughing at yourself. We don’t take anything seriously. Our music is about enjoying where you’re at in life.”

It’s just recently that The Kimberly Trip can enjoy where they’re at. They had a record deal with Sony for their 2009 album Generation Stereotype. That situation nearly killed the band. They lost their bassist, and her replacement never gelled. The band was inactive for two years but then had a chance to write a song for a green energy commercial. The song ended up not being used for the commercial, though it did get a big publishing push. More importantly, it re-energized the band. Unicorns, Glitter, & Heartbreak was released in August of 2012, and Prince expects Trip will have another album out by July. They’re feeling so creative that “in some ways it feels like the shows are getting in the way,” he says.

With Kimberly Prince on vocals, and drummer-keyboardist Bractune and founding bassist Michaelandrew back on board, “it’s changed everything,” he says. “Everything feels completely natural. We just play and we know how to read each other. I don’t want to sound cheesy or disingenuous, but it’s the most fun we’ve ever had in the band.”

The Kimberly Trip play with My Father’s Ghost 8 pm Friday, April 12, at Cozmic; $6 adv., $8 door.

A Note From the Publisher

Dear Readers,

The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.

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Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.

We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.

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None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.

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Thank you for standing with us!