Shotgun jams
The Happy Trails
Bassist and vocalist Graham Dickinson, guitar player and vocalist Luke Fuller, and drummer Arlis Meyer have been friends for almost six years now. They wanted to establish a new group after being in several other bands in Reno, so they formed The Happy Trails last year.
At a Jan. 26 performance at Studio on 4th, along with La Safari and Spencer Kilpatrick from Failure Machine, you could hear Meyer’s heavy John Bonham influences in his powerful drumming. The music had an overall classic rock feel to it, but the tempo and vocals became bluesy as Dickinson and Fuller alternated on vocals throughout the night. Dickinson’s raspy voice alongside Fuller’s hypnotic guitar playing were captivating.
The three bandmates were each influenced heavily by music growing up. Fuller played in the middle school jazz band and always wondered why the school never had a rock band. Meyer’s dad played classic rock at home and frequently made his own guitar amps—one of which he later gave to Fuller. Dickinson remembers his older cousin being in a band and wanted to be like him. Years later, after Meyer and Dickinson moved to Reno from Northern California to attend the University of Nevada, Reno, the group all met through a mutual friend and eventually formed a band they could call their own.
The three share a love of the same musical influences, one of the reasons why they think they get along so well. They pull inspiration anywhere from Blink 182, The Black Keys, Cage The Elephant, and Red Hot Chili Peppers to Highly Suspect, Shotgun Sawyer, FIDLAR and Royal Blood. Classic rock influences like Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin also play a huge role in their sound, along with reggae influences like Northern California’s own Truckee Tribe.
“We’ve actually been playing so long together that once we started this thing it was pretty easy to get going,” said Fuller.
When it comes to songwriting, Fuller, Dickinson and Meyer sit down and try to collectively write songs acoustically first. Fuller will bring a guitar riff or another idea to the table, and the group adds in their electric guitar, bass and drums until they’re jamming the way they want to—which, for them, is really loud. Soon after, lyrics are added into the instrumental composition to complete the song.
“We’ve done that a few times, and those ones turn out really good,” said Fuller.
Some song lyrics have unexpected meanings. “Post Shotgun Blues” isn’t about guns, said Fuller. It’s about a friend shotgunning a beer on Snapchat.
“You always feel like shit afterwards,” said Meyer.
Even the band’s name stems from an old joke. Fuller said that when he was forming his first rock band in high school, the name “The Happy Trails” was laughable to all of his old bandmates even though he genuinely liked it.
“Now, finally, I got a chance to form a band called The Happy Trails,” said Fuller. “These guys were down because they thought it was hilarious.”
Their upbeat music is easy to jump up and down to. Fast-paced songs break down into slower rhythms, and Fuller’s guitar riffs stay with you long after they reverberate through the air. He admires groups like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, who really get their audiences dancing passionately.
“We want your neck to hurt,” Dickinson said with a laugh.