TrinityRoots (1998–2005, 2011–present) are a band based in

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by me ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. Although they are commonly associated with

New Zealand reggae New Zealand reggae is the New Zealand variation of the musical genre reggae. It is a large and well established part of New Zealand music, and includes some of the country's most successful and highly acclaimed bands. History Reggae bands in New ...

they also embody a stripped back,

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

and

soul In many religious and philosophical traditions, there is a belief that a soul is "the immaterial aspect or essence of a human being". Etymology The Modern English noun ''soul'' is derived from Old English ''sāwol, sāwel''. The earliest attes ...

-influenced rhythmic sound, which often builds up to highly emotional drum- and guitar-led crescendos. Like their contemporaries

Fat Freddy's Drop Fat Freddy's Drop is a New Zealand seven-piece band from Wellington, whose musical style has been characterised as any combination of dub, reggae, soul, jazz, rhythm and blues, and techno. Originally a jam band formed in the late 1990s by mus ...

, TrinityRoots formed a loyal fan base through live performances and word of mouth. They played alongside international acts including

Ben Harper Benjamin Chase Harper (born October 28, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Harper plays an eclectic mix of blues, folk, soul, reggae, and rock music and is known for his guitar-playing skills, vocals, live perfo ...

Lee Scratch Perry Lee may refer to: Name Given name * Lee (given name), a given name in English Surname * Chinese surnames romanized as Li or Lee: ** Li (surname 李) or Lee (Hanzi ), a common Chinese surname ** Li (surname 利) or Lee (Hanzi ), a Chinese s ...

, The Mad Professor, as well as local bands such as

Fat Freddys Drop Fat Freddy's Drop is a New Zealand seven-piece band from Wellington, whose musical style has been characterised as any combination of dub, reggae, soul, jazz, rhythm and blues, and techno. Originally a jam band formed in the late 1990s by mus ...

Salmonella Dub Salmonella Dub is a dub/ drum n bass/reggae/ roots band from New Zealand. The band was formed in 1992 by Andrew Penman, Dave Deakins, and Mark Tyler. The band has toured extensively throughout New Zealand, Australia, and Europe, including the UK ...

and

Che Fu Che Kuo Eruera Ness (born 1974), better known by his stage name Che Fu, is a New Zealand hip hop, R&B and reggae artist, songwriter and producer. A founding member of the band Supergroove, as a solo artist he has gone on to sell thousands of ...

. TrinityRoots has also toured small towns on sellout tours. The band's song "Little Things" was featured prominently in an episode of the cartoon ''

bro'Town ''bro'Town'' is a New Zealand adult animated comedy television series and sitcom that ran from 2004 to 2009. It starred David Fane, Mario Gaoa, Shimpal Lelisi and Oscar Kightley. Overview The main characters in the series are five 14 year o ...

''. Before breaking up in 2005, the band released a self-titled EP and two albums, ''

True True most commonly refers to truth, the state of being in congruence with fact or reality. True may also refer to: Places * True, West Virginia, an unincorporated community in the United States * True, Wisconsin, a town in the United States * Tr ...

'' and ''

Home, Land and Sea ''Home, Land and Sea'' is an album by New Zealand band, Trinity Roots TrinityRoots (1998–2005, 2011–present) are a band based in Wellington, New Zealand. Although they are commonly associated with New Zealand reggae they also emb ...

''. Both albums reached Platinum status in New Zealand with virtually no advertising or media attention. The band separated in 2005, playing their final concert in February 2005 in a sellout concert to raise relief funds for the

Boxing Day Tsunami An earthquake and a tsunami, known as the Boxing Day Tsunami and, by the scientific community, the Sumatra–Andaman earthquake, occurred at 07:58:53 local time (UTC+7) on 26 December 2004, with an epicentre off the west coast of northern Suma ...

at the

Wellington Town Hall The Wellington Town Hall ( mi, Te Whare Whakarauika) is a concert hall and part of the municipal complex in Wellington, New Zealand, which opened in December 1904. It has been closed to the public since the 2013 Seddon earthquake, and it is curr ...

. This material was released in 2010 with accompanying documentary footage as '' Music Is Choice''. All members of the band, past and present, are involved in other musical projects and continued making music after the 2005 break-up. Lead singer and guitarist Warren Maxwell was a member of

until late 2006 when he left to spend more time with family, and is the frontman of the acclaimed group

Little Bushman Little is a synonym for small size and may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Little'' (album), 1990 debut album of Vic Chesnutt * ''Little'' (film), 2019 American comedy film *The Littles, a series of children's novels by American author John P ...

. Bassist

Rio Hemopo Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil. Rio or Río may also refer to: Geography Brazil * Rio de Janeiro * Rio do Sul, a ...

has released solo music and is involved with Breaks Co-op as a member of their live band. Drummer

Riki Gooch Riki is a given name. It is a gender-neutral name in Japan (written: or ). Notable people with the name include: *Riki (footballer, born 1980), Spanish footballer Iván Sánchez-Rico Soto * Riki (footballer, born 1997), Spanish footballer Ricardo ...

has also released solo music under his own name and as

Eru Dangerspiel Eru may refer to: People *Eru (singer) (born 1983), Korean singer *Eru Potaka-Dewes (1939–2009), New Zealand actor *Syd Eru (born 1971), New Zealand rugby player Other uses * Eru (soup), a Cameroonian soup * Eru (vegetable), a tropical African ...

, as well as playing and producing for many other artists and projects such as

Neil Finn Neil Mullane Finn (born 27 May 1958) is a New Zealand singer-songwriter and musician who is known for being a member of Crowded House, Split Enz (which he co-fronted with brother Tim), and Fleetwood Mac. Finn rose to prominence in the late ...

Hollie Smith Hollie Smith (born 17 November 1982) is a New Zealand soul singer-songwriter based in Auckland, New Zealand. Her four solo albums ''Long Player, Humour and the Misfortune of Others, Water or Gold,'' and ''Coming In From The Dark'' have all reach ...

and

Ria Hall Ria Hall is a Māori recording artist and presenter on Maori TV's ''AIA Marae DIY'' in 2012-13. Life and career Hall was born in 1982 or 1983 and is of Ngāi Te Rangi/Ngāti Ranginui ancestry, and has three older sisters. She grew up in Maungat ...

. In early September 2010, Trinity Roots announced they had re-formed and embarked on a tour of New Zealand. In July 2011, the band announced that Riki Gooch was leaving. Wellington-based drummer

Jean Pompey Jean may refer to: People * Jean (female given name) * Jean (male given name) * Jean (surname) Fictional characters * Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character * Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations * Jean ...

has replaced him. Gooch had previously left the band after the recording of their first EP, and was replaced by

Darren Mathiassen Darren is a masculine given name of uncertain etymological origins. Some theories state that it originated from an Anglicisation of the Irish first name Darragh or Dáire, meaning "Oak Tree". According to other sources, it is thought to come from ...

. Gooch returned to the band during the time that ''True'' was being recorded, hence both Mathiassen and Gooch featuring in the album sleeve notes. The song "D by D" was written by Mathiassen. Trinity Roots 083 (51458802237)

Current band members

* Warren Maxwell (lead vocals/guitar) * Trinity Roots 082 (51460517670)

Rio Hemopo (backing vocals/bass) * Ben Lemi (backing vocals/guitar/drums)

Discography

References

{{Authority control Musical groups from Wellington Pacific reggae