Meet: Trinket
NYC-Based Band
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Join us as we chat with Trinket about their debut EP “New Hobby,” their paths to becoming musicians, their creative process, and more.
Basile Lee (drums), Madison Kate Proffitt (vocals/guitar), Nara Avakian (bass)
Your debut EP as a band, New Hobby, comes out on February 29th! Can you share more about the journey of creating this EP and what it represents for Trinket?
This has been about two years in the making! The songs off this EP were made during a hot long summer in 2021. I was on a teetering point of really wanting to start a band but was really scared about the outcome. I impulsively released a demo called Drive Me and decided to form a band. Releasing the song really unblocked the self doubt I was struggling with and allowed me to move forward.
Having started out originally as a solo project, can you walk us through how it came to form as a band?
I posted on my Instagram stories right after releasing the song a little ad asking for a drummer, a bassist, and a guitarist. I had met Nara and Basil around Brooklyn and they both responded to the ad. I’m so lucky they did!! Our first practice was just Basil playing drums and me playing guitar for a couple of hours in a giant room alone. Neither of us had a clue what we were doing and it was awesome.
How has the creative process evolved over these last few years?
Trinket is slowly morphing into a project involving more collaboration which is super exciting! This started off as co-writing project between myself and our near and dear friend Sean Camargo. Everyone in the band is now writing parts for new songs, and it feels really fun. We also have multiple guitarists who play shows with us live (Hi Trevor and Raavi!) and both of them have their own unique styles of playing that inform how the band sounds.
Did each of you always have a clear passion for becoming musicians? If so, was there a specific moment that stands out as the realization that pursuing a career in music was something you wanted to pursue?
Madison Kate: Growing up I was a singer and actor, and went to college for musical theater. I also played clarinet and piano. As a kid I would buy CD’s, go to Tower Records (RIP) with my mom on Fridays, and google lyrics for songs I fell in love with from TV shows and movies. I always was hungry for songs to become obsessed with.I’ve been making playlists, buying records, and I even worked at a radio station for a bit.
Basil: I’m an artist and I work in a lot of different mediums, but I’ve been a drummer since I was a little kid. I keep trying to quit and I keep not being able to.
Nara: I grew up in a really musical immigrant family. My uncle sang in the Armenian church and was always singing old Middle Eastern folk songs in the car, and my other uncle passed down his love for guitar to my cousins and I. All my older cousins would jam at family functions and because I was the youngest, I was never really included in them. But when I got old enough, I learned the guitar so I could join them but at that point they all were away in college or hanging out with the adults. I guess in a way my passion for becoming a musician came straight from wanting to be a part of something and having something to say.
Looking back at the process of writing and recording New Hobby, have there been any specific moments or songs that stand out as personal favorites or milestones in your songwriting journey?
Madison Kate: We recently found out that we’re going to be going to South By Southwest in Austin next month. Our EP is coming out on February 29th- our first ever band release. This is definitely like a bucket list thing for us, and I can’t believe that we get to do this. We might get tattoos on the trip to SXSW.
Basil: Actually, every time we rehearse or play the song New Hobby live and MK riffs on the spoken word part at the end makes me grin back there behind the kit. I love how her personality shines at the end there and it cracks me up, and amazes me, when she improvises the spoken word part to include an inside joke from earlier that day but she still nails the timing and the last line. She’s a real talent and I’m looking forward to people hearing the song on the record and being surprised and delighted by MK’s improvisations.
Nara: Bringing in my Nashville-strung guitar was really fun. We used it for Halo 22 I think and it was special to have my childhood guitar used on the recording.
One of the singles Silver Thread, off New Hobby, pulls inspiration from bands like Alvvays and Big Thief—two of our favorites! Were these bands you listened to growing up?
Growing up I listened to bands that kind of came before these groups. The Shins, Belle and Sebastian, Bon Iver, Sufjan Stevens, Yo La Tengo etc. There’s a solid pipeline from these bands to Alvvays and Big Thief!
Are there any other specific bands you’ve always looked up to that have also influenced the upcoming EP, or have elements you’d like to explore for future projects?
Madison Kate: A huge inspiration for this EP and the sound of Trinket is 90’s indie/alt rock. Anything ranging from The Sundays to Teenage Fanclub. We also love twee music, which was a big part of 90’s indie rock.
Basil: Madison and Sean wrote the drum parts for this EP but my playing is heavily influenced by the emo and rock bands I listened to as a teen, especially My Chemical Romance and Paramore. Nowadays I like to play along to Hotline TNT and Superdrag and try to emulate their solid beats, hard hits, and fast fills. My greatest influence as a drummer is of course a 170 BPM metronome.
Nara: MK and Sean wrote the EP, but for the next album I’d love to bring influences from Middle Eastern music into the project, like heterophonic and singing bass lines.
You recently played at Mercury Lounge in December. As a band, what are some of your favorite aspects of performing together? Are there any particular moments during live shows that you’ve found most rewarding?
Madison Kate: I love looking back behind me at the band in the middle of the show and seeing how much fun they’re having. It makes my heart feel like it’s glowing.
Basil: MK’s going to laugh but I love playing Purgatory in Queens, New York. It’s a queer-owned space, really intimate, not very big. I always have an amazing time there—it feels like our home.
Nara: I love standing right in the back next to Basil, our drummer. I don’t know why. I think the closer I am, the more connected I feel, and I think it shows through in the music. I like looking over and making a face laughing, or saying something to them between songs. A lot of New York venues, and maybe this goes for most venues in general, are tricky with sound, so I am never able to hear MK on stage, but I hear Basil, and I guess as rhythm section that’s the most important thing. I do hear MK’s banter and she is always making me laugh. Most of the time on stage I am laughing as we start the songs. There’s a lot of laughter in this band.
What’s one thing you all are looking forward to with the release of New Hobby?
Madison Kate: We’re going to have glittery cassettes of the EP for sale! This will be our first piece of physical music merch and I think getting to see it and hold it is going to be surreal.
Basil: We’re looking forward to recording the next damn record babe! Onward!
Nara: For it to be out!!!!!!!!
Before we let you *almost* go, where can we find more of you?!
You can follow my personal page: @yearning_enjoyer , Nara’s band @narasroom, Basil at @whagever and our amazing label at @sadclubrecords.
Let’s Get Deep
What’s your theme song?
Built This Way by Samantha Ronson. It’s a perfect early 2000’s pop song. Listening to the first 10 seconds makes you feel like you’re in a movie. Must listen.
Night In or Night Out?
I used to be night out, I am now so team night in.
When do you feel the most you?
I feel the most myself on a day I have off, with no plans, biking around brooklyn, and cooking myself a nice dinner.
What’s something you’re obsessed with right now?
I am obsessed with my Nintendo DS I found from middle school. I am currently playing Pokemon Emerald on it. Nintendogs is up next.
Call or Text?
Call? I am trying to be more call. I aspire to be Call. But when I have gossip, I text.
When was the last time you cried?
I cried this morning watching a video of an otter pulling a smaller otter onto its belly and them floating along in the sea together. It’s the little things.
When’s the last time you laughed?
Nara, Basil and I found some maracas in the studio last week during practice, and we created a song together while all taking turns freestyling on the racas. It went on for possibly waaaayyyy too long.
Current favorite follow on social media?
beaniebaby.otd on Instagram! They share a picture of a beanie baby every day.
Lastly, what’s one thing you would tell your 16-year-old self?
Your braces won’t be on forever.
Find more of Trinket here:
Band’s Instagram: @triinket
Madison Kate Proffitt: @yearning_enjoyer
Nara Avakian: @narasroom
Basil Lee: @whagever
Label: @sadclubrecords
Listen to Trinket’s Playlist: Here
Read our review of New Hobby: Here
