In 1990, Georgia band The Black Crowes released their multi-platinum debut album, “Shake Your Money Maker.” After over two decades together, the band disbanded in 2014. Steve Gorman was the drummer for The Black Crowes, but he has since gone on to co-found the band Trigger Hippy.
Lois Reitzes spoke with Gorman about creating the band and what he’s learned since leaving The Black Crowes.
“Chemistry is everything in a rock-and-roll band in terms of how that band’s going to manage long term,” Gorman said. “So it’s just important to find the right people, and again that’s a bit of an alchemy and a long-list of subconscious boxes you have to check off. So, I pay attention to those things now when creating a band.”
Trigger Hippy is currently touring for the first time in five years to support their sophomore album, “Full Circle & Then Some.” The band was initially founded by Gorman and bassist/songwriter Nick Govrik in 2009; they released their debut album in 2014. After two of the original band members returned to their solo careers, the band went on a hiatus for a few years. The Americana, blues rock band now features guitarist/singer Ed Jurdi and vocalist Amber Woodhouse alongside Govrik and Gorman.
“Personally, as a drummer, I think getting away from touring for a couple years was incredibly helpful. It just reset in my head why I loved playing drums in the first place. When Trigger Hippy stopped in 2015, it gave me a chance to look back and process that in 2014, the Black Crowes had ended as well, and that was 27 years of my life,” Gorman said. “It was good for me personally to have a long break away from music and away from the thought of being in a band in order to reset the deck if you will. The dust settled, and things in hindsight became very crystal clear to me.”
