Musical group Vocal Trash, based out of the Dallas-Fort Worth area, performs for the crowd at the Comanche Trail Amphitheater Thursday afternoon during the Pops in the Park celebration. (HERALD Photo/Thomas Jenkins)
Vocal Trash, a musical quintet from the Dallas-Fort Worth area, proved to be a high-energy show opener for this year's Pops in the Park, held Thursday evening in Comanche Trail Park.
Mixing a cappella vocals, the occasional guitar or trumpet and high-tempo percussion playing on trash cans and whatever else is handy, the group is understandably difficult to label.
“Our shows are based on classic oldies combined with industrial instruments,” group founder Steve Linder said. “I've been trying to describe it to people for the past 10 years and there's not really a good way, except maybe to call it 'controlled chaos.'”
“I tell people we're five singers who can play drums, instead of five drummers who can sing,” said Kelsey Rae, the lone female in the group.
Linder, the group's “resident old guy,” formed Vocal Trash about nine years ago and got the idea for using trash can percussion after seeing a touring production of Stomp, a show that also features unusual but catchy percussion numbers.
“Basically, we were a show band first,” Linder said. “But we had a couple of trash can numbers that went over so well, we decided to build our whole show around it.”
Trash cans and water bottles are just some of the items that become makeshift drum sets in the hands of the five band members, who mix rapid-fire jokes and choreography into their shows. The group's mix of high-energy antics and family friendly fare was an equally big hit with both children and adults.
In fact, “high energy” could be used to described almost every aspect of a Vocal Trash show. The five members literally never stop moving.
“The two biggest responses I get from people are, 'Wow, you guys look like you have a lot of fun,' and 'Where do you get your energy?'” Linder said.
Rae, who also contributed a tap-dance routine to the show, said the group annually plays about 150 dates a year, playing mostly fairs and festivals, and will embark on its national summer tour July 16.
Despite the busy schedule and physically demanding shows, no one in the group feels close to calling it quits.
“Seeing the response we get from people in the audience, if it wasn't for that, I don't know how long we'd keep going,” Rae said. “That's what keeps me going ... so I can make people happy.”
Contact Staff Writer Steve Reagan at 263-7331 ext. 234 or by e-mail at
This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
