Former Paul Weller Sidemen Steve White And Damon Minchella Re-Emerge In Trio Valore

Drummer Steve White and bassist Damon Minchella, both of whom played with Paul Weller for years, have formed a new band and released an album with the new group. The band is known as Trio Valore and also includes keyboardist Seamus Beaghen. (Beaghen had played with Morrissey in the past.) Trio Valore’s album is titled The Return of the Iron Monkey, and is comprised of instrumental rock that brings to mind the great 1960s American band, Booker T & the MGs. (Trio Valore is sometimes augmented by a guitarist when performing live.)

Steve White, who had played with Paul Weller since the days of The Style Council, and Damon Minchella, who was Weller’s bassist for over a decade (as well as being a member of Ocean Colour Scene with Weller’s guitarist, Steve Craddock) both left the Weller fold before the recording of Weller’s latest album, 22 Dreams. White’s departure, in particular, came as a shock to longtime Weller fans, since White had been performing with Weller since White’s teenage years.

White and Minchella also performed with The Who at the Live 8 London show at Hyde Park in July 2005 because The Who’s usual drummer and bassist–Zak Starkey and Pino Palladino, respectively–were not available for that performance.

Some of Trio Valore’s music can be heard on their MySpace page. I liked what I heard. It’s rocking, uptempo stuff.

To watch a clip of Trio Valore perfroming in Milan, Italy this past June, click below:

For more on Trio Valore, see:
http://www.myspace.com/triovaloreinc