Train

Jimmy Stafford, Rob Hotchkiss and Pat Monahan formed the original version of the group in 1994 in San Francisco. At the time, they would trade off on lead vocals and Monahan was the drummer. They mostly played acoustic sets at small venues, and it quickly became clear that Monahan was better suited as a singer - and songwriter - than a drummer, so he became their frontman.

Before they got big comfy tour buses, Train toured in a van that caught on fire twice. After the second time, in 1998, they had to rent a Ryder truck to finish their tour.

They were formed in San Francisco, but Monahan came there from Erie, Pennsylvania, where he had been in a band that specialized in Led Zeppelin covers.