You know the song. Even if you think you don't, you do. That mandolin pluck from "Soul Sister" or the soaring "drops of Jupiter in her hair" line—Train has been a staple of adult contemporary radio for nearly three decades. But if you walked into a room with the current lineup, would you recognize anyone other than Pat Monahan? Honestly, probably not.
The story of the members of the band Train is basically a revolving door centered around one man's voice. It’s a classic rock and roll saga of creative differences, health scares, and the inevitable shift from a collaborative band to a solo project in all but name. People often forget that back in the late 90s, they weren't just the "Hey, Soul Sister" guys. They were a gritty, rootsy San Francisco outfit that sounded more like the Counting Crows than a pop juggernaut.
The Original Five: A San Francisco Spark
Let’s go back to 1993. Pat Monahan had just moved from Erie, Pennsylvania, to California. He met Rob Hotchkiss in the coffee house circuit. They started as a duo. Then came Jimmy Stafford, Charlie Colin, and Scott Underwood. This was the core. These were the members of the band Train who actually built the foundation.
When their self-titled debut dropped in 1998, they were a unit. You could hear it in "Meet Virginia." There was a certain organic, almost dusty quality to the music. Hotchkiss was a massive part of that sound. He was the primary songwriter alongside Monahan, providing the folk-rock sensibilities that grounded Pat's high-tenor acrobatics.
Then Drops of Jupiter happened in 2001. It changed everything. It won Grammys. It sold millions. But fame is a weird thing; it usually breaks the people who aren't at the very front of the stage. By the time their third album, My Private Nation, was being recorded, the cracks were deep.
The First Great Exit and the Shift to Pop
Rob Hotchkiss left in 2003. This was the turning point. When you lose the guy who co-wrote "Free" and "I Am," you lose a piece of the band's DNA. He reportedly left due to creative differences—the classic "I want to go this way, they want to go that way" trope. Shortly after, Charlie Colin, the bassist, was asked to leave. Monahan has been open about this in interviews, citing Colin's struggles with substance abuse as a primary reason. It’s a sad, common story in the industry.
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By 2006, the original vibe was essentially dead. They released For Me, It's You, which flopped compared to their previous hits. The band went on a three-year hiatus. Most people thought they were done. Gone. A nostalgia act for the VH1 crowd.
The Phoenix and the "Soul Sister" Era
When they came back in 2009 with Save Me, San Francisco, they looked and sounded different. Only Monahan, Stafford, and Underwood remained from the original lineup. They leaned hard into a polished, ukulele-driven pop sound. "Hey, Soul Sister" became a diamond-certified hit. It was inescapable. It was also the moment Train stopped being a "band" in the eyes of many critics and became "The Pat Monahan Show."
The members of the band Train at this stage were basically supporting players to Monahan’s increasingly dominant persona. Jimmy Stafford’s lead guitar was still there, but it was buried under layers of pop production. Scott Underwood’s drumming stayed solid, but the soul of the 1998 version of the band was largely replaced by a commercial juggernaut mentality.
The Final Original Members Depart
If you're keeping track, by 2014, the wheels really started coming off the original lineup. Scott Underwood left to pursue other creative interests. Then, in 2016, Jimmy Stafford—the last original member besides Pat—departed.
Stafford’s exit was the quietest but perhaps the most telling. There was no big blowout. It was just a "parting of ways." Since then, the lineup has been a rotating cast of incredibly talented session musicians and touring pros.
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Current regulars include:
- Taylor Locke on lead guitar (formerly of Rooney).
- Hector Maldonado on bass (who has been with them in some capacity since 2006).
- Jerry Becker on keys and rhythm guitar.
- Matt Musty on drums.
- Sakai Smith and Nikita Houston providing those essential backing vocals.
These guys are phenomenal musicians. They have to be to keep up with Monahan’s vocal demands. But they aren't the guys who sat in a San Francisco garage in 1994 dreaming of the radio.
Why the Lineup Changes Actually Matter
Some people say, "Who cares? As long as the singer is the same, it's the same band." I disagree. When the members of the band Train changed, the music lost its "edge." If you listen to "Mississippi" or "Heavy" from the first record, there’s a tension there. There’s a collaborative friction that disappeared when it became a solo project.
Monahan is a brilliant businessman and a world-class singer. He kept the brand alive. Most bands from the late 90s are playing state fairs. Train still sells out amphitheaters. That’s because Pat knows how to pivot. But the cost of that pivot was the collective identity of a group of friends.
The Legacy of Charlie Colin
We have to mention the tragic passing of Charlie Colin in 2024. He died after a fall in a shower while housesitting in Brussels. It was a shock to the fan base. Despite the messy way he left the band decades ago, Monahan posted a touching tribute, calling him "the sweetest guy." It reminded everyone that despite the legalities and the business of music, these were real relationships once. Colin’s bass lines on the first two albums are arguably some of the best in 90s pop-rock. He had a melodic sense that’s missing from the later, more programmed tracks.
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How to Follow the Band Today
If you’re looking to keep up with what the current members of the band Train are doing, you have to look at their live shows. That’s where the "band" element still lives.
- Watch the live stream archives. Monahan often brings the newer members into the spotlight during solos to show they aren't just hired guns.
- Check out Taylor Locke’s solo work. He’s a power-pop genius in his own right.
- Listen to the "Sail Away" podcast. Monahan is surprisingly candid about the band’s history and the struggles of maintaining a career for 30 years.
The reality of Train is that it is a vessel for Pat Monahan’s songwriting. The members are the architects who help him build the house, but he owns the land. Whether you prefer the roots-rock quintet of 1998 or the pop machine of 2024, the evolution is a fascinating study in how to survive the music industry. It’s not always pretty, and it’s definitely not the same group of guys, but the songs keep playing.
To really understand the band, go back and listen to the album Drops of Jupiter from start to finish. Ignore the title track for a second. Listen to "It's About You" or "Something More." You’ll hear what a full band sounds like when everyone is firing on all cylinders. That’s the high-water mark. Everything since has been a different kind of success, but that was the magic.
Your next move: Dig up a live performance from 2001 on YouTube. Compare the energy of that five-piece unit to a modern performance from 2024. You’ll see exactly how the dynamic shifted from a collaborative rock band to a polished pop production led by a singular frontman. It’s two different bands with the same name.