Eddie Trager started Take & Take in 2016 while traveling through the jungles of Antioquia, Colombia. Ideas emerged through the haze, riffed on acoustic guitar, written in midi, or vice versa. Their forms had coalesced in time for live demos during the 2020 lockdown in Xiamen, China. Take & Take is the sound of personal struggle and awakening, of greed and gain, of telling lies and being lied to, of deep disappointment and personal loss, the rise of ego, and the inevitable fall. It is also a triumph; a grand “fuck you” to the world shouted with abandon; a poetic testament to the power of heavy music. Take & Take is for those who listen. Listen!
The debut album, “Disillusion”, will be released on March 22, 2024. From concept to concrete, all ideas, writing, instrumental and vocal performances, and even the hand-drawn cover art was completely produced by Eddie Trager. But he wasn’t totally alone. The legend, the excellent Matt Bayles (who had a hand in some of Eddie’s favorite albums of all time) handled mixing duties at Red Room in Seattle. For mastering, metal production titan Jens Bogren took control at his very own Fascination Street Studios in Malmo, Sweden.
The album takes cues from diverse progressive musical influences, from artists like Ihsahn, Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Opeth, Mastodon, Wilderun, and The Mars Volta, to the vibrant Jacob Collier, the Beatles, Queen, and Yes, while still maintaining a songwriting craft that at times retains pop sensibilities, and at others throws traditional forms out the window.
Eddie hopes this album will blow the tops and bottoms off all listeners.