Trevor Lloyd: A Journey Through Progressive Music
Trevor Lloyd began his musical journey at age 9, starting on the classical violin. As a young teenager, he transitioned to composing instrumental progressive music on the piano. Inspired by the sounds of Scarlet Rivera, the electric violinist from Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks, and further influenced by the progressive jazz and rock scenes, Trevor delved into the works of pioneers like Jean-Luc Ponty, David Grisman, Gentle Giant, Yes, Genesis, ELP, King Crimson, and The Dixie Dregs. This eclectic mix propelled him into the diverse realms of instrumental progressive music and the collaboration of violin and keyboard. Influenced by artists like Kit Watkins (Happy the Man), Tony Banks (Genesis), and Keith Emerson (ELP), Trevor's keyboard compositions drew from both jazz rock and progressive rock, with 20th-century neo-classical composers such as Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Ravel, and Stravinsky also shaping his style.
After a decade of classical training on the acoustic violin with masters such as Manuel Compinsky of the NBC Orchestra and L. Subramaniam of East Indian classical fame, Trevor expanded his musical horizons. He explored improvisation and composition across various genres, including jazz, blues, country, East Indian classical, and classical rock, while mastering the 5-string electric violin. He co-founded the jazz fusion band Underwater Traffic, releasing the CD Return to the Deep in 1996, which showcased his contemporary keyboard compositions alongside his lead and backing vocals with electric guitarist and co-founder James Musser.
In 2002, Trevor co-founded the band Audiosyncrocy with electric guitarist Dudley Brooks, affectionately known as Allan Holdsworth II. They released their self-titled CD in 2003. Other album credits include Clearlight's 'Infinite Symphony', Nick Ashron and Trevor Lloyd's ‘Twilight World’, Elfin Spiral's 'Pleidean Love Dance', Euphoria Station's “The Reverie Suite”, and most recently Two Skies Wide's “The New Happy”.
Throughout the early 2000s, Trevor toured Southern California and the western United States with the alt rock bands Orange Skyblue and Innertune, folk artist Trevor Green, and traditional and contemporary country bands Boomer McLennan and the Rhythm Rangers, and Dawson’s Gang. After nearly a decade of studio work in Los Angeles across various genres—including hip hop, jazz, rock, classical, and bluegrass—he released his solo CD Violin Tendencies in 2009, where he played all instruments.
In the realm of modern classical music, Trevor's composition “Sonata for Violin, Cello and Orchestra” was performed by the San Fernando Valley Symphony in 2003. His works continued to be showcased, with pieces like “Spider Walk” in 2013 and “Owed to Dmitri” in 2014 performed by The New Millenium Chamber Orchestra. More popular compositions, including “Song for a Glorious Day” and “Western Sleigh Ride,” were featured with the Paradise Symphony in 2021 and 2022. In 2023, chamber works such as “Hopes and Dreams” for Violin and Piano and “Prelude to a Dream” for Violin, Viola, and Piano were performed by members of The New Millenium Chamber Orchestra.
In 2021 and 2022, he released several videos with the North State Symphony, highlighting his chamber works, including “Child’s Play,” “Baroque ‘n Jazz,” and “Wistful Thinking” for string quartet, as well as “Windswept Alley Dance,” “Conversation Piece,” and “Ballad for Barbara” for piano trio.
After a decade of classical composition and performance, Trevor has returned to his jazz fusion and prog rock roots. He is currently performing monthly in the Chico area in Northern California with Two Skies Wide, and releasing videos featuring top performers from the Chico rock music scene, including tracks like “Tunnels in the Wind” and “Goin’ Back to Annie” with Decades band members Jen Benoit, Will Watje, and Webster Moore, as well as “Harmony Town,” featuring Chico jazz artist Shigemi Minetaka on keys, and “Timewheels” with his old Underwater Traffic bandmate Rob Ahlers on drums.