PA Line: The Journey of Musician Trever Stribing

PA Line (Photo Provided)

When it comes to the story of musician Trever Stribing and his band PA Line, there are many points at which one could begin.

There’s the group’s growing reputation as one of the most unique and talented indie bands hailing from Buffalo’s diverse music scene.

There’s the fact PA Line boasts a resume of touring 28 states, four countries and two continents with its brand of “True-Grit Americana” which has landed them on a range of festival bills including Great Blue Heron, GrassRoots and Borderland Music & Arts.

There’s the group’s seminal LP released last year — coinciding with the band’s 10th anniversary — titled ‘dENIAL,’ a concept album Stribing says examines his personal journey of acceptance.

But let’s start with the name — ‘PA Line’ — and what it is and what it is not, because ‘what it is’ is the very essence of what motivates and defines Trever Stribing.

‘PA Line’ is not a reference to the Pennsylvania border, over which cheap fireworks are sold. Rather, the ‘PA’ in PA Line represents the words “Peace, Always,” the motto which Stribing’s stepfather, Jeff — who adopted Stribing and his four sisters — lived by until the day he died.

“He would sign everything: ‘Peace Always, Jeff Stribing.’ It was a mantra,” Stribing said. “My dad had a lot of pain and struggle. He had a disease, mucopolysaccharidosis, or MPS1. It’s a genetic disease that caused inflammation. He lost his sight. With the daily struggles there was daily pain. But he would still sign off using ‘Peace, Always.’ He was peaceful, (but) he wasn’t passive.”

Peaceful but not passive: It was who Jeff Stribing was. It's who Trever Stribing would

Trever Stribing (Photo by Benjamin Joe)

become.

While guided by his father’s words, Stribing, as a child, was also inspired by sound, whether it be a cricket, a weed whacker, or what have you. The cadence of sound — ultimately evolving and leading Trever to beatboxing, which he performed while his sister sang. Then, one Christmas, his mom got him a snare drum. He cried. He wanted a full set. But he made do, using a pair of bongos to complete his own makeshift drum kit.

But it was an incident at camp where, perhaps, everything came together for Stribing. There was a girl, Maggie, who was enthralled by a camper playing ‘Wonderwall’ on guitar. Jealousy arose in Stribing and from that day he knew he had to learn the instrument.

“I’m over here ripping up on the drum kit in the band room and no one is paying attention to me. They were into the ‘Wonderwall’ guy. ‘He’s so dreamy!’” Stribing said, recalling that fateful day. “As soon as I got home, I met up with my friend, and I said, ‘teach me guitar!’ So, he taught me a couple of chords. I taught myself all these riffs and was super into it. Long story short, Maggie is now my wife, so I won.”

Though he still plays drums, often times getting behind a kit at 16 Ellicott Bar and Grill where he hosts an open mic, Stribing can usually be found at Hot Mama’s Canteen, Buffalo Distilling Company or Nietzsche’s jamming on acoustic guitar.

Meanwhile, though he remains led by his father’s mantra of ‘Peace, Always,’ Stribing isn’t necessarily one to walk away from a fight when it comes to standing up for those from marginalized and oppressed communities — something he said that became especially important to him during the Black Lives Matter movement which emerged in wake of the murder of George Floyd at the hands of police.

“During the lockdowns there was a lot of hate and violence and protests,” he said. “The Black Lives Matter movement; I did my research on what it was and took a stance. I definitely got some shade from some people who said I wasn’t being ‘peaceful.’ But my stance was, ‘here’s the issue at hand. That doesn’t negate other issues, but this is the broken arm right now. Let’s focus on mending that.’ People told me, ‘You shouldn’t have done that, it’s going to cause problems.’

“Some said, ‘whatever happened to ‘Peace, Always’? No, no. It’s still peaceful. It’s not passive,” said Stribing. “I’m not going to let someone be hurtful, hateful, violent. I’m not going to stand by. I don’t carry a sword, but I’ll always carry a shield.”

Call it part of Trever Stribing’s journey, like the one which inspired the subject matter on PA Line’s ‘dENIAL.’

“The entire concept of dENIAL, it’s more of a journey of acceptance. Or even, more so, the struggle with acceptance in different manners in one’s life,” said Stribing. “The first track ‘Where I Belong,’ that’s the feeling there isn’t anywhere to go. So lyrically, I’m talking to my internal struggle and communication with God in a sort of casual conversation, or in a sort of prayer.”

One place, however, in which Stribing has no doubt that he belongs is PA Line.

“I’m always PA Line. It’s not just a band,” he said. “It’s more than that for me. I have no intention of not being PA Line. There can be evolutions, there can be adaptations to what PA Line becomes. But as long as I’m on this earth, PA Line will be here. It’s not just a band. It’s an ideal.”