Pat Monahan might have left Erie for Los Angeles to pursue his music career, but Train’s newest song and music video show that he has not forgotten his Erie roots.
Train, the multiple award-winning rock band fronted by Monahan, recently released a new single called “Pennsylvania Turnpike.”
Monahan released a music video for the song that highlights his upbringing in Erie from his childhood home to his grade school and high school to where he eventually got his start in music.
“Our new song ‘Pennsylvania Turnpike’ is a love letter to growing up, to the roads and cities that shaped us, to becoming who we are today,” according to a post by Train on YouTube.
Let’s go down the roadmap presented through “Pennsylvania Turnpike” that led Monahan from Erie to his eventual success with Train.
Pat Monahan makes a trip back to Erie
Train released the new music video for “Pennsylvania Turnpike” on June 11. The video was in the form of an introduction to Monahan’s life and start to his career growing up in the Erie area.
The video begins with an intro of, “Hi, I’m Pat Monahan. I wrote this song to talk about my journey to San Francisco to form the band, Train. So, I decided to go to where it all began, my hometown of Erie, Pa.”
A look at Pat Monahan’s childhood
After the brief introduction, Monahan presents a look at his childhood home at 506 Beverly Drive, which he says the current owners “promptly kicked him off the premises after filming.”
Monahan then introduces his parents, Jack and Patricia Monahan.
Jack Monahan owned a clothing store, Jack Monahan LTD, in the Colony Plaza which is now AJ’s Classic Clothing at 2606 W. Eighth St.
It was Jack Monahan, who was also a musician, who sparked Pat Monahan’s interest in singing and performing.
“He would always say ‘if you’re not the smartest or the funniest, maybe you should sit this one out,’” Pat Monahan added in the captions of the video.
Meanwhile, Pat Monahan’s mother, Patricia, worked full time at Eriez Magnetics at 2200 Asbury Road, while raising a family with seven children. Pat Monahan was the youngest of the seven.
During his formative years in school, Monahan attended St. Jude School at 606 Lowell Avenue from first through eighth grade. It was at St. Jude that Monahan recalls memories from being punched in the face to playing a total of two minutes on the basketball team.
After St. Jude, Monahan went to McDowell High School at 3508 W. 38th St. The video credits included, “Special thanks to McDowell High School and St. Jude School.”
Monahan also highlighted Waldameer at 220 Peninsula Drive, which was where he spent countless hours with friends and received his first kiss on the sky ride.
It wouldn’t be a visit to Erie without a visit with a childhood friend. Jack Munch is highlighted in the “Pennsylvania Turnpike” video as Monahan’s childhood friend.
Monahan finds passion for music in Erie
It was at the age of 13 that Monahan found his passion for music thanks partly to World of Music at 1355 W. 26th St. where he got his first drum set.
In the video he mentions how school talent shows helped cultivate his singing skills.
Monahan got his true start playing in establishments throughout Erie, including Sherlock’s Bar which used to reside at 508 State St., which now is home to the Flagship City Food Hall.
It was at Sherlock’s that Monahan played a show with a band called Rogue’s Gallery. From Rogue’s Gallery, Monahan was noticed by Cher’s guitar player, David Shelley, who convinced him to move to California.
“If it wasn’t for that chance encounter, Train would not exist today,” Monahan noted in the captions of the video. “Every journey started somewhere. For me it started here (in Erie).”
Where to listen to Pennsylvania Turnpike
Train and Monahan fans can find the new song on Train.ink.to/PennsylvaniaTurnpike. Through this site you will find links to the song through YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, iTunes, Pandora, Soundcloud and YouTube Music.
Train will kick off their Drops of Jupiter: 25 years in the Atmosphere Tour on July 8 in West Palm Beach, Florida. The tour will end on Sept. 1 in Vancouver, Canada, unless additional dates are announced.
The closest Train will come to playing near Erie is in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, at Blossom Music Center on July 28 and in Toronto, Ontario on Aug. 4.
