These Trails

These Trails tend to be credited being a music group, though they weren’t 1 in the original sense. Instead, these were an ambitious group who came jointly under that moniker to make one prodigal (and rediscovered) self-titled psych-folk-world music record. Margaret Morgan and Patrick Cockett was raised on the isle of Kaua’i. Each have been learning traditional Hawaiian music independently; after their casual conference and exchange of sights and passions, they made a decision to continue their research while composing and playing music jointly. As they advanced, they added Dave Choy, who performed an ARP synthesizer, and Uruguayan musician Carlos Pardeiro on electric guitar and sitar; the group eschewed a drum package, instead using Hawaii’s traditional gourd drum, the ipu, as its percussion. The collective’s music is normally a vintage cut of Pacific folk-rock that melded psychedelia with several Hawaiian and worldwide folk customs. The group’s lone, eponymously entitled record was pressed privately and released locally over the Sinergia label in 1973. It slipped silently out of printing after going practically unnoticed. Several rabid vinyl enthusiasts found copies and started whispering about its eerie, sun-drenched quality, as well as the album obtained an underground cult of supporters. Drag Town re-released the record in 2011.