Musician Found His Voice in Farmingdale

Chris Trent has become a lead singer and has a recorded two albums in a short time and he credits much of this success in the music industry to his hometown.

“Farmingdale is a place I can call home,” Trent said. “It is just a close knit community, where strangers become family and support themselves in time of need.”

Trent's band, Paging Grace, consists of fellow Farmingdale alum Phil Firetog on bass, Rafe Tangorra on drums, Bryan Mulholland on guitar, as well as David Wong on electric violin.

A Farmingdale native, Trent said his musical influences were Prince, "due to his charisma," Seal "because of his soulfulness," and Matchbox 20 for their songwriting.

Trent has been playing music since the age of eight and started performing professionally at seventeen, after graduating from .

In Farmingdale, several of his former educators inspired Trent to pursue music.

“The teachers in the Music Department of Farmingdale High School gave me the freedom to explore music as an individual without being biased or judgmental and this instilled a confidence in me,” Trent said.

A few teachers in the school district were particularly influential on him.

“Mr. Kramer was my music teacher in elementary school and then I was a part of the music program in high school," he said. "Ms. Michelle Lindsley was the chorus teacher who helped me find my voice. The entire music department at Farmingdale High School was supportive of my music talent.”

With regard to songwriting, Trent's songs are inspired by the lives of those he meets through his unusual work as a psychic. “Being psychic helps me channel my music on a spiritual level which lets me inspire and help people while still making catchy tunes," he said.

From all the songs he has written, his personal favorite is “Take Back Your Freedom." The song has a suggestive political overtone and is a tribute to Trent’s mother who beat her battle with cancer. “This song was about rediscovering what she had prior to her illness,” Trent said. 

The band’s name, “Paging Grace,” pays homage to Trent’s grandmother, whose name was Grace and was an influential woman during his childhood who he says "continues watching over him."

For hopefuls who aspire to start their own band, Trent's advice is simple.

“The best thing to do is to play out as much as they can no matter the venue," he said. "It is also important to use social media networking as much as possible.”

Paging Grace has seen success using these methods and has a new record coming out soon that takes a new musical direction.

"We are working on new material with producer Mike Watts at VuDu Studios in Port Jefferson," he said. "This material is a little more anthemic and bombastic. We are incorporating our newest member of the band, David Wong, on electric violin.”

Trent has big plans for Paging Grace

“[We want to] continue to inspire people on a massive level,” he said. “It seems that we are on the right track."