Atreyu Guitarist Doesn’t Regret Playing for Trapt

Travis Miguel has been the rhythm guitarist for Atreyu since 2000, but during the band’s three-year hiatus in the early 2010s, Miguel served as the lead guitarist for Trapt. In a new interview, the musician looks back at his time in the newly polarizing band, sharing that he wouldn’t join Trapt today, but doesn’t regret his time with the group.

Trapt frontman Chris Taylor Brown spent much of 2020 arguing on Twitter, getting into heated exchanges while supporting then-President Trump’s COVID response, blaming George Floyd in-part for his own death, defending sexual relationships between underage teenage boys and adult women, praising neofascist group the Proud Boys and more.

A large portion of the rock and metal world revolted against Chris Taylor Brown, while drummer Michael Smith says he quit Trapt due to Brown’s online behavior. Brown refutes his former drummer’s claims.

“I don’t have any ties to that band,” Travis Miguel tells the BREWtally Speaking Podcast. “I was never even really officially in the band. I just acted as the touring guitarists for like a year, year and a half.”

He continues, “I’m pretty confident that people know that I don’t have the same political stance as Chris Taylor from that band … I don’t regret having spent time filling in on guitar for that band at all. I mean, I got paid to play guitar … But then again, that being said, this was before the whole, I guess if you want to call a meltdown or whatever it was. Had that happened, you know, had I been asked to join after said meltdown, I probably would have steered clear from it. But you know, things panned out the way they did, and I came out unscathed. So, yeah I’m stoked.”

Miguel also describes how playing lead for Trapt made him a better musician. “I had to learn all these songs and I figured, ‘Well you know, it’s just basic, you know, radio rock. How hard can it be?’ There’s actually a lot of weird nuances and stuff that I had to adjust to and get used to. And I’m actually thankful for that because it made me a better guitar player and a better musician. And it also, in turn, made me a better touring musician.”

Travis Miguel (Atreyu / Fake Figures) on the BREWtally Speaking Podcast

Trapt’s social media accounts were removed from Twitter, Instagram and Facebook in late 2020 for violating community standards. As for Atreyu, they’ll be releasing the new album Baptize (their first without vocalist Alex Varkatzas) on June 4.