There are few musicians as talented and universally respected as Steve Lukather and Phil Collins – both on their respective instruments and from a songwriting point of view. And it turns out that their musical gifts have been handed down to their children, as evidenced by the new group The Effect, which unites their sons Trev Lukather and Nic Collins – with both having taken up the same instruments as their famous pops. 

The band – which also includes Toto's Steve Maggiora on keyboards and newcomer Emmett Stang on vocals – has issued two songs as videos, 'Unwanted' and 'Something Wrong,' played shows, and are eyeing the release of a full-length debut in the near future. Three-quarters of the quartet were recently interviewed by BraveWords correspondent Greg Prato, and gave him the lowdown about their formation, influences, and future plans.

BraveWords: How, when, and where did The Effect form?

Trev Lukather: "Last May is when I pulled the trigger to start what would become The Effect. It was an idea I was personally fighting to follow through with because of my last band experience. But then I kept thinking, 'If I thought every relationship was the same like how it was with an ex, then I wouldn't be happily married right now.' Nic, Em and Steve are gems as people, not to mention how incredible they are at what they do. So, it turned into a song experiment which became 'Unwanted.' That proved to us that the creative energy was in full swing as well as personal connections as brothers."

"Lee Sklar and Amy Keys - who toured with both my pop and Nic's dad - kept saying how Nic and I needed to meet. We both followed each other on Instagram, and we ended up hanging in Miami when my wife and I were stuck there after a failed reality show pilot I was flown out to shoot was canceled, due to the producer and director coming to blows. Nic and I instantly connected as friends, and we really wanted to do something together, most likely a session for me since I produce a lot. Then Instagram did it again, and brought Emmett into my feed. His cover of Peter Gabriel's 'In Your Eyes' - Madison [Trev's wife] and my wedding song. Just him and an acoustic guitar blew us away. We followed each other and would send supportive DMs. I thought maybe I can produce his solo record."

"We eventually got on the phone and had a 3 hour convo, and I realized Em and I connected personally on many levels. It was like we were long lost friends catching up. At the time I was working on my solo record with Steve Maggiora, who is a bro of 13+ years. Steve brought so much to the table, I thought how crazy good it would be to be in a band together and not just my solo band. A real band! The anxiety was high, and man, I fought the thoughts but I knew it was the right move to bring these amazing people together, and I'm so happy I did. I'm happy I didn't cave into my negative thoughts, because I haven't been more proud of an album in my life, and truly feel like I have a band of brothers I can count on."

Nic Collins: "I met Trev in January 2023 after having been friends on Instagram for a bit. We had dinner and totally hit it off. At the time, Trev didn't have much interest in forming a band, but we talked about working together in a session since he does a lot of production work. Fast forward a couple of months, Trev hit me up when I was on the road with Mike + The Mechanics, and mentioned forming some sort of supergroup along with Emmett and Steve. The first track we worked on was 'Unwanted,' and the supergroup idea turned into a real band. It was a really natural and organic process where we knew we could write good songs together, and we ended up connecting and really getting along as people."

BraveWords: Who are the band's influences?

Nic Collins: "The cool thing about The Effect is the influences apply more to each individual than they do as a whole band. We never had a conversation about what kind of band we wanted to be or what genre of music we were going to write. The music we make is literally what happens when the four of us write songs together with each person bringing their unique take and influences. Personally, my favorite drummers are John Bonham, Danny Carey, Taylor Hawkins, Abe Cunningham, Gavin Harrison, Jon Theodore, Stewart Copeland, and my old man, Phil Collins, of course. [Laughs] There's a laundry list of more drummers I could name, but those are the first that come to mind. When it comes to bands, I like plenty of different genres but I'd say that my main influences come from the progressive rock and metal world. So, it's been fun for me to try and incorporate those influences in a pop-rock setting with The Effect."

Trev Lukather: "My personal influences as a producer are Trevor Horn and Mutt Lange. Mutt's massive drum sounds and undeniable choruses with Trevor and Mutt's insane vocal production and arrangements always hit my soul every time I hear one of their productions on the classic albums they were behind."

"As an artist/guitarist excluding the obvious - my pop and Toto - which of course are the reason why I play today. My artist influences are Peter Gabriel (So is my all-time favorite album) David Gilmour. His solos are just pure taste with no flash, it sticks out when you sing with your guitar. There are enough shredders in the world that could kick everyone's ass, so why bother? I love funk heavy riffs, so I gotta give Tom Morello some love for his undeniable riffs I listened to growing up - with Rage and Audioslave. Jimmy Page with legendary Led Zeppelin riffs, as well. Riffs with feel is everything to me. Make someone feel good as they get the aggression of headbanging out all at the same time!"

"Steve Perry has been a mentor to me since I was 20. We still talk all the time, and he gives me solid advice. He said to me when I was trying to shred at 21, 'Stop! What do you want in the front row? Guys or girls?' I laughed and replied, 'Girls, of course.' He said, 'Stop doing that and play the front row licks. Singing with your guitar is everything.' Hence, why Neal Schon was a huge influence growing up listening to those Journey records. After working with Perry on my last band Levara's debut album, I knew Steve had a lot to do with those legendary Neal Schon melodic solos but you also can't deny the feel behind Neal's performance, feel and tone. Now, my father in law (Jonathan Cain) has been so supportive with the help of pushing this band forward, and one of the best songwriters ever, so I'm very lucky to have had great relationships with a lot of the artists that have influenced me through the years. Haven't met Peter Gabriel, Mutt or Trevor, but that would be an honor."

BraveWords: What are some memories of writing/recording "Unwanted"?

Emmett Stang: "'Unwanted' was our first attempt, the testing of the waters for this project. It's always a question of 'do we have writing chemistry?' 'Unwanted' really set the tone. We're going for something alternative in the verse to reel you in, followed by a chorus you can sing along to; it has that pop element. My aim was to ally that with a darker angle of the narrative and get some edge in the lyrics."

Trev Lukather: "'Unwanted' was the experiment that started it all. I had the riff brewing in a session that I didn't know what to do with prior to The Effect but I knew it was a special one. I mapped out the riff, verse and chorus. Steve finalized the pre chorus and bridge to have the foundation of the song ready to go. Nic was on tour with The Mechanics, so we had to basically track to my lame midi drum idea until Nic could get into a studio and bring what he ended up bringing to the table. When Nic tracked the drums, we got kicked in the gut of how powerful his performance was. It was all forming into this unique blend and sound as a band. Emmett and I wrote the top line over FaceTime before he came to the house/studio to track, so we all knew the song was strong. But it took a whole new life when I tracked Em's vocals. Knocked the song out in a couple of hours. The classic line, 'So, what's for lunch?'" [Laughs]

Nic Collins: "As I mentioned earlier, Trev sent me the idea for 'Unwanted' when I was on the road with Mike + The Mechanics. I've previously joked that the main riff to 'Unwanted' was basically Trev's business card to all the guys in the band to convince them to join. That being said, it didn't take much convincing. Once I heard that riff I was in, but since I was on the road, I wasn't able to write and track my parts for a little bit. Usually, when we write songs, Trev starts it off and then sends me an idea where I craft my own drum part. But since I wasn't going to be in the studio for a bit, this was the only song where everyone else basically had their parts finished by the time I could write and record my own. But even from the early versions of the tune, I could tell everybody was extremely talented and all had a knack for writing great songs."

BraveWords: Memories of writing/recording "Something Wrong."

Nic Collins: "'Something Wrong' came up when we were a few songs into making the album. We had honed in to our process of creating together, and Trev sent me the guitar map out of the song. From there, I got into the studio with it and started playing around with different ideas. Once I got something I was happy with, I FaceTimed Trev and we went over the drum part and bounced any ideas or notes we had off of each other. I tested the waters with some double kick on the guitar solo, which Trev loved, so I was super stoked about that. Working with Trev as a producer has been awesome since he really pushes me to be myself on the kit, and go with my gut. Much like a lot of the songs on the album, the drum part to 'Something Wrong' was recorded the same day I wrote it."

Emmett Stang: "'Something Wrong' is anchored by Trev's guitar riff, and the verse sections needed a melody that had space to highlight what he was doing. Steve brought catchy parts to the pre and chorus which helped evolve the melodic tone there. Nic blew my mind with his double kick pattern in the back half of Trev's guitar solo. I thought, 'There are so many influences that make this track!' The challenge for me was the range of vocal colors the music was calling for; each section was begging for a unique vocal approach."

Trev Lukather: "At the point of tracking Something Wrong, we were really gelling as a band. We got more musical with our arrangement. Synchronized riffs and parts with the drums. Nic bringing the double kick mid guitar solo. We were really bringing our A game to every song. Experiments that were always turning into a success. We were wondering what the top line for the chorus would be and when Steve tracked his lead key part over the chorus, that ended up being the lead vocal melody. It changed the whole direction of the top line for the song. A soul punching melody that sticks in your head. We were very excited about this tune. It took a life of its own."

"The lyrics poured out easily. We were hoping the chorus wasn't too high for Em to sing, but when he got on the mic, it was like butter. When we tracked the chorus first, I was like 'Well, We have a serious song here' we were giggling and just tripping on how great everything was turning out. Those are the moments you cherish while making music."

BraveWords: Also, some memories of filming videos for both songs.

Trev Lukather: "My wife Madison has directed and styled us for every video and photoshoot. Her and her sister Liza Cain started a company called The Sisters Closet, newly adding Michelle Weber into the mix - who's an incredible photographer and videographer. But Michelle is involved in the new video and pictures to come. They are really crushing it for us. Madison brought so much of her incredible energy to the look of the 'Unwanted' video. It's fast paced and fun! She was 100,000% immersed in her artistic direction. We followed her down the rabbit hole and we are glad we did. To see a strong visual to 'Unwanted' when it was all said and done was another high on how this is really coming together in all forms. Musically and visually."

Nic Collins: "We filmed the music video for 'Unwanted' the first week we all met and hung out as a band. Originally, the idea was just to jam and run through the songs we had written at the time, and see how we vibed and gelled as musicians and people. Trev's wife, Madison, who directed the music video, and her sister, Liza, came by and the idea came up to shoot a music video in the room we were rehearsing in. It was a really cool and beautiful moment since nothing was really planned and we all just went with the flow. It was a cool and exciting time in the band's brief history and we felt we captured that in the video. For 'Something Wrong,' it was a bit trickier since I wasn't able to film it with the rest of the guys in LA since I live in Miami. But we did what we could and Madison killed it again with the looks and vibe for the video."

BraveWords: Is a full-length on the horizon?

Emmett Stang: "A full-length record was always part of the plan, and just around the time of the New Year we wrapped what's gonna be our debut album. The record is a culmination of this inspired collaboration, as well as our journey as brothers up to that point. It's a record we hope has more than just one song our listeners are going to want to hear over and over, and get behind at our live shows!"

Trev Lukather: "Yes. The album is mastered and finished. The goal now is to raise awareness for the band with the two songs we have out now to really give this full length album a solid chance to success - other than just prematurely putting it out. You are a part of that awareness, so thank you! This album is strong and it deserves a chance to be heard by a big audience. A lot of things are moving now and it seeming to be moving in the right direction to bring a new single and album to the world sooner than later."

Nic Collins: "Yes! It's fully finished, mixed and mastered. Now it's just about finding the right time and place to put it out. We all believe in the record and feel it should be out to as many people as possible. So, we're just waiting for the timing to line up."

BraveWords: How do you think The Effect fits in with current rock music?

Nic Collins: "I think The Effect brings a unique take to the current rock music scene. I feel rock has been a bit stale recently, and The Effect brings back hooks and accessible songwriting to the genre. In addition, we all like heavy music, so there's lots of big riffs and moments that are mixed in with the pop sensibility."

Emmett Stang: "The Effect has a unique sound and intention. Our M.O. was to create material we felt had musical and lyrical value, but we're all about having fun, perhaps the essential element. Beyond the music, we're a party band; we're here to entertain. We want to give people a good time and while we're having a riot on stage everybody's invited."

Trev Lukather: "I think we fit well. We are sonically different, but that's a good thing. We don't want to be a clone of another band that's already out. There are a lot of bands using the same producers and mixers and it can sound exactly the same. We have our own voice and most times, that's a harder sell but with a bigger pay off. We want to stick out and we will the more we build the buzz."

BraveWords: What can people expect from seeing the band live?

Nic Collins: "Above all else, everyone in the band are musicians and care about their craft. We really try to showcase that with the live show. Other than being very high energy, there's lots of musicianship on display. Also, on the album, the band covers a lot of ground sonically ,so we're able to connect with different audiences based on what type of music they listen to. There's definitely something for everybody in the band's material."

Trev Lukather: "A fun, feel good, high energy set. We have seen people connect with us live, and that's the best feeling. We opened for Steel Panther for two shows at House of Blues San Diego and Anaheim. They didn't know who we were or that there was a band opening. We won them over just by our performance and music. That is what matters! That was another boost of confidence rolling this album out."

BraveWords: Have Steve Lukather and Phil Collins heard The Effect yet, and if so, what were their thoughts?

Trev Lukather: "My pop is a big fan of the band. He's been at a couple of our shows already and LOVES the album. He thinks it should be heard and deserves to be heard. He is taken back by the music business now, and keeps saying, 'You guys would have a number one record right now if the business was not what it is now a days.' It's a lot harder with the over saturation, but we believe and know that as we keep working hard and knocking on every door we can, this will be successful. We can sell it live, and as a rock band, that's everything."

Nic Collins: "My dad hasn't heard the full album yet, but I've showed him a couple tunes, and he's really digging what we're doing. He's loving what everybody brings to the table, and the melodies and choruses that we have throughout the tunes."

BraveWords: Future plans? 

Nic Collins: "At the moment, we're going to try to pick up more shows and get on the road and just continue building the project. We're hoping to build a strong fan base and eventually put the full record out this year."

Trev Lukather: "Picking up as many shows as possible leading up to summer, where we already have booked some shows in Europe. More details to come. Too soon to announce, but when it's all mapped out, that will lead to our decision of an album release date."

(Top photo – Michelle Weber / Styling – The Sisters Closet)