Trino

09/01/2026

Joe Bennett passed away Friday. He left behind his wife Sherry, his children, and more people than I can count whose lives were better for knowing him. It was unexpected and it was too soon.

Joe was one of my earliest and most important magic mentors. He lived in Paw Paw, Michigan, same small town as me, which still makes no sense because Paw Paw has produced more magicians than any other town its size. Joe was just one of those people who was always there.

I was twelve years old when Joe started teaching me magic. He was a huge part of my first public performances and helped me build what would become my first real stage act. A character called “Papa T”, a greaser with a leather jacket, slicked back hair, and a voice that was like Fonzie doing a worse Italian accent. We would work on that together, doing voices back and forth, building the act. I competed with it and performed at the Celery City Showcase, Michigan Magic Day, Abbotts Magic stage and close-up competition, school talent shows, and the Kalamazoo State Theater. Joe was part of building all of it. He also took me to magic conventions. My parents could not always make it so Joe would drive me, look after me, and make sure I was okay. I did not think much about it at the time. I have thought about it more now.

He always pushed me toward doing things differently. Not trying to be like anyone else. Figuring out what made me unique. He would ask things like how would you perform this? What would make this yours? Looking back I think that went beyond magic. The questions he asked about how to build an act, why you do things a certain way, what makes something yours, those questions have a way of showing up in other parts of your life too. Having opinions. Having convictions. Making decisions and owning them. In hindsight I think there were a lot of times Joe believed in what I was doing more than I believed in myself.

A couple weeks ago I saw him at the Abbott Magic Get Together. He was talking about wanting to book a cruise ship. Always striving for the next goal. Always working on new material and refining the existing. That is exactly who Joe was.

Joe understood the power that comes with being a magician. What it actually means to call yourself one. He did not take that lightly. He was always ready to make someone’s day. Always ready to brighten a moment. He would not linger. He would perform something that brought people together, made them smile, made them feel something, and move on having left things better than he found them. He left magic better than he found it. That is a lesson every magician who knew him should carry forward.

I was going through my magic library and pulled out my copy of Tarbell Volume One. Joe gave me that book very early on. When I opened it I saw what he had written inside the front cover.

Trino, may this be the beginning of your magic library. You have already come a long way. Continue to learn and strive to be the best magician you can be. - Joe

He was quirky. He was kind. He wanted to see people succeed and he wanted everyone to feel included. He was a good one.

Rest easy Joe. Thank you for everything.

09/01/2026

Ionia Freak Fair was the concert of the summer!
Good music and good people. Congrats to Billy Strings and team for building something this special and bringing it home to Ionia. 🎪☀️🎡

08/25/2026

Six seasons goes fast when you are doing something you love.

Honored to have shared the Koning Micro-Cinema at Wealthy Theatre with so many incredible performers and audiences over the years. Those 60 seats gave me an excuse to bring friends from all over the country to Grand Rapids, share a stage, and put world class entertainment in front of thousands of you.

Here is what is changing, where Amaze & Amuse is going, and something new coming to Grand Rapids that I think you are going to psyched about!

Full post at the link.

07/25/2026

Beaver Island. Round two. And somehow even better than last year! Ashley and I took the ferry over this trip, a beautiful ride about thirty miles out into Lake Michigan. Arrived to find a handmade sign out front at the Beaver Island Community Center welcoming us for what turned out to be the biggest event of their season so far! Oversold. Every seat filled.

Sharing the stage with my wife is one of my favorite things and traveling together to an enthusiastic audience makes it even better.

In between we wandered into the Beaver Island Toy Store which is exactly as wonderfully weird as it sounds. Floor to ceiling vintage toys, model planes hanging from the ceiling, stuff you haven’t ever seen. I picked up a few things. Stayed at the Erin Motel overlooking the lake.

If you have never been to Beaver Island, go. We will be back. 💚🧡🦫

07/22/2026

Happy 50th Anniversary to Yesterdog! 🌭 Thanks to Pat and Lisa for having me out to celebrate. Got to spend some time with American Pie writer and magic lover Adam Herz, which was a pretty cool full circle moment. Adam was mentored by June Horowitz as a kid right here in Grand Rapids.

07/14/2026

Going back to Beaver Island this Monday and this time we are taking the ferry. Last Summer, Ashley and I flew in on a tiny plane with a stack of Amazon packages. I did a show. We watched shooting stars from a swing set overlooking the bay. It was one of those trips that reminded me how much I love this job.

Been thinking about going back ever since.

Monday July 20th at 6:30 PM at the Beaver Island Community Center. If you are on the island come say hi. If you know someone who is, send this their way. 🦫💚🧡

P.S. Ashley is performing as a special guest as well! See you soon!

07/03/2026

See you at the lake! Happy Birthday America! 🇺🇸🎇

06/29/2026

Detroit with my favorite person last week. Shinola Hotel, Third Man Records, the Detroit Institute of Arts, so much delicious food. Didn’t want to leave.

06/25/2026

Five years ago today I lost my little brother Luc.

I remember pulling into that hospital parking ramp. My mom, my sisters, Tonya and Ben were there. Then my dad showed up, he'd driven from Detroit. Then Ashley, leaving from work. Then my grandpa Ron. One at a time, meeting them out front, walking them back through the check-in desk. I remember squeezing everyone's hand before we walked back in together. My whole world had stopped.

Luc was alone the night of June 24th when his actions led to serious self-harm. He suffered third degree burns over his entire body. We don't know exactly what he was thinking or feeling that night. But in his confusion and pain he miraculously got himself to a phone and made a call for help.

He wanted to live.

While I was sitting in that hospital, still trying to process that my brother was likely not going to survive, life kept demanding things from me. I had to find another performer to cover my show the following week. Figure out logistics, make sure it was handled. I had to do all of that before I could even allow myself to feel what was happening. Before I could live in this reality.

In the months that followed, some days the biggest thing I did was get from the bed to the couch. My cat Cannoli wouldn't let me disappear completely.

Su***de has touched my life more than once since losing Luc. Every time it feels like time stops while the world keeps moving around you.

Luc's Light Youth Music & Arts Foundation exists because of him. Beauty from broken.

Show up for each other. Be kind. Support young performers and artists. If you're looking for a sign to stay, this is it.

Luc was NOT DONE. Neither am I. Neither are you.

If you or someone you know is struggling with thoughts of su***de or just needs someone to talk to, please don't sit in it alone. Call or text 988.

💛 I miss you Lucas

P.S. This fall I'll be speaking in more high schools about passion, purpose, and perseverance and about how students are leaders right now, today, with the ability to impact their families and communities in a real way. If you're an educator or school leader and want to bring that conversation to your students, reach out.

06/15/2026

Free family magic show this Wednesday at the Holland Kids' Concert Series. Holland Ice Park, 12:30 PM, all ages, no tickets needed. Tell your friends, your cousins, your neighbors, and your neighbor's cousins. Basically everyone except the city of Holland, since they already know. Kidding, tell them too........ Mayor Nathan Bocks

Holland Parks & Recreation Downtown Holland

Grand Rapids based comedy magician and four-season Masters of Illusion star Trino is bringing a free family magic show to Holland's Kids' Concert Series this Wednesday, June 17 at 12:30 PM at the Holland Ice Park. The series is sponsored by Haworth with support from the Michigan Arts & Cultural Coun...