After hearing Chris Trapper was coming to town for a performance, it was decided to contact him for a quick Q&A to help promote the performance and get to know him a little before his show.
Q: First of all, I think its important to ask how your doing... Often times I think people forget singer/songwriters are people to, they have feelings, good days, bad days. So, how are you?
Chris: I'm very well, thank you. Just getting ready to play tonight in Syracuse, N.Y. where the winter weather today is semi-frightful. Aside from getting 4 hours of sleep last night (which has become the norm for me) I am feeling good.
Q: Have you ever been to the Prescott area before?
Chris: I've never been to Prescott, but I've heard it's beautiful. I've played Tempe, Phoenix, Scottsdale,Tucson, and Flagstaff, but this will be my first time in Prescott.
Q: Do you have a particular song, or album that you feel is a personal achievement?
Chris: As far as having a CD that's personal achievement, I think my "Gone Again" album would be my vote, If only because I was in such a creative space making the record. At the time, my rock n roll band, the Push Stars, had decided to go from full time job to semi-retirement, and I knew I had to go solo, but I wanted a clean slate creatively, so I talked to my buddy John Clark who leads a 7 piece jazz band, and asked if they'd make a CD with me. Now to differentiate, some people think jazz and they think Kenny G, but the Wolverine Jazz Band plays New Orleans style traditional, or Dixieland jazz, and have a median average band member age of about 60 years old.
So the process of blending styles was cool, and I got the most press I'd ever gotten nationally because the concept seemed to interest people. But mostly, the record itself is the testament that music knows no boundaries. It's played live, not with computers, and the engineer got really good sounds, so listening to it, you feel like you're in the room with us.
Q: Have you ever gotten stage fright, like when you first started and first saw the audience?
Do you still get that from time to time? Where you just need to take a few moments and collect yourself before going out there.
Chris: I always get stage fright. If I didn't, I'd think something was enormously wrong. My pre-show ritual is to feel like a sheep being led to slaughter, and the thoughts running through my head are "why the hell do I do this for a living, I'm such an idiot" My post show feeling is relief, success, a certain "ahhhhh, thank god that's over" And that feeling of fear and release is addictive.
Q: Do you feel your career as a singer/songwriter has had a jump since doing the song for August Rush?
Chris: No, not really any particularly huge jumps anywhere. What "August Rush" HAS done is help sustain my career and enable me to add a great story to my suitcase when I go out on the road, and also bring in enough money to put food on the table for a couple years when I'm home. My career has truly been a slow and steady marathon, and I'd love it no other way. I also think it was a beautiful movie, and a lot of people loved it, so being attached to it has lent a certain credibility around me in some people's eyes. Besides, whenever I've had songs in movies, my parents have tended to stop nagging me to get a real job...for about a year.
Q: After touring the US, do you have plans of touring overseas at any time in the future?
Chris: I just played in Scotland and Germany in December, and had a wonderful time. I have to say, it was the easiest touring I've ever done. I didn't have to drive anywhere, book any hotel rooms, and I was not allowed to pay for anything while I was there. (my hosts in Scotland threatened to beat the p*ss out of me if I revealed my wallet at any time) I'm going back in may.
Q: A lot of music out today tends to influence society, how they dress, act, talk... and some of that isn't always good influence. Do you hope your music will influence the younger generations?
How so?
Chris: I honestly don't think of myself as important enough to influence people. And that's just being honest. But at the same time, I guess most of the artists who DO influence people probably don't have a right to. Look, songwriting is an art form, and my vehicle is entertainment, but Saturday nights party is ultimately Sunday mornings memory, so I see it all as semi-meaningless. I love it, but I also use it as a release to get me through the stuff I'm going through. I guess it's selfish in that respect. But I think a good writer should always remember his / her audience, and I hope that people will hear an occasional nice message in my lyrics.
Funny, now that I think about it, there's a beautiful song by John Prine called "Hello in there" which influenced me maybe more than any other piece of artwork I've ever come across. The song's message is simple, getting old is lonesome and hard, but the last line goes " so if you're walking down the street sometime, and you spot some hollow ancient eyes, please don't just pass them by and stare, as if you didn't care, say hello in there, hello" and to this day, I always say hi to old people. True, it's not "smack my bitch up" but it is powerful to me.
Q: If you could say anything to the readers out there, and the people listening to your music, what would it be?
Chris: I would thank them. I know there are several million musical listening options, so for the fact that they not only stumbled onto my music, but actually listen, thanks.
I want to thank you very much for your time. I wish you the best of luck with your music and hope to hear more from you in the future!
His performance will be Friday, March 12, 2010 at Livy Lou's in Prescott, Arizona. Here's the details:
Date: Friday, March 12, 2010
Time: 8:00PM - 11:00PM
Location: Livy Lou's
Street: 208 S. Montezuma St
City/Town: Prescott, AZ
To get more information and request tickets call (928) 776-1969.
Pricing: $12 for tickets in advance, $15 for tickets at the door
There is limited seating so get your tickets early! Doors open at 7PM and the show will begin at 8:30PM.
Comments
"singer songwriters are people to" - you mean 'too' as in, 'as well'
Wow I think you need an editior.
Thanks Sasha! It must have just slipped my mind before, but you are right, I did mean too and had a typo.
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