Rising Musician Trapper Schoepp Sticks to His Roots

UW-Milwaukee alum Trapper Schoepp released his newest album “Rangers & Valentines” on April 1. This album, though, was no April Fool’s joke.

The 25-year-old musician’s second album offers a classic rock-and-roll background with a country feel. As he sat at Milwaukee’s Urban Ecology Center sipping a cup of coffee, he discussed his sound with great detail.

“Genres are meaningless to me to be honest,” said Schoepp. “Genres can help steer people in a certain direction, but I think the easiest way to describe my music would be ‘roots rock’ because that umbrella fits a lot of things under it.”

Roots are a very important aspect in Schoepp’s life. His album, which consists of narrative-based songs rooted in stories, each has a voice of its own while staying tied together.

Milwaukee has been Schoepp’s home for several years now. Because it is in the center of America, he can entertain nearly any American touring idea he has. He enjoys being close to other big cities like Madison, Chicago and Minneapolis.

“There are certain movements that define certain cities at certain times,” said Schoepp. “I think what’s cool about what’s happening in Milwaukee right now is that the city is very diverse. There are punk bands and Americana bands and soul bands. I don’t think there is a Milwaukee sound which I think makes it cool.”

Schoepp has been on-and-off the road touring since 2012. His first album, “Run, Engine, Run,” was released that year, and he went on a 25-stop American tour with The Wallflowers, a rock band led by singer-songwriter Jakob Dylan, son of Bob Dylan.

Rock-and-roll may be a small world, but Schoepp has been exploring a much bigger world. He recently returned from a month long tour in Europe with his acoustic guitar and his brother Tanner, who he co-writes and tours alongside. Schoepp plays bass guitar and sings.

“When you listen to my record and hear the harmonies on it, those are family harmonies,” said Trapper. “You can’t replicate the sound of bloodlines.”

Currently, Trapper has been playing around the Midwest and is working on upcoming summer dates. On May 11, he will be performing alongside Dead Horses and Elephant Revival at downtown Milwaukee’s Turner Hall Ballroom. He will also be playing at Milwaukee’s Summerfest later this year. 88.9 Radio Milwaukee along with other local radio stations also play his music on the air.

Schoepp, who grew up in a small town in Ellsworth, Minnesota, was brought to the Milwaukee area to study at UWM. The school made a major impact in his life, and even inspired part of his album title.

“The album title represents two dear friends who passed away during the making of this album,” said Schoepp. “They are people I met early on during my move to Milwaukee.”

As a college freshman, Schoepp studied under the late Dr. Martin Jack Rosenblum, who was a music history and literature professor at UWM as well as the founder of the Rock-and-Roll Certificate Program.

Rosenblum, who had a large bushy beard, sported John Lennon glasses and had the stage name of “The Holy Ranger,” developed his own genre of poetry called “biker poetry.” Love this He taught the literary aspects of rock-and-roll to his students, outlining an academic approach towards rock music, explaining its lineage with blues and folk music. The two became fast friends outside of the classroom.

Schoepp titled the first half of his album, “Rangers & Valentines,” in Rosenblum’s honor.

The second half of the album title was inspired by his at-the-time upstairs neighbor named Geo Valentine. Valentine loved music by the Kinks and the Grateful Dead, which interested Schoepp into exploring the country side of rock-and-roll.

Schoepp enjoys pulling different genres and influences together to represent all of the sounds and ideas running in his head. He has a vast record collection of Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Wilco, Johnny Lewis, Bob Dylan and Randy Newman along with many others. With such eclectic taste, he likes to write each song with a different voice to represent the various sounds he enjoys.

Schoepp graduated UW-Milwaukee with a degree in journalism focusing on radio broadcasting as well as obtaining a Certificate in Rock-and-Roll Studies from his former teacher. For five years, he worked at various public radio stations, but unfortunately was unemployed after budget cuts.

“Now I’m an unemployed musician…which works,” the musician chuckled.

Schoepp was not always destined for a career in music.

When he was 16-years-old, he loved BMX biking. He grew up on 80 acres of land in his small town and built a half-pipe in his backyard to bike on.

“When you grow up in a small town, you wonder what’s out there, how to make your own fun, and you just feel trapped inside the small space,” Schoepp said.

One day while he was biking, he herniated a disk in his back and was confided to his parents’ basement. As he lay on their checkered couch healing his injury, he often turned to BMX bike videos to watch other bikers perform tricks and ride. During one video in particular, Bob Dylan’s song, “Hurricane” played and Trapper had a, as he would call it, “whoa moment.” For the first time, a song made him revaluate everything.

Without his knowledge, his mother signed him up for guitar lessons. Schoepp was reluctant at first but found himself to really enjoy this safer hobby.

Schoepp traded in his BMX bike for his acoustic guitar, and now has released his second album.

The recording process is done in Nashville with Brendan Benson, who is a musician with the band The Raconteurs. Benson has a masterful mind for all things “pop” music, but not the kind of pop music that is played on the radio.

“He knows hooks and earworms and rock music that sticks around for awhile in your head,” said Schoepp. “He doesn’t think in a box. He loves old country music, but has his power-pop side of him. He’s brilliant that he incorporates all of those elements of traditional American music. That’s what I am all about.”

“Rock-and-roll is a small world,” said Schoepper in between sips of coffee. “You just got to get out there and meet people and shake hands and be a nice dude. It might take awhile, but sometimes nice things can happen to the nice guys…the little guys.”

Although he loves Milwaukee, Schoepp also enjoys taking a minute for himself in nature, much like where he grew up.

“The Urban Ecology Center is earthy, it’s real and it’s cool,” said the musician. “I’m into the Thoreau mindset to take it to the woods. Whatever you’re having…take it to the woods and figure it out. It’s a cool area because Milwaukee is a very, very chaotic city and escaping to a place like this for an hour to just kind of get your mind moving is a way that helps anyone who’s artistic. I think you need to get out in the wild and smell things and feel things and look at things and feel humbled by the presence of giant tress. I’m into that stuff. My name’s Trapper.”

Trapper remains grounded his roots.