Trapper plays the Minstrel Monday
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Some guys use a scale of one to 10, but Chris Trapper’s more of a one to five kind of guy.
When it comes time to develop a new tune, the former front man for ’90s pop/rock group The Push Stars, gathers a few key confidants for a house party and rolls out the tunes.
A five means the song is perfect. A one? Listening to the Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter who has penned five songs for Great Big Sea and worked his way into films from August Rush to Something About Mary, it’s virtually impossible to image it ever happens.
But he insists it can.
“I try not to play something until I feel very confident that the audience will get it,” he said, noting no feedback generally means something is no good as people are too polite to tell him so.
On the morning of this interview, his feedback loop is coming full circle with some Facebook fans on whether he’s making the right decision with a song.
The comments span everything from “a good song is all from the heart” to “just keep doing what you do; you made it this far right?” By the time you read the comments, it’s pretty clear this is one musician who doesn’t have to worry about fans buying in to his work.
Keg On My Coffin, for example, is practically a funeral staple if the many messages are a good measure. It’s one of the songs he knows will resonate with the audience, probably because it was born out of a simple, everyday conversation with his mother about a family funeral which had become very complex. She told him: “When I die, just stick the keg on my coffin.” In other words, keep it simple and celebrate her life.”
Describing his show, Trapper notes it’s a little like the highs and lows of life, saying his biggest compliment is when a fan tells him it’s the one show they know they can go to to laugh and cry within the same evening. It’s a pretty lofty goal for any artist to achieve but then, so is his life’s ambition—to replace the birthday song.
“I always feel those lyrics don’t do us justice,” he says. “We’re more interesting, more funny, more sensual more all of those things.”
As such, he’s written his own birthday song, which fans can usually expect to hear on any given evening he plays, although the rest of the evening can be very different.
“I try to do a mixture of storytelling and song writing. It’s almost like you meet a stranger in a bar, so 90 minutes before closing time you have to get to know their whole life story,” he said.
Unlike his frequent appearances on Fox News, where he’s now introduced as “our friend Chris Trapper” he’s on the show so much, his concerts are intimidate and unpredictable. With five records under The Push Stars and five solo efforts, he spans roughly a 100-song playlist, choosing to mix and match different selections for each event.
Trapper lists Winnipeg’s West End Cultural Centre among his favourite venues for its incredible balcony; when one considers he’s from the music-centric Boston area, it’s a bit of a coup.
Before closing the interview he notes he’s done a little research on the Kelowna area as well, saying he understands Friday Nights heartthrob Taylor Kitsch is from our area and he’s looking forward to trying a glass of wine.
Trapper plays the Minstrel Café Monday night. Tickets are $10 and reservations are recommended at 250-764-2301.
jsmith@kelownacapnews.com
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