Through the years, Trapper Schoepp has released four excellent albums, played hundreds of shows all over the U.S. and Europe, shared the stage with some of music’s most noted names, had songs on television, and has established himself as one of Wisconsin’s premier performers. Oh, and he also has a co-writing credit with Bob Dylan! Before he was making a living as a musician and collaborating with legends, Schoepp was a kid in Ellsworth, Wisconsin who took up the guitar after suffering a BMX-related injury.
Now that the pandemic has canceled his European tour and thrown a wrench in his usually busy summer show schedule, Schoepp has some time to catch up with My First Band host Tyler Maas. Over the course of the conversation, the accomplished singer-songwriter talked about the ways he’s keeping busy and staying productive, his experience playing a few socially distant drive-in shows, and the unexpected set of circumstances that led to him finishing a song Dylan started many years earlier. Of course, Scheopp also looked back on his early on-stage experiences, including important albums his dentist gave him, memories of his first shows, enduring some rowdy Social Distortion fans, being stranded in a small town on the way home from tour, and formative figures that helped bring him to the place he is today.
My First Band is sponsored by Mystery Room Mastering and Lakefront Brewery. The show is edited by Jared Blohm. You can listen to My First Band on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, and wherever else you get podcasts. Music used in this show comes courtesy of Devils Teeth (“The Junction Street Eight Tigers”) and Trapper Schoepp (“Keep Me In Your Heart” and “On, Wisconsin”).