Songwriting Born out of Personal Struggle

GENRE: Folk/Rock/Pop

HOMETOWN: Boston, MA

ARTISTIC APPROACH: Telling everyday stories filled with extraordinary characters.

WEBSITE: www.christrapper.com

Chris Trapper began his career as the front man for late-’90s alternative rock band The Push Stars. With four releases and several high profile national tours – including a run with Matchbox Twenty – The Push Stars served to establish Trapper as an authentic talent.

A modern day singer/songwriter, Trapper is perhaps best-known for his song “This Time,” featured on the Grammy-nominated soundtrack for August Rush. A prolific songwriter, Trapper can also boast high profile film placements including There’s Something About Mary, The Devil Wears Prada, as well as significant TV placements including All My Children, Malcolm In The Middle, and a coveted placement in George Clooney’s final episode of ER.

Trapper started playing music when he was 13 years old. His sister gave him a Harmony acoustic guitar that was collecting dust in the corner of her room, and his “rebellious guitar playing older brother,” whom he idolized, taught him how to play the theme from Batman. “It got me hooked, because it was so easy to play, I could play it non-stop, and expand on the theme. I had a bad stutter as a kid, and got mocked a lot in school, and had some turbulence at home, so songwriting became a natural escape from my reality. Ironically, some of the same kids who picked on me in school are fans of mine now, and come to my shows and ask if I remember them. I usually say, ‘How could I forget?’”

Chris Trapper’s music can best be described as lyrically driven roots/pop with a knack for telling everyday stories filled with extraordinary characters. Trapper explains how life’s events inspire his songs, “I was in Charlotte, NC on my last tour, and I received a text message letting me know a good friend of mine’s mother had died after a long fight with Alzheimer’s. I pulled up to my hotel, grabbed my guitar, and went to my room and wrote ‘Lonesome Parade’ off my new record in about 10 minutes.”

Trapper’s live show is a favorite among fans of alt/acoustic music. His on–stage persona is warm and inclusive, his organic understanding of classic pop melody infectious. There is a smart, honest quality to the lyrics that never panders.

photos by Jacob Little