When the Sylvee is filled with an audience ready for Shovels and Rope, Frank Turner, and The Sleeping Sands this Sunday, they’ll be ready to rock and ride with Wisconsin’s own Trapper Schoepp as well.
A native of Ellsworth, Wisconsin, Schoepp looks to fill the Sylvee with his Americana sound. While his music harkens back to traditional sounds of the 60s and 70s, Schoepp’s journey to music is not quite as streamlined.
“I was a 16-year-old kid obsessed with BMX bike riding,” Schoepp said. “I fell one too many times and I herniated a disc in my back. I ended up needing spinal compression surgery. It was right around that time that my mom recommended I try guitar.”
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Schoepp especially hits home with tunes like “On Wisconsin” and “Bumper Cars.” Schoepp’s creamy yet rustic voice sounds beautiful on “On Wisconsin,” which is based off an unfinished song by Bob Dylan. Sanctioned by Dylan himself, “On Wisconsin” is a fun list song that keeps a thoroughly sentimental tone.
Schoepp has the ability to make new music seem like a classic song from days past. For me, “Bumper Cars” hit a particularly nostalgic tone. From Schoepp’s EP “Bay Beach Amusement Park,” the song relates the experiences one has while riding the bumper cars at the infamous Green Bay amusement park to the current state of America. While I definitely bopped along to the tune, it evoked memories of when I visited the park myself as a child. It almost seemed like I was sent back the sno-cone stand, wanting for my treat.
With his performance, Schoepp looks forward to rousing the crowd with songs like “Freight Train,” which highlights Schoepp’s sense of rock n’ roll. Schoepp also hopes his music will bring to him a similar sense of vitality.
“When you find that second level of performing where you don’t feel like you exist, it’s a transformative part of performance,” Schoepp said.
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Hopefully, every ensemble will deliver this same experience Sunday night.
Trapper Schoepp opens for Shovels and Rope, Frank Turner, and The Sleeping Sands at the Sylvee Sunday at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $27.50.
