Rangers & Valentines (Album in Illustrations)
I love narrative songs. They follow the old-American tradition of storytelling which gives an immortality to lives finished or moments passed when they otherwise would have lifted into the air like smoke with no one left to appreciate them and learn from them. It takes a certain type of songwriter to write good story songs and Trapper Schoepp is one of those. His new album, Rangers and Valentines, is full of songs about Tornados, Mono, early 20th century Swedish immigrants, old-fashion cowboys, the loss of mentors and sobriety amongst other life happenings. The songs are equally interesting, clever, sweet and heartbreaking.
Trapper, Merely Time and a bunch of great artists created a song-by-song feature through the new album with his story of the song’s origins, an illustration and my commentary.
Trapper: Any of y'all ever catch mono?
Despite the myth that you can only get Mononucleosis once, I caught it twice in college. My sickness was mis-diagnosed the second time around, and I was prescribed Penicillin to which I had an allergic reaction. Details are hazy, but one vivid memory I allude to in this song is being covered in hives at 4 a.m. in the E.R. and overhearing the doctor ask, “Is this an episode of House or what?!”
MT: This song makes me laugh, partially out of painful recollection of the 6 plus months I spent with Mono and the ironic contrast between how you feel with mono and the pace/celebratory instrumentation of the song. Mono Pt. II is a great opening to the album because it exemplifies the resistance this band has to conforming to any specific genre. It's evident from the start when rock 'n' roll electric guitar pairs with big New Orleans-style horns.
Illustration by Caleb Morris
Trapper: I wrote "Tornado Alley" after spending time down in New Orleans and Joplin, Missouri. Both cities were hit hard by Mother Nature but the people there press on. The song is sung from the perspective of a guy hoping his valentine across town is safe from the storm.
MT: "Tornado Alley" takes on the energy of a tornado. Amazing saloon piano, triumphant horns and the driving drum beat with the rhythmic rhyme of the lyrics establish the pace from the beginning of the song. When it slows down for the verses, you feel the despair of helplessness he is feeling, praying he could somehow control the path of the tornado, and then it kicks back up.
Illustration by Andy Whorehall | dD
Trapper: 'Twas the week before Christmas and I-80 was coated in black ice. We were in the middle of a marathon drive from California through the great plains of Nebraska. A trucker in front of us jackknifed and spun over into oncoming traffic. Scared shitless, we took the next exit for a town called Ogallala. We watched the Hobbit starring Martin Freeman. He plays the role of a character hesitant to leave home. Stranded 837 miles from my home and identifying with the part he played, I woke up the next day with this song in my head.
MT: I've been trying so hard, every time I listen to this song, to find the word that can explain why the chorus of this song is so great and catchy. The "lala" that naturally falls into the name of the town accompanied by echoey, rich, '60s sounding backing vocals makes it sound like "honey," I think that is the best word, sweet and smooth. And I don't know whether it was written to have a kind of second meaning but it seems so symbolic of young adulthood, leaving the good and getting stuck in the bad and not quite making it to where you want...with a lot of fear tossed in there. Great song.
Illustration by Alex Rosas
Trapper: As family lore tells it, my Swedish immigrant ancestor named Olof Johnson was traveling west via Chicago in 1901 as winter loomed. After crossing Minnesota, a blizzard set in, leaving him and his wife stranded in the barren prairie. With a shortage of both time and timber, Olof dug a hole in the Dakota earth and tipped his wagon over for cover. He survived his first American winter in this subterranean shelter. The story is an important lesson of perseverance and badassery that I carry with me wherever I go.
MT: “Badassery,” that’s the perfect word. The idea of being stuck under an upside down wagon during a blizzard in Minnesota is unfathomable and a wake-up call all the same. "Balad of Olof Johnson" is a little piece of history via a personal account of two incredibly brave people. Because of the song, this man's name and story will live on...
(The music is also great. The phrasing reflects some old folk-music influence, the saloon piano takes you back almost to the days of Olof and the drums are simply amazing.)
Illustration by Nathaniel Akin
Trapper: Girlfriend, girlfriend...There are already a million songs about the subject matter but here’s another. I wrote it at my kitchen table a couple Valentine's Days ago. It's a bit of a torch-song parody inspired by Randy Newman's "The Girls In My Life (Part 1)."
As the song tells, I once hitchhiked to a date with a girl. Strangely enough, the driver who picked me up once dated the same girl and flipped out. Oops.
MT: This humorous, catchy, Craig Finn/Dylanesque song is one of the more realistic depictions of dating. The instrumentation reminds me of the sound-effects of old cartoons that emphasized every action and made it that much funnier. I like it a lot.
Illustration by Daniel Murphy
Trapper: Side two, track one. Bye winter, hi spring. This one's inspired by the transient, college neighborhood I live in. I wrote it after carving my initials into some wet concrete at the end of my street. The lyrics deal with sense of place and post-college life. Plus, I thought the record needed some sunshine after all the bad weather on side one.
MT: It is nice to have a glimpse of fair weather after tornados, blizzards and Nebraska snowstorms even if it's looking through tired eyes at a college town. Initials carved in the concrete of a town getting trashed by people who don't care...the frustration can be felt through the powerful guitar riffs and it is balanced by lighter-humored cowbells.
Illustration by Daniel Murphy
Trapper: All range, no roam...So goes the story of the cowboy wannabe this song's about. He's got the horse and Stetson hat, but will never be Clint Eastwood cool.
MT: This song takes on the identity of the subject, the simplicity of the production with the singing pedal-steel guitar resembles the best of late '60 country music. The song reminds me of the scene in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid when Butch Cassidy, the quintessential cowboy outlaw, revealed he had never shot a man before.
Illustration by Daniel Murphy
Trapper: Here are some words about this one straight from Jonny Phillip, the rock solid drummer on R&V.
"When I first listened to the demo of 'For Jonny' it immediately brought me to tears. Nothing in your life can prepare you for when you become powerless over something like alcohol. For most of my early adulthood I thought alcohol was my biggest weakness and yet, at the same time I thought I had a handle on it. I would constantly find myself taking my drunkenness to new extremes. What was I trying to prove or run from? After hitting my rock bottom, then getting help from strangers, loved ones, my best friends, and deciding to go to treatment, I found out I was scared of failure, my past, not being a good man, the future, death, and even life itself. After taking a long hard look at myself I realized that my alcoholism is what makes me unique and I will have to fight it for the rest of my days. It makes me realize that everyone is fucked up and scared to a certain extent. This song paints a great image of me during my downfall and fighting to get my life back."
MT: I think [above] says it all. Even when the subject is such a real perspective on the pains and struggles of alcoholism and detoxing, there’s an element of the song, perhaps it’s the high piano and sweet guitar picking, that is so optimistic, like you have seen the light from the end of the tunnel. More than anything, this is a really cool proclamation of friendship.
Illustration by Andy Whorehall | dD
Trapper: Rain or shine. It was the former that flooded a festival I was playing in Milwaukee. The sprawling field in front of me was nearly empty, save a small group of people huddled under tents. There was one man in an Army uniform standing outside in the rain, listening intently. He approached me after the set and told me he liked my music, but wondered why I didn’t sing any songs about soldiers. I half-jokingly told him I would get to it. 5 years later, here it is.
MT: A heavy topic handled so delicately. This is by far my favorite song. Such a unique and beautiful love story. It’s really cool because in under four minutes, you feel like you know this man’s life in an intimate way. You can visualize every moment as if it’s on a screen. When I listen to Trapper’s voice cry, “don’t, don’t go-oo,” I can feel the agony and despair that his wife feels as she sings in his conscience pleading for him not to leave post. So you have this great storytelling then you add a melodic string build and strong backup vocals and the song has my heart.
Illustration by Caleb Morris
Trapper: I wrote "Dream" to commemorate the loss of two of my Milwaukee mentors, Dr. Martin Jack Rosenblum and Geo Valentine. The song deals with reconciliation, remembrance, and how people stay with us even after they’re gone.
MT: This song, to me, is a beautifully upbeat reminiscent tribute to two obviously impactful men. “I’m so happy you didn’t leave the party before I arrived”...what a way to put it, I get it. With this tragic content of losing two big figures in your life, the quick tempo and chord changes accompanied by a humbly, joyful mariachi-style horn section, continuous crescendos, train-whistle harmonica and powerful drums, creates an optimistic perspective on death and the souls that don't follow their bodies.
Illustration by Andy Whorehall | dD
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