Ring In May Day with a New Single and Garden Seeds From Trapper Schoepp

Americana singer-songwriter, Trapper Schoepp, is releasing his single "May Day" on Saturday, 5/1/2021, to coincide with the springtime holiday of the same name. The holiday has long been tied to the natural world and ancient agricultural rituals, which is why the Milwaukee singer has also just launched his own line of gardening seeds called "Schoepp Seeds" in conjunction with the album release.

The record, May Day, will drop May 21st, on Grand Phony Records. Listen to "May Day" HERE and learn more about his garden seeds HERE.

"May Day is a time for rebirth and renewal," Schoepp says. "As a Midwesterner, I think it's deeply ingrained in us to think toward the next season. And especially after this isolating winter, we found solace in making an album for the spring."

For all the positivity of the holiday, "May Day" originated from an especially turbulent time in Schoepp's life. Against a driving, Springsteen-esque beat, Schoepp tells a transcontinental tale inspired by an untenable living situation he faced weeks before departing on a European tour. "I woke up with a frantic sense of urgency the morning the piano movers came. I finished 'May Day' as they were pulling up, thinking I owed it to the piano to write one more song on it." Schoepp sings over jangly guitar and haunting synth, "I was born on the first day, fifth month called May/I'm here today to say I need you in the worst way."

May Day, the halfway point between the spring equinox and the summer solstice, has historically been observed with dancing and singing around a maypole. Schoepp's album cover features a Roaring Twenties era photo of women dancing around a maypole alongside the Washington Monument, which was found in a Library of Congress archive by his brother and bassist/singer, Tanner Schoepp, and adapted into album art by designer, Daniel Murphy (Bon Iver, The War On Drugs).

Exploring themes of ghosts and rebirth, the music of May Day is both a celebration of more hopeful times and a reflection of a darker past. The 10-track album was recorded near Schoepp's hometown of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, amidst the pandemic and citywide protests for racial equity. "In between vocal takes, I stepped outside in my surgical mask and saw a fleet of military Humvees driving by the studio to a protest," Schoepp says. "Helicopters overhead. Surreal and scary for the people taking to the streets to stand up against police brutality."

May Day is the follow-up to Primetime Illusion, Schoepp's acclaimed 2019 album produced by Wilco's Patrick Sansone, which featured a serendipitous co-write with none other than Bob Dylan. On the day Dylan entered Columbia Studios in 1961 to begin recording his first studio album, he wrote a song about Wisconsin. The lyric sheet sat unseen with a former roommate, and was later unearthed and put up for auction. Schoepp saw the story and seized the opportunity to set music to words, and was granted Dylan's approval to jointly publish the song, entitled "On Wisconsin," leading to features in Rolling Stone and Billboard, as well as nearly a hundred international performances.

When COVID-19 caused the cancellation of his European tour, Schoepp decided to fill the void by hunkering down and focusing on writing and recording. On May Day, he and his band defy the limitations of standard-issue Americana by hopping genres and experimenting with drum machines, modular synths, and droning guitars. Co-produced by Ian Olvera, who also took on the roles of engineer and multi-instrumentalist as part of the effort to keep sessions socially isolated, the record finds Schoepp handling vocals, acoustic guitar, and, for the first time on an album, piano. He's accompanied by his touring band: his brother, Tanner Schoepp (electric bass and vocal harmonies), Matt Smith (slide and electric guitar) and Jacob Bicknase (drums).

Despite the darkness surrounding May Day, Schoepp hopes it will be a respite for listeners he was unable to reach on the road. "The pandemic devastated the live music industry but the need to be transported through song remains. I hope May Day offers that sort of escape."

Pre-save May Day HERE.

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