Greg Trooper Interview             Coffee East March 29th, 2008

I first saw Greg Trooper in Nashville in 2003 at the Americana Music Conference, performing on the front end of a showcase for industry up and comer Mindy Smith. Trooper stole the show, but by my account, was seemingly unnoticed by the industry and media throngs waiting to see Mindy. Although, I suppose, it is more likely that they had seen Trooper perform before and were already privy to what I thought was the greatest "discovery" of my trip. I had heard of Greg and heard him on record, but since he doesn't travel up this way very often, I had never seen him live and couldn't have known how good he was. I hoped that someday I'd have a chance to present him. Saturday, he plays Coffee East.

MM: The Basics. Where are you from, and where do you live now?

GT: I grew up in little Silver, NJ. After stints in Austin, TX and Lawrence, KS in the mid seventies I moved to NYC for 15 years until 1995. I've been living in Nashville, TN since then.

MM: All of your press materials and reviews of your music describe you as a musical road warrior. What do you like about going out and playing music across the country? What is something that fans may take for granted about touring that would probably surprise us if we actually did it?

GT: The traveling is hard. I don't really get to see a lot of the great places I travel to. get to sound check, eat dinner, do the gig, hotel, up and gone the next day. The best part about touring is the two hours playing. That can't be beat.

MM: If someone asked you to describe your music and/or live shows on a bus, how would you answer it? What should someone expect from your show this weekend?

GT: A loud folk/rock singer from NJ who can sometimes yodel.

MM: Who are your favorite musicians to watch live? What appeals to you about a good live show?

GT: Most of the musicians I want to see are dead. Blues and soul singers. I love to see Dan Penn play. Connection.

MM: NPR described one of your albums as a collection of "sad songs". How do you approach songwriting for an album? Are your albums inspired more by your real life or your imagination?

GT: I try to write reality based songs. Not always my reality though. I can get a little boring.

MM: On your MySpace page, you have a note for musicians to keep you in mind if "If you or your band are producer shopping". What albums have you produced?

GT: I've been involved in the production of all the records I've made. Dan Penn convinced me I could produce. I like to work with Kevin McKendree as co-producer/engineer.

MM: I first saw you in Nashville during the Americana Music Conference. What is Americana music?

GT: Got me? Actually, I think it's an umbrella term for music from different cultures that collided in America and grew into something purely American. It's not just white guys with guitars.

MM: You live in Nashville, where there are so many great songwriters, yourself included. On your MySpace page, ypur "top friends list" includes an interesting mix of songwriters. Chris Smither. Howlin' Wolf, John Prine, Peter Case and Amy Rigby all surface there. Is their a common denominator between these diverse songwriters in how they have made an impression on you?

GT: All these musicians have connected to me in some way.Whether it's lyrics or sounds they have made me feel something through their music.