Today, Milwaukee-based singer-songwriter Trapper Schoepp has shared his gritty, swamp rock-inspired single “Devil’s Kettle,” the next offering from his upcoming studio album Siren Songs, out April 21 via Grand Phony (US) / Rootsy (EU). Inspired by a mysterious Minnesota waterfall, “Devil’s Kettle” was featured over at Glide Magazine who praised Schoepp’s “gritty vocals and guitar work” while adding that his name bears “a road-worn tag that rings of swampy reverence.” Siren Songs is available for pre-order.
Watch the Lyric Video for “Devil's Kettle” via YouTube
Stream “Devil's Kettle”
Pre-order Siren Songs
"This song is inspired by the Devil’s Kettle, a mysterious rock formation and waterfall I encountered along Highway 61,” shares Schoepp. “A river splits below these waterfalls, with one tributary to Lake Superior and the other flowing underground to an unknown location. It is said gangsters like Al Capone would dispose of bodies in this natural phenomenon. I had the honor of recording this track with Johnny Cash’s 1930s Martin Guitar. It was called the ‘shitkicker’ guitar because it long sat on Johnny’s couch where it was often played by his friends and guests.”
Johnny Cash’s Martin Guitar was one of the many instruments Schoepp and his collaborators were blessed to use during the making of Siren Songs. Produced by John Jackson (The Jayhawks, Ray Davies) and Patrick Sansone (Wilco), these recording sessions took place at Cash's historic Cash Cabin in Hendersonville, TN where they recorded with instruments found on the storied grounds – ranging from June Carter Cash’s Steinway piano to an old railroad spike. The end result features 12 songs filled with timeless folklore and nautical imagery.
“Devil’s Kettle” follows Schoepp’s anti-war anthem “Cliffs of Dover,” which arrived with a music video directed by Joseph Cash. “Cliffs of Dover” has garnered support from press including The Boot, Americana UK, The Indy Review and the Americana Music Association, along with radio airplay from Twin Cities’ The Current, New York’s WFUV and 88Nine Radio Milwaukee. Hailed as “a master storyteller" by HuffPost and beloved for his “rootsy, cinematic rock that charms as it soars” (NPR Music), Schoepp's forthcoming album Siren Songs is his strongest collection of songs to date, steeped in a sonic palette of traditional American and Irish folk music while giving it new life.
Folks may recognize Schoepp when he became the youngest musician to share a co-writing credit with Bob Dylan on a long-lost song called "On, Wisconsin" in 2019. After coming across a previously unseen lyric sheet from Dylan's early recording sessions, Schoepp seized the opportunity to put music to these words about his home state. Fortunately, Dylan approved to jointly publish the song, garnering acclaim from Billboard, Rolling Stone and more. Now, in a full-circle moment, Schoepp is featured on the Siren Songs album cover posing in front of the same pond where Cash would read and dispose of letters sent to him by Dylan, honoring a sacred kinship that started in the ‘60s.
U.S. Tour Dates:
3/23 - Lake Orion, MI - 20 Front Street
3/24 - Akron, OH - Barno's House
3/25 - Ligonier, PA - Sweet Rust
3/26 - Washington, D.C. - Pie Shop DC
3/28 - Boston, MA - City Winery Boston
3/29 - Cambridge, NY - Argyle Brewing Company
3/30 - Syracuse, NY - The 443 Social Club & Lounge
3/31 - Freehold, NJ - Concerts in the Studio (SOLD OUT)
4/1 - Pittsburgh, PA - Club Cafe
4/2 - New York, NY - Mercury Lounge
4/14 - Minneapolis, MN - 7th St Entry
4/15 - Madison, WI - Kiki's House of Righteous Music
4/21 - Milwaukee, WI - Colectivo **
4/22 - Berwyn, IL - FitzGerald’s **
4/23 - Nashville, TN - Eastside Bowl **
5/7 - Milwaukee, WI - Shank Hall #
5/9 - Davenport, IA - Raccoon Motel #
5/10 - Berwyn, IL - FitzGerald’s #
5/11 - Des Moines, IA - xBk Live #
5/12 - Omaha, NE - Reverb Lounge #
** With Mike Viola
# Supporting Daniel Rodriguez
U.K. and European Tour Dates Supporting Jesse Malin:
2/16 - Manchester, UK - Pink Room
2/17 - London, UK - The Garage
2/18 - Paris, France - La Boule Noire
2/19 - Utrecht, Netherlands - dB's
2/23 - Bergamo, Italy - Druso
2/24 - Ravenna, Italy - Bronson
2/25 - Mareno di Piave, Italy - Corner Live
2/27 - Hamburg, Germany - Nochtspeicher
2/28 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Hotel Saint Cecilia
3/1 - Lund, Sweden - Mejeriet
3/2 - Stockholm, Sweden - Bar Brooklyn
3/3 - Oslo, Norway - John Dee
Siren Songs Tracklist:
1. Cliffs of Dover
2. Secrets of the Breeze
3. Good Graces
4. The Fool
5. Eliza
6. Devil’s Kettle
7. 7 Mile Fair
8. Diocese
9. Anna Lee
10. Silk and Satin
11. Queen of the Mist
12. In Returning
