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By Laura Drinan
Hometown Weekly Reporter
The Walpole Public Library hosted a special musical performance open to the public on January 18. Singer, songwriter, and storyteller Chris Trapper played a casual and intimate show to share his songs and the stories that inspired them.
The Westwood-based musician performs as the lead singer for The Push Stars – his alt-rock band, which has put out five albums and has had songs appear in box-office hits, including “There’s Something About Mary” and “The Devil Wears Prada.” With his band, Trapper has also toured with Matchbox Twenty, taking the stage as their supporting act.
To begin his relaxed library performance, Trapper played a song that he wrote when he first moved to Boston called “Living Downtown.” He revealed that the song was created as an imaginary letter to his mom, to whom he had spoken every day from the time he started touring until the time she passed away.
Trapper performed unplugged on the acoustic guitar, allowing the unenhanced sounds of his voice and instrument to fill the room as the audience contentedly watched. Sitting at the front of the library’s Community Room, the local musician joked that he should walk around the room performing mariachi-style before playing “In From the Outside.”
Trapper explained the inspiration and intention of each song he performed, revealing that “The Accident” was written in response to a simple traffic delay.
“I’m always fascinated by the fact that people have to stop and look at accidents for some reason,” he admitted as he played the first few notes of the song. He continued to say that, as he sat in traffic, he pictured a grisly scene up ahead, when in actuality it was just a driver changing his tire. “So, I tried to romanticize what that reason is.”
However, Trapper also shared some more personal moments in his life. He unveiled that as a teenager in college, he dreamt of performing one day at the opera house in town, promising to himself all those years ago that he would play there one day.
Trapper happily shared that he started his last tour at the very same opera house.
He also performed “Gone Again” and the Massachusetts favorite, “Boston Girl,” as well as songs recorded by The Push Stars, like “Any Little Town” and “Everything Shines.”
Equally as personable as he is talented, Trapper the alt-rock musician ensured a performance for all to enjoy, full of his humorous stories and a variety of his original songs.
