An interview with Marcus Trummer

Canadian blues, soul, and rock guitarist and singer-songwriter Marcus Trummer will release his highly anticipated studio album From The Start via Gypsy Soul Records on Friday 15th November 2024.

WORDS: Adam Kennedy IMAGES: Heather Saitz

Despite his young age, Marcus Trummer has already stocked up his trophy cabinet with a whole raft of awards and accolades. In September 2019, Trummer was the recipient of the “Prophets of Music Emerging Artist Award” at Calgary’s YYC Music Awards. In 2022, he won “Blues Recording of the Year” at Calgary’s YYC Music Awards.

Furthermore, in 2022, Trummer received a nomination for “New Artist of the Year” at the Maple Blues Awards in Toronto. The following year, he travelled to Colorado to perform as a finalist in the 2023 Telluride Blues Challenge, which he would go on to win.

Speaking about Telluride, Marcus said: “I just got back from Colorado. We played my first-ever US festival down in Telluride - Telluride Blues and Brews, which was really cool. So, it’s been good to get out there a bit more ahead of releasing my debut. And then obviously, we’ll be doing a lot more once the record’s out there.”

As the old saying goes, you’ve got a lifetime to write your debut album. And subsequently, the songs on Trummer’s debut offering have been accumulated over a long period of time. “These songs, most of them I wrote over the last five years or so. And I compiled the best ones. This is definitely a good statement for where I’ve been in the past few years. So, I can’t wait to put it out and then on to the next,” he says.

Members of Canadian rockers The Commoners have often been found close to the console on blues/rock projects in their homeland.

From The Start was produced and mixed by The Commoners’ guitarist Ross Hayes Citrullo and Renan Yildizdogan. “It was my first time travelling to record. So, I’m in Calgary and flying out to Toronto. My brother came with me. He’s my drummer. And then we met up with the rest of the musicians out there and the studio guys in Toronto. And it felt like flying out there made it feel like a very serious experience,” he says. “Ross’s personality, especially is very laid back and helped us not be so nervous.”

Once in Toronto, the talented collective quickly got to work. “We had a few days to record. So, it wasn’t super rushed, but we were going pretty quickly. I think it was cool to have the pairing of Renan and Ross, and have two different perspectives,” said Marcus.

Both Renan and Ross put Marcus to the test and challenged the young artist to get the best out of him in the studio. “They weren’t just saying yes to everything I wanted. And it was cool. That was the first time I’ve really worked with a producer in that capacity where they’re really getting involved. I’m glad about how it worked out,” he said.

The artist’s recent single Waiting For Change feels somewhat pertinent in the present time. “I think it’s the type of song that I wanted to write for anyone that can relate to it, no matter what they’re going through. Because everyone’s got different struggles and different challenges,” said Marcus. “I guess, the main perspective I was coming from is there’s not a lot you can do to change these big problems. But if you let it affect you, you end up wasting your time and wasting your life. And I wanted to focus on what can you do. And you can take it into your own hands. And it’s not about changing the world, it’s more about how can you make your community better. How can you make your family, and your life better?”

It has been said that Marcus Trummer is a young artist with an old soul. His influences are far-reaching, delving back to the bluesmen of yore, along with the soul greats. “I’m definitely into the older stuff,” he says. Although, the soulful bluesman discovered a lot of these artists through his contemporaries. “We were playing Telluride, and Gary Clark Jr. was playing there. And it’s through him that I got into these older blues cats, like Albert King, BB King, Freddie King. And that’s been big on my guitar playing,” said Marcus. “And through some of the soul music coming out these days, if you go back, you can see where all this influence was coming through with Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Bill Withers, all these great mostly 60s and 70s blues and soul artists as well. So, I’m into all that.”

When it comes to the blues, BB King is up there at the top of the tree. The artist is a big fan of his work and took influence from the late great bluesman on a song called The Only Thing. “That was one of the older songs that I’ve written that made the record. And it’s definitely influenced by that ‘60s blues thing. And BB King on the solo and that phrasing. I was looking towards him as inspiration,” he says. “I never really wrote traditional style blues. And this one’s kind of the most similar. It’s not a 12 bar per se, but it’s got a few more jazz things thrown in Marcus elaborates further: “I don’t want to be a caricature or some sort of novelty performer. I want to write stuff that feels authentic to my experience.”

The blues is at the centre of everything that Marcus Trummer does musically. “I obviously have a deep appreciation for blues. It is the source of all the music that I listen to and that I’m into. So, I think putting one more traditional blues song, at least, on the record was fitting.”

Trummer’s latest single to be released from his debut album is titled Hard Time. “There’s a lot of similar themes to some of the songs. We were talking about Waiting For Change. It’s kind of a similar message, but maybe more of an emphasis on pushing people towards the solution, which I would say is loving each other and focusing on that. So, the verses kind of make it sound more like a relationship-type thing, which sometimes I find helps me communicate a message if it is put into that context. But really, I just wanted to get across that anytime is a good time for love regardless of what’s happening.”

With his debut album in the bag, Marcus Trummer has strong ambitions to take his album as far as possible around the world. “I love touring. And I think it’s a big world out there. There are a lot of fans in faraway places who are either waiting for me to come there or are yetto-be-made fans. And so, I think my goal is just thinking big, thinking about getting out there,” he said. “I think we’re looking at the UK and parts of Europe. And if I can get back to the States, that’d be great, too depending on what sort of opportunities come about. And then Canada is always good, too.”

“I will hopefully start to hit on all that in the next year or two. And as I get out another record, we’ll see what happens, if I can get some support tours. But I’m definitely hoping to get out as much as I can,” concludes Marcus.

“From The Start” is released by Gypsy Soul Records on November 15th. The album is available from www.marcustrummermusic.com