Traci Trouble: Wipe your ass with Trump or Scott. We also have a limited amount of Kleenex and baby wipes!
Interview conducted on May 17, 2020
By: Dan Locke
Making music in my bedroom the way I feel and doing whatever the fuck I want.
Dan Locke: What is your upbringing?
Traci Trouble: I grew up in the northern suburbs of Chicago. I was the youngest of 4 kids. My dad was a conservative businessman who grew up on the west side of Chicago and my mom was a liberal actress who grew up on the south side of Chicago.
How did you discover music?
My mom used to play some acoustic guitar for us when we were kids. While I was attending nursery school at Montessori I went up to a piano and started playing Mary Had a Little Lamb perfectly. My mom got me a piano teacher but I didn’t like him or music theory and just learned to play everything by ear and watching.
How did you start to write music?
I wanted to explore my own ideas so I would record on a microcassette or 4 track which later turned into Garageband and now Logic.
Do you remember how you got your first Bass?
When I was in high school, I wanted to play drums so I got a kit but after about 6 months I realized it wasn’t for me. I missed melody so I traded it in for an instrument that had rhythm and melody. I got a Squire Precision Bass guitar.
And do you still have it?
No.
Do you remember the first time you performed in front of a crowd?
Barely. I was in elementary school and had to sing and dance in some musicals. In college, I joined my old buddy’s band The Brother Egg and that’s what got me out in front of audiences more. It was a special time to be living in Olympia, WA. Playing at the Capital Theater was definitely a highlight for me. We moved to Portland, OR. after we graduated and continued for a while. Later I joined another band out there called Add-X. We got to open for GWAR at The Roseland Theater which was an amazing experience.
You have had many different bands over the years. First you had The Shame, Paper Bullets, then Thee Invaders, The Wanton Looks, HotLips Messiah, Aweful and now Traci Trouble. Why did you decide to start a solo project?
To have the freedom to create anything without any bounds. I wanted to have an outlet to DIY everything during this crazy time. Also, to force myself to start using Logic in ways I hadn’t before.
How is it different from Here Comes Trouble?
Here Comes Trouble isn’t a music project. It was a video webisode about rock shows I went to. I have been asked by several people during this time to bring it back though.
What is the created process like?
A lot of times it starts with me playing electric guitar and singing gibberish. Some ideas get recorded to my phone first and then I redo/demo those ideas on my computer. Other times I just freestyle playing and singing to a beat on my computer and listening back for anything good afterward. I love it when the song writes itself with lyrics and everything. That’s the real magic.
Do you still make music in your bedroom?
I sure do.
Tell me about your new track” Social Distance”?
I see a lot of people online who are bored and don’t know what to do with themselves. It’s pretty much about that and being forced to stay home.
What is your favorite track on the album?
It’s a single. I don’t have any plans for an album. I want to release my solo stuff as singles.
Who knows what style the next one will be or what that will sound like? Only time will tell.
How do you stay healthy while touring?
Drinking lots of water and eating salads but nobody is really touring now.
What are you’re feeling about streaming music?
I feel like it can reach way more people and all over the world which is cool but there’s really no money in it so that’s lame.
Digital vs. vinyl?
Vinyl
Any plans to tour?
Personally no. AWEFUL was discussing going to Europe as support for another band and then the world came to a halt. It would be amazing if that happens.
How do you feel about the Me-Too Movement?
I think it was a great thing to raise awareness and expose all those bastards that deserved it. There’s no excuse for that kind of behavior.
What song from the past is in your mind right now? And what is the meaning that song means to you?
I don’t have one right now but on and off I’ve had Another Day by Paul McCartney stuck in my head. It’s like my quarantine anthem haha.
How do you feel the Covid-19 virus going to affect the music business in the future?
There will be fewer shows. Booking will likely be more competitive. Bands will have to depend on their merch sales even more. Hopefully, a vaccine will be created soon and all of this will pass.
What have you been doing with your self-quarantine?
Writing songs, trying to become a better guitarist, editing video, learning software, watching tutorials, walking every day, hanging out/jamming with my roommate/bandmate Lucy Dekay and our cats.
Have you discovered or rediscovered any new hobbies?
I’m not much of a cook but I keep trying to make candied bacon in the oven and one day I’ll get it right.
Lots of people are doing nightly concerts over either YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Are you planning to do something like that?
No. I’d rather keep writing and recording and wait for the real deal. No livestream can hold a candle to a live show experience.
Do you think it will be possible to make a living doing concerts this way?
No.
Do you think Save Rock N Roll Fest on Dec. 13, 2020, going to happen?
Yes, and I will be there!
First, it was an article in the New York Times, then Rolling Stones talked about it and finally, Live Nation CEO said that concerts may not start again until the fall of 2021. Do you think this could happen?
With larger venues, it’s more of an issue. I don’t want to think it could go on that long. I’d rather think it won’t happen and I will be able to play and go to all shows and places I know and love later this year.
What about Holographic concerts in our living room?
No thanks.
How do you see yourself in the next five years?
Still making music or dead.
Anything you would like to say in closing?
I think it’s important to minimize exposure to the news. Most of it is negative bullshit. Be kind to one another. Treat everyone as you would like to be treated. Find a creative outlet. If I didn’t have mine, I don’t know what I would do.
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