Blitzen Trapper and Andy Crosby

The band is currently a quintet and consists of members Eric Earley (guitar/harmonica/vocals/keyboard), Erik Menteer (guitar/keyboard), Brian Adrian Koch (drums/vocals/harmonica), Michael Van Pelt (bass), and Marty Marquis (guitar/keyboards/vocals/melodica). Evidently, all of the band members are incredibly musical: the band leader, Eric Earley, started playing music at the tender age of just three! He is responsible for writing most of the band’s music.

Blitzen Trapper released its first three albums through self-release, promoting their music themselves. With a style that can be described as experimental folk/country, the band has garnered a huge following since their start. Their self-released single ‘Wild Mountain Nation’ was on the prestigious Rolling Stone magazine’s top 100 best songs of 2007. The album that accompanied the single, of the same title, gained a lot of positivity from the press and the critical acclaim led to the band being signed by Sub Pop Records.

Their 2008 album ‘Furr’ marked an even greater step in their musical career and allowed them a two page feature in Rolling Stone magazine, giving them some much needed recognition and allowing them to extend their fan base. The title track of the album was given the number four spot on the magazine’s best singles of that year.