You may have heard us playing MAN by Trespasser recently – but who are they? We took a deep dive to find out more:
Hi guys – introduce yourself!
Clay (they/them, guitar/vocals) and Natalia (she/her, bass/vocals) from California, Hudson (he/him, keys) and Jack (he/they, drums) from Maine, and Matt (he/they, guitar) from Massachusetts. We’re from all around the country, but we’re currently based in Brooklyn, NY.
Tell me more about the formation of your musical project – how and when did it begin?
Clay has been writing and producing music since high school, but Trespasser formed while we were attending Wesleyan University. At the time, Wesleyan had a very tight-knit music scene, which is how we all met. After playing together in countless different one–off bands, Clay invited the rest of the members to play a few original songs. Our music was an instant hit among the student body, which propelled us to take the band more seriously. For the first two years we played shows around campus as the Clay Rodgers Band, but the project was more so Clay’s backing band then a true united project. After a while, though, every member began to find their place in the band, and we slowly evolved into Trespasser. We changed our name right after graduation, when we moved to New York.
How would you describe your music?
Indie/Alternative Rock, but we call ourselves Outlaw Scrungle.
Tell me more about the new music – the recording process, who produced/engineered it and if they have any other successes?
The new music is a departure from our usual sound. Prior to this project, we were more jam and psych rock focused; this new album draws on our usual influences but with more pop sensibilities. It marks a new direction for the band.
Clay is the primary songwriter, but gets a lot of help from Matt. Everyone contributes to the music in some way – it’s part of what makes the songs so special. In terms of the recording process, Clay produced and engineered all of the tracks, and our drummer Jack has been tasked with mixing the project. This album has gone through several iterations since its inception, with us recording second and third versions of the songs in different locations to achieve the right sound. We eventually came full circle, and realized that the ideal location was in Clay’s bedroom, where we had recorded the initial demos for the album.
What is the music inspired by? What is the story behind the music
Four of the five members of the band are queer, and this song is our way of expressing that. It’s specifically written for our bass player, Natalia, who is trans (She also sings the song, instead of Clay). Matt had written the chorus guitar riff, which inspired Clay to come up with chords and a few lyrics. After that, the song quickly came together. The song itself is supposed to be lighthearted but assertive at the same time, almost as if to say “yeah, we’re a queer band, so what? Get over it.” We project a defiant but aloof kind of swagger both in our shows and online, and this song reflects that.
Tell me a little more about the writing process. Is it stream of consciousness type writing or more planned and thought out? Is there an underlying theme in your music?
Clay tends to write lyrics whenever and wherever they happen to pop into their brain. Most of Man’s lyrics were written while walking down the street. Clay tends to write quickly- either the whole song comes within five minutes, or it doesn’t come at all. Clay’s music does tend to have a lot of common themes, but Man is actually a bit of a departure from their usual style. A lot of the songs deal with pretty heavy topics reflective of Clay’s experiences growing up- “Hurt Me” is about cigarettes, “Slow Sun” is about heroin, “Bad Stories” is about an estranged grandfather, and so on.
Earlier in our history, the music all fit within a unified story Clay created over a couple of years about a character named Gibraltar, who lived in the mountains outside Santa Barbara (Clay’s hometown). The basic premise was that Gibraltar was a sort of pseudo-spirit person who wandered the mountains and either saved people or taught them a variety of lessons. We’ve since moved away from that narrative, but there are a few older songs on the new album from that era. (“Come Back Again,” “Old Community,” and “Is It Alright”).
Where was the new single written? How does place and time influence you and your writing process?
This single was written mostly just walking down the streets of NYC, or in our apartment. Clay is from California, and a lot of their music draws heavily on themes from that place. Lots of references to mountains, the desert and “old west” vibes. More recently, as we’ve spent more time in the city, that has started to change a little. There’s still the same outlaw-renegade kind of feeling, but with more references to NY culture and ideas.
Were you listening or watching anything in particular quite a bit during the recording and writing process?
Originally, our primary influences were people like Mac Demarco, Unknown Mortal Orchestra and especially the Grateful Dead. More recently, though, we’ve started getting into more pop and dance music, people like Charli XCX and Troye Sivan.
Do you think there is a perfect time and place to listen to the release, does it lend itself to a particular listening experience?
This song isn’t super heady or intellectual; it’s probably best enjoyed on a Bluetooth speaker with friends. We want people to have fun with it, dance to it and sing along in the car.
If you could hope that your music inspires someone to do something, what would that be?
Probably just to be themselves and not care what other people think, especially if you’re queer. The whole song is just a silly series of “manly” activities (shooting a gun, drinking beer) followed by a chorus that says, plainly and simply, “I’m not a man.” So go do whatever you want and have fun doing it, we’re not gonna stop you.
Tell me more about your musical influences? Are you hoping to achieve a certain sound or theme on the new release?
One of the things that makes Trespasser so unique is our wide variety of influences. Clay is into classic Country and Rock, Nat is into a lot of Bluegrass and Folk, Jack is into Jazz, Hudson is into Hip Hop/RnB and Matt brings Punk and Indie Rock flavor. “Man” in particular leans more pop, but most of our other music is a lot more rock/punk/country.
Tell me more about you and your successes so far as an artist?
We’ve had a good amount of success building up an underground live following. We have a group of people who see us almost every time we play, which we think is a testament to the strength of our performances. We’ve played a couple of especially good shows over the years, for example the set at Highside Workshop we released in January. After the show, one of the people in the crowd came up to Clay and said “that was the best set of music I’ve ever seen in my life.” We’ve still got a long way to go, but we’re pretty damn good when we’re on a stage.
What are your hobbies/interests outside of music?
Soccer, movies, being gay or trans, travelling around NYC, rock climbing but that’s kinda cringe, beer.
Where can our listeners find out more about you?
We have a Linktree here and you can also find us on Spotify and Instagram.
