‘I Was Just Slowly Killing Myself’: Trapper Schoepp Opens Up on Addiction, Recovery & His ‘Exorcism’ of an Album

“It’s hard, and it’s expected to beryllium hard. If it was easy, I wouldn’t person needed to instrumentality these steps successful the archetypal spot — successful presumption of sobriety and the album,” Trapper Schoepp tells Billboard of his caller album, Osborne, retired Friday (Sept. 19) connected Blue Élan Records. The Wisconsin-raised singer-songwriter is usually sorted into the ‘Americana’ class and describes himself arsenic a “folk artist” erstwhile talking to Billboard, but Osborne is simply a stone grounds successful some tone and sound, from its screen creation (a flaming electrical guitar enters his mouth) to its take-no-prisoners lyrics to the catharsis of his earthy yet saccharine voice. Even erstwhile Osborne dips into state oregon wraps with a hint of reggae, its songs rip – if lone successful the consciousness of ripping disconnected a Band-Aid.

“I wanted to sing astir the opioid epidemic arsenic idiosyncratic who has experienced it firsthand,” helium says implicit a Zoom, sitting successful beforehand of a coating helium made portion astatine Hazelton Betty Ford session successful 2024. “I’ve seen the horrors of it firsthand arsenic well.”

While immoderate artists (Jelly Roll, Tyler Childers) are becoming much vocal astir the opioid epidemic successful America, determination aren’t excessively galore musicians penning astir opioid addiction, particularly considering however wide the occupation is (from Jan. 2021 to June 2024, 43% of overdose deaths successful the U.S. involved opioids) and however galore artists bash speech openly astir issues with intoxicant oregon different drugs. With Osborne, Schoepp is hoping to beryllium portion of that change. “I deliberation we often talk of sobriety arsenic the enactment of giving thing up. I’m moving connected reframing quitting arsenic gaining something, whether that’s sanity, health, family,” helium shares.

Produced by Mike Viola and Tyler Chester, the medium offers a galvanizing representation of pain, hard-fought betterment and anticipation implicit the people of 11 arresting, hard-charging and oftentimes beautifully melodic songs. Recovery whitethorn beryllium a changeless state, a perpetual work-in-progress, but connected Osborne, Schoepp the instrumentalist feels afloat arrived.

“I’m trying to get successful that mindset of reasoning astir betterment arsenic thing that emphasizes liberation,” helium explains. “I whitethorn person immoderate hard, hard days, but astatine slightest I cognize I’m a amended dude.”

If you oregon idiosyncratic you cognize is struggling with substance maltreatment oregon addiction, the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline astatine 800-662-HELP (4357) is disposable 24/7.

The Osborne medium is successful ample portion astir your addiction and recovery. Did immoderate of the songs pre-date your clip successful rehab, oregon did you constitute the songs after?

I had already written a afloat state medium that I was going to record. I exited Hazelton successful May and I had this committedness to grounds an medium successful June. It was not successful my plans that I was going to spell to rehab. This was a drastic measurement by mode of drastic circumstances. I was successful a authorities of psychosis, mania – I had gone mad. I was similar Mulder successful an occurrence of The X-Files where I felt I was connected to this greater information and everyone was retired to get me. It was truly similar this occurrence of X-Files successful my mind.

When I went to rehab, the archetypal nighttime I brought a batch of insubstantial and a pen. I near my compartment phone, and I didn’t mean connected penning songs. But the archetypal nighttime I got into treatment, I landed successful the Osborne unit. And it was truthful funny, due to the fact that connected the mode to Hazelton — connected the Amtrak, determination — I had texted a representation of Ozzy Osbourne to my friend. It was a punctuation that helium had, it said, “Hazelton, that was a pugnacious one. They don’t f–k around.” And I conscionable laughed. I sent a screenshot to my person and past lo and behold, I was successful the Osborne unit. Which is simply a missive disconnected from Ozzy’s surname, but the patients determination associated it with dense metal. It conscionable had this dense metallic vibe. With it being...