Indie Artist Spotlight: Marcus Trummer Band’s Eclectic Brand of Rock & Roll Foreshadows Future Success

If you have yet to jump on the Marcus Trummer Band, you best do so now— They will surely be a household name before the end of the decade.

Hailing from Calgary, Alberta, is Marcus Trummer Band (consisting of Karl Salingua, Linden Conroy, Silas Trummer & Marcus Trummer). With a music sound that is best described as an eclectic blend of familiarity, the band draws inspiration from old school blues, North American roots music and classic rock. At the forefront of the band is 20-year-old Marcus Trummer– who first entered the professional music scene in 2018. As he shares, “I’ve been playing music my whole life. I’ve been writing and playing songs since I was about 12-13 years old.” (Trummer). This passion for music led him to play open mics across Calgary, as well as founding the Youth Musician of Music Mile organization alongside fellow up-and-coming young artists in Inglewood. On Mondays for a whole month, they would have the stage to themselves, performing at a variety of local coffee shops and participating in live jam sessions. Which Trummer says, “was a good introduction to playing ‘real’ gigs.” (Trummer). 

Official cover art for Marcus Trummer Band’s latest EP,  "These Roads". Photo courtesy of Marcus Trummer.
Official cover art for Marcus Trummer Band’s latest EP,  “These Roads”. Photo courtesy of Marcus Trummer.

In November of last year, the band released their first studio EP, “These Roads”.  Having songs already written before the band was formed, Trummer knew he wanted to bring them to life on a record one day. So in early 2019, Karl Salingua, Linden Conroy, Silas Trummer & Marcus Trummer got together and started working on the EP. Recorded in a remote studio  out in the country, they had high hopes for it. Unfortunately, the end result wasn’t quite what they had anticipated. As Trummer explains, “ When we went into the studio, we prepared as if it were a live show. The record wasn’t up to the standard we wanted, so we scrapped the whole thing.” (Trummer). After shelving the project for over a year, the band finally came back to it with fresh eyes and newfound experience. 

In early 2020, the band began recording the record once again in a  new studio in Calgary, Steve Dierkens’ Studio D. Using the old recordings and demos from their previous attempt as a roadmap, they sat down with Dierkens to achieve the quality of record and sound they desired. As Trummer mentions, “ We did it right this time. We didn’t want something overproduced or auto-tuned– We wanted that natural, organic sound to shine through.” (Trummer).

The first single released off the album, Waiting for a Storm to Pass, was penned by what Trummer refers to as, “The Dream Team”. Consisting of Aaron Pollock and husband & wife duo Annika and Spencer Cheyne, Trummer explains that as his first co-write it couldn’t have gone any better and he is looking forward to collaborating with them all again in the near future. He shares,“I learnt to write on my own, but I can be very judgemental of my own writing.” (Trummer). As he continues, “While it’s difficult to put all your emotions out there, some of my best songs have been out of co-writes. It helps to write with other artists who will challenge you and understand your vision.” (Trummer).

Featured: Marcus Trummer. Photo courtesy of Marcus Trummer.
Featured: Marcus Trummer. Photo by Claire Bourgeois and courtesy of Marcus Trummer.

The band also has several accolades to their name– having been awarded the Zackariah and the Prophets Memorial Award at the 2019 YYC Music Awards, as well as Marcus received the Randy Ouston Scholarship at the Calgary Blues Festival in 2019. In addition, they have headlined some of Calgary’s most respected venues including Ironwood Stage & Grill, The King Eddy, and Mikey’s on 12th, where the band had a sold-out single-release show in September 2020– they have had plenty of local success. At the end of 2020, the band performed as part of the National Music Centre’s nationally broadcasted gala alongside Jann Arden, Corb Lund & Brett Kissel — being the only emerging artist on the list. “It was the highlight of my year” (Trummer). 

Now with lockdown restrictions lifted and live music once again a reality, Trummer looks forward to returning to regular performances on stage with his band.

Listen to the “These Roads” EP Now:

 

Stay Up to Date With Marcus Trummer Band:

Website: http://marcustrummermusic.com 

IG: http://www.instagram.com/marcustrummermusic 

FB: http://www.facebook.com/marcustrummermusic 

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/c/marcustrummermusic 

Spotify: http://open.spotify.com/artist/7no6C9jfk4qVJPjczI0zkS 

Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/ca/artist/marcus-trummer-band/1437166941

 

Works Cited

Trummer, Marcus. Interview. Conducted by Kyla Pearson, Jul 18 2021.

Unknown.“Featured: Marcus Trummer Band”. Photo taken by Claire Bourgeois and courtesy of Marcus Trummer. Accessed Jul 18 2021.

Unknown.“Featured: Marcus Trummer”. Photo taken by Claire Bourgeois and courtesy of Marcus Trummer. Accessed Jul 18 2021.

Unknown.“Official cover art for Marcus Trummer Band’s latest EP,  ‘These Roads’ ”. Photo courtesy of Marcus Trummer. Accessed Jul 18 2021.

 

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