Soul musician Marcus Trummer’s introduction to the world of music began by singing for school choirs and church services. But when he discovered his father’s guitar changed his life.
Trummer was born in Calgary into a musical family. His mother plays the oboe in community bands, his father plays the guitar, and his brother Silas plays the drums.
Trummer first got involved in music by performing in school choirs and occasionally in church.
He sang with the Young Canadians, a performing arts school that enables youth to train in singing, dancing and even performing at the Calgary Stampede.
Discovering the guitar
In middle school, Trummer picked up the trombone, his first interaction with an instrument, and he played it throughout middle school.
But then something entirely unexpected happened and changed the course of his life.
“When I was about 13, I ended up messing around with my dad’s guitar, picked it up, and that’s kind of what led me to what I’m doing now,” says Trummer.
He developed a fondness for the guitar, unlike any other instrument. The guitar seemed to speak to him and drew him in.
“Something about the guitar just… I don’t know, I think it’s a very intimate and personal thing. You’re kind of like, cradling this instrument and you can feel it resonating,” he says.
Developing his style
By combining his love for singing with the endless possibilities of the guitar, Trummer began to write and perform his own original music.
“When I first picked up a guitar at 13-14 I was writing and creating. From there, kind of went on to try my original tunes out of open mics,” says Trummer. “I remember being, you know, super nervous and having to be really encouraged by a couple friends and my family.”
Trummer learned to play classical and jazz music in middle school and has loved that style of music ever since. His brand and music focuses entirely on that genre.
PHOTO: SUPPLIED BY MARCUS TRUMMER
“American music, soul music, gospel, R&B, rock and roll, jazz, like all these things can be traced back to blues,” says Trummer.
Forming a band
During high school, Trummer started the Marcus Trummer Band. His bass player and friend Karl Salingua admires Trummer’s dedication.
“I just love his determination and his calling to do what he wants to do, and to do what he feels called to do,” says Salingua. “I know that he believes that music has this spiritual and deeper essence, that there’s more than meets the eye…that there’s something about music that makes it super special,” he adds.
Musical influences
Trummer’s biggest influences in his music are mostly old-school artists such as Bill Withers, Marvin Gaye, legendary guitarist B.B. King and Jimi Hendrix. For him, blues music is incredibly unique and fascinating in its own way, and that’s what draws him to it.
“Old school influenced [approaches are] somewhat of a rare thing. Not everyone does that, you know? Most people are trying to do what’s popular,” says Trummer. “I’m trying to be rooted in the past while also maintaining a kind of a modern sensibility to what I do.”
Rooting himself in the past and offering an alternative to commercial sounds we hear everyday on the radio and social media allows Trummer to experiment with his music and write and perform it how he wants.
“I try to write stuff that has a meaning behind it that you can also enjoy and that’s also very musical,” he explains. “So anyone who’s looking for that depth, but also good musicality and real instruments, I want to be the guy for that.”
Breaking into the industry
Trummer’s career has taken off, and he has received multiple accolades. He received a nomination for New Artist of the Year at the Maple Blues Awards in Toronto in 2022, and won the 2023 Telluride Blues Challenge in Colorado, the first time he ever performed in the U.S.
He recently released his debut album From the Start, which features a collection of songs he wrote throughout his life. The songs reflect on his life experiences.
“I just write whenever I’m inspired,” says Trummer. “I really enjoy just going into that creative flow space and being able to just focus on that and tune out the world.”
Looking ahead
Trummer wants to perform more in front of bigger audiences and travel to different places, spreading his passion for music and the sound of soul wherever he goes.
He says he doesn’t care about the money or not. Playing his music and spreading the joy of sound is enough payment, he says.
“I love the ability of music to connect people and bring people together,” he says. “You just have that real genuine raw in-person connection with people. You can share something that you created.”