Today we’d like to introduce you to Neil Trammell.
Hi Neil, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I reckon my musical journey started around 15 or 16 years old. I had accidentally tuned into a show dedicated to Texas artists. I definitely found music that spoke to me. Mike Crow was the DJ, and he focused on songwriters and honkytonk heroes. It really opened my mind to fact that there’s a lot of great music that never shows up on the Billboard lists.
I found an Applause guitar in the back of my closet one day. It might have been my older brother’s. My uncle had played a lot in the course of his life. So, he taught me to string it and tune it, and showed me the basics to a couple of songs I liked.
I started writing songs while attending Sul Ross State University in Alpine, Tx. I spent ten years working on two degrees, and the closest that I ever got to a PhD was post hole digging. However, those years afforded me the pleasure of playing in bands with friends and learning more about how to craft a song from idea to completion. I reckon we’re all still studying that, looking for ways to refine the process.
I became a father in 2013, with the arrival of my son, my daughter followed in 2016. I’ve been through a couple divorces. My day job is welding and building shade structures, fences, etc. We’ve been in business for twelve years, based out of Alpine until recently.
I moved to Terlingua in June of this year, and in the paraphrased words of Butch Hancock, “you’re walking around in the desert, and, like, you’ll just find a song laying on the ground.” So, we pick them up, take them home, and work on them until they’re ready to go back out in the world.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I cannot complain about the road I’ve been on to get here. I have good friends that help keep me between the bar ditches of life. My spiritual guru, Paul Duffy (aka Pablo Menudo), once answered one of my more philosophical questions with a quote from Herocledes. “The way up and the way down are the same.” I’ve never fact checked it, but it has had a profound effect on keeping an even keel when the gravel gets rough.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I write and sing country songs, mostly. I’ve recorded some of them. Some other folks have covered them, as well. I think that having someone else come to you and say, “I like that song, I like it so much, I want to sing it in my act.” That’s a real ego boost that you have learn how to manage down into a quiet pride.
In addition, I play upright bass in a couple of acts out here in Far West Texas, most notably, the Doodlin’ Hogwallops and the Swifts, and I’m quite proud to be a part of both bands.
I think my access to the characters and landscape of the Big Bend region is what helps set my songs and sound apart. Plus, I’m walking in the footsteps of songwriting heroes like Steven Fromholz and Gil Praither. There’s a certain holiness here that attracts creatives from all the arts and all walks of life, as well. The only way to honor that holiness is to observe and create.
Any big plans?
I’m finishing my second studio album, coming out this fall. Currently working with a new band in Terlingua, and we’re coming together real good. Lately, my music calendar has been filling up, and I’m looking forward to meeting people and singing them my songs out on the road. Also, looking forward to songs I’m going find on those travels.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/txmuzkfan?igsi=NWxsZnZ5cGJhdTVh&utm_source=qr
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/18BcBMtH9E/?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@turquoisetroubador?si=RHi3WneJ411jZc1s
