Blitzen Trapper, an Oregon outfit, weave together country, folk, Southern rock, and progressive Americana strands. Their self-released third album from 2007, Wild Mountain Nation, earned widespread critical praise and opened the door to a Sub Pop contract.
Creative momentum peaked with Furr in 2008, whose thirteen tracks distilled the group’s wide-ranging influences into a distinctive, unified Americana voice; subsequent releases such as American Goldwing (2011), All Across This Land (2015), and 100's of 1000's, Millions of Billions (2024) sustained that inventive streak while collecting further notice.
Formed in Portland, Oregon, in 2000, the band was fronted by songwriter Eric Earley and included Erik Menteer on guitar and keyboard, Brian Adrian Koch on drums and vocals, Michael Van Pelt on bass, Drew Laughery on keyboard, and Marty Marquis on keyboard and vocals. Three independent albums preceded their 2007 label deal: the self-titled debut in 2003, Field Rexx in 2005, and the widely admired Wild Mountain Nation, whose reception clinched the Sub Pop arrangement.
Furr became their strongest commercial and critical showing to date, landing on numerous year-end lists; the Black River Killer EP arrived in 2009, and the progressive Destroyer of the Void followed in 2010. After Laughery exited following the supporting tour, American Goldwing welcomed outside contributors for the first time—Tchad Blake handled mixing while Gregg Williams served as co-producer—yet the core sound remained internal, nodding to 1970s country and Southern rock while retaining present-day appeal.
VII, the seventh studio album, surfaced in September 2013 under a new Vagrant Records partnership; that November the band recorded Live in Portland at the Doug Fir Lounge, issuing the live set as a free self-released download in 2014. Seeking to translate that onstage looseness to the studio, All Across This Land appeared on Vagrant in 2015. The ambitious concept LP and rock opera Wild and Reckless arrived in 2017, operating as both companion and extension of the earlier Furr; a tenth-anniversary expansion of Furr followed in 2018, accompanied by a commemorative tour. Erik Menteer, Michael Van Pelt, and Marty Marquis stepped away in 2019. The remaining quartet signed with Yep Roc for Holy Smokes Future Jokes in 2020 and returned in 2024 with 100's of 1000's, Millions of Billions, a contemplative album shaped by Eric Earley’s interest in Buddhist writings and meditation.
