Sometimes inspiration can come from the most unexpected of places. In the case of Pro snowboarder, Trevor Andrew aka Trouble Andrew, a few months on the disabled list allowed him to find his inner musician and the rest, as they say, is history. Trouble Andrew can now be found performing his music on stages across the US as well as producing and working alongside some of the most respected artists in Indie and Hip-hop. CCS caught up with Trouble this month to get the full story.
At what point did your music career start to take off apart from your life as a pro snowboarder?
After I blew my knee and later my back, I had some good time to sit and figure out what my other passions in life were. I discovered that music was not only something that motivated me to shred, but was something inside of me. I then wrote and produced my first record. At that point, I just saw music as something to kill time until I could shred again. I never thought I would release anything. My wife Santi encouraged me to put my music online so I did and from that point it was on.
What’s your musical background? Do you have any classical training?
Nah, no training. I used to freestyle on the chairlift with Browner and Kier Dillon for fun, but the first time I ever really sang in front of anyone was when I was recording my first songs. I would face the wall and turn the lights off. Before that I was making beats and writing riffs when I was home alone. At first I was thinking more like a producer making tracks, but I had no one to sing on them so I was like, “f*ck it”, I’ll give it a shot.
How have the skateboarding and snowboarding lifestyles shaped your image and sound as an artist?
A lot of inspiration comes from the skate culture I grew up in. The videos had great sound tracks packed with Indie music and I watched them religiously.
How would you describe your musical style? Where does your inspiration come from?
That’s a tough question because I don't really have one style or direction. I just make music based off my mood. I have so many influences. Life is my inspiration.
How do you balance life as an athlete and musician? Do the two overlap?
It’s a perfect balance. One inspires the other. I'm on that yin yang swag.
What's up with your new signature shades from Electric?
The Mags! I’m super hyped on them. They’re the new wave. I’ve been wanting to design a pair of new glasses for a minute and they turned out just as I imagined—classic.
What's the story with Trouble Gang Records? Do you have other artists signed to your label?
Trouble Gang Records is in full effect and I’m about to drop a lot of music in 2013. I’ll be releasing Muller St-Cyr who’s a rapper out of Flatbush Brooklyn. I’m also working with a Canadian artist named Jofo who’s been runnin’ with Trouble Gang and the CTG Records family from the gate. Additionally, I'm releasing three Trouble Andrew solo projects along with a Trouble Gang mixtape featuring artists like Theophilus London, Stunnaman, Riff Raff, Yelawolf, Santigold, Spank Rock, Chip The Ripper and more.
