Blitzen Trapper

Blitzen Trapper
Blitzen Trapper performing at the Crystal Ballroom in Portland, Oregon
Background information
Origin	Portland, Oregon, US
Genres	Alternative country
Years active	2000–present
Labels	Lidkercow Ltd. Sub Pop, Vagrant Records, Lojinx
Website	blitzentrapper.net
Members	Eric Earley Erik Menteer Brian Adrian Koch Michael Van Pelt Marty Marquis
Past members	Drew Laughery

Blitzen Trapper is a Portland, Oregon-based experimental country/folk/rock band associated with Sub Pop Records,Vagrant Records and Lojinx. Formed in 2000, the band currently operates as a quintet, with Eric Earley (guitar/harmonica/vocals/keyboard), Erik Menteer (guitar/keyboard), Brian Adrian Koch (drums/vocals/harmonica), Michael Van Pelt (bass), and Marty Marquis (guitar/keyboards/vocals/melodica). Blitzen Trapper self-released its first three albums. "Wild Mountain Nation" was No. 98 on Rolling Stone's list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007.

Blitzen Trapper released its third album, Wild Mountain Nation, in 2007 to much critical acclaim from critics such as Pitchfork Media, The Nerve, and Spin Magazine. The group signed to Sub Pop Records in the summer of 2007.

The release of Furr in 2008 was a high-water mark for the group as their eclectic new songs received a two-page feature in Rolling Stone. The album was ranked No. 13 on Rolling Stone's Best Albums of 2008 while the title track was ranked No. 4 on the magazine's Best Singles of 2008. The albums Destroyer of the Void and American Goldwing followed, to similarly high acclaim.

On October 1, 2013, the band released VII, their first on Vagrant Records in the US; the album also appeared on British indie label Lojinx in Europe on September 30. In mid-December 2014, the band self-published their first live album, Live In Portland, followed by the Record Store Day exclusive, a live cover album of Neil Young's Harvest record titled Live Harvest. Their newest studio album, All Across This Land, was released on October 2, 2015.