Local music fans will know Trevor Bouwer as the former front man of local rock band, Concrete Chapel, who has now embarked on a solo musical journey with his 13-track acoustic album released on Tuesday (25/2).
Already available to stream on all major platforms, “The Acoustic Sessions” will be launched alongside Koos Kombuis at the iconic Aasvoël Klub on Friday, 28 February.
While Bouwer states that he has had a love for music for as long as he can remember, what inspired the musician to release a solo, acoustic album, was his time in the Southern States of America.
“I spent some time in Nashville,” Bouwer told Bloemfontein Courant. “It’s just the most amazing place in the entire world!” He also spent time in Memphis, New Orleans, and all over Texas. “Then I decided that I would go on the solo venture,” explained Bouwer.
“I started that process and really just focused a lot on songwriting, and seeing where that goes.”
Bouwer explained that while he always wrote songs on the acoustic guitar before adapting them to be played by a full band, he felt that the stories he wrote got lost in the “noise” of a full band.
“This was really a case of stripping things down just to the acoustic guitar,” he said. “My whole thing is finding ways to tell stories,” added the musician. “If I’m writing something it needs to say something.”
Bouwer explained that the album may come across as a little ‘introspective’, but also touches on several themes that aren’t always talked about, including mental health.
“I spent the last year writing and working on it and got involved with the guys at Studio 31 in Johannesburg, and they said we should do an album,” said Bouwer, “so we did an album!”
Bouwer knew he was on the right track when he started receiving positive feedback from the connections he had made in the US, and Nashville in particular.
Following Friday’s launch of “The Acoustic Sessions”, Bouwer will be embarking on a tour to promote the album, starting in Johannesburg, before a return to Nashville, where the inspiration began.
Stream “The Acoustic Sessions” by Trevor Bouwer on any of the major streaming platforms, or join the live launch at the Aasvoël Club on Friday at 18:00.
Warren Hawkins
