About his time with Mesa Ridge High School , Funk reflects , “ The ‘ Fine On My Own ’ project has been such a blast . We met The Pride of Mesa Ridge marching band while touring through Colorado , and I had recently written the song . The rhythm of it was asking for huge brass and drumline … and I was / am a huge band geek , so did whatever it took to set up concerts and recording sessions with them . The director and the students were all wonderful to work with .”
And then there is Funk ’ s passion for this planet and his resolve to combine music with activism , which led to the “ outside the box ” concept of harnessing solar energy to power the band . And it was this forward-thinking approach that led to realizing the vision for a music festival that is fueled by the energy of the sun . SUNSTOCK SOLAR FESTIVAL ( www . sunstocksolarfestival . com ) is celebrating its second year , with this year ’ s festivities being slated for September . Why solar ? According to Funk , “ Solar is exciting because the technology is advancing in leaps and bounds , the cost of production is falling on an exponential curve , and that kind of clean energy has the potential to replace huge amounts of pollution on the institutional level . It ’ s almost there ! If only the U . S . government subsidized these clean technologies as much as they do fossil fuels . We think it ’ s an immediate solution with huge potential .”
Funk ’ s attitudes are echoed with the co-founder of the band , Graves . The two met during college while delving into environmental studies . This led to a bonding over music — along with a mutual concern for the future of our planet . The friends began their musical journey as a duo , expanding to a 5-piece to achieve a bigger sound .
Funk adds , “ Merritt and I share a huge sense of urgency around climate change and have been happy to support causes that address the problem--mostly raising money to install rooftop solar for non-profits , charities , or lowincome housing . We ’ re really lucky to be in a position to able to do it . But there ’ s a lot of energy in music and entertainment , and we just try to channel that .”
However , Funk ’ s mindset to “ do something ” was evident before college . Says Funk , “ I think if I really traced it back , I started caring in high school . At first it was just picking up trash as I walked around on campus , until I realized that this little part of the world was already paved over , and the only people that were hurt by the litter were us , the same people that were throwing it all over the place . I tried to move on to bigger issues after that .” He continues , “ Merritt and I read and discuss and fret about philosophy , existential threats , where we come from and where we ’ re going . The band for us is a necessary artistic outlet but it ’ s also guided by our worldview and ideas . For examples , we commit a lot of the band ’ s energy to the sustainability movement because that ’ s important to us . Merritt has also been writing sci-fi novels for a few years , hopefully to be released soon , with his warnings about technology , etc . baked in . We use the band to affect change based on our beliefs about the world around us .”
Musically , Funk has found inspiration in BEN HAGGERTY ( aka MACKLEMORE ), due to his ability to roll poignant social critiques into tasty pop-sensible musical packages . Funk shares , “’ Same Love ’ topped the charts AND made a beautiful argument for an important human rights issue at a crucial time . I aspire to do such work with my music .”
I wondered about the name of this band … Trapdoor Social … what does that mean ? When posed to Funk , his response was , “ We sometimes think of it as an underground meeting of all your favorite minds , past and present … but honestly the name was picked semi-at-random , and not our strongest topic of conversation .”
I asked Funk what his advice would be to other artists who are trying to maneuver the business of music . His answer both reflected his humility and was pragmatic : “ I don ’ t know if I ’ m qualified to give any advice ; every situation is so different . Do what you want to do ; do your best ; practice lots and play hard . When you figure it out , let me know how it works .” When asked about future goals and personal aspirations … is there a “ Plan B ”? Funk responds , “ We don ’ t really have a plan B . I make and sell hot sauce , but that ’ s more of a hobby . Merritt has also been writing sci-fi novels for a few years , hopefully to be released soon , with his warnings about technology , etc . baked in . Environmental organizing will always be a part of my life , but I ’ ve been able to work that into my music career and will try to keep it that way . It ’ s music for me as far as I can tell . The other guys are as committed to it as I am , if not more so . We use the band to affect change based on our beliefs about the world around us .”