Few musicians can cite the sun and surf of the Caribbean and South Florida as well as the snow and mountains of the West as inspiration for their sound. But Peter Troup isn’t your ordinary artist. He has observed life in locales on opposite ends of the spectrum yet found an underlying vibe that ties the two together. From the mountains to the beach and back again, Troup has honed his skills, defined his sound and brought smiles to the faces of everyone in between.
Growing up in Park City, Utah, Troup first discovered his passion for live music and his appreciation for his mountainous surroundings. As a kid, his family relocated to the Virgin Islands and then to South Florida, giving Troup a unique opportunity to absorb different cultures, not to mention a chance to fall in love with the ocean. Spending the rest of his youth and college years in Florida, Troup became a guitar player, initially cutting his teeth on the likes of Green Day. Tiring of the simple three-chord riffs, he started spending time learning the music of legends like Willie Nelson, Bob Dylan and, of course, Jimmy Buffett (he couldn’t deny his South Florida heritage after all!). Early on Troup “realized that I liked making people happy with my music more than being an amazing musician.”
Shortly after college, Troup began to play out in local bars around West Palm Beach, Florida. A few months later, he received an unexpected phone call that would send his life in a new direction. A bar in Vail, Colorado offered Troup a residency for the winter ski season playing covers. After much deliberation, he quit his job, packed his bags, and headed west. One season turned into two and so on, and for the next few seasons Troup entertained people from around the world and really got his feet wet as a performer. A trip back home one summer convinced Troup that it was time to stay in Delray Beach, his hometown, and focus on writing and performing original music.
“Brighter Day,” Troup’s debut album, is the result of two years of intense songwriting and regular gigs back home. The mellow, often times beachy rock and roll captured on “Brighter Day” reflects Troup’s influences of classic rock, country and sunny, laid-back rock and roll. It also portrays Troup’s attitude, personality and outlook to a T. With an album in hand and a band of musicians ready to support him wherever he goes, Troup has a promising future ahead. And he owes so much of that to his diverse past.
“When it comes down to it, I started to play music to entertain and I feel that I have accomplished that,” says Troup. “There is no greater feeling than to make someone happy just because of your music. I’m sure that it could be considered selfish to some degree, because it makes me happy that they are happy. But as long as I keep putting smiles on people’s faces, you’ll see me on some stage, corner of a bar, or out on a patio playing some tunes. Whether the songs are mine or belong to one of the many great artists that have played music for people to love, I’ll be there.”
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