Over the past few years, Stephen Troum decided that writing songs and playing out more were what he wanted to do. He joined local songwriter associations and dropped by open-mics and showcases. He eventually started playing his own originals, and not long before the 2020 lockdown, he hooked up with some kindred spirits — bassist BabyLeg and drummers Sonic Boom and Flyer — to form what has become a kind of a force: The Troumatics.
From gigs all over town, including Lola’s Trailer Park, Magnolia Motor Lounge, and MASS, the band began recording with Taylor Tatsch (Cut Throat Finches, Shadows of Jets, Crooked Bones) and Deep Blue Something’s Todd Pipes. The Troumatics’ latest single, “You Hurt Me,” came out earlier this year, preceded by seven other tracks. Last year’s “Rocket in Flight” has been getting some airplay on KXT’s local show and on KTCU. The Troumatics have recorded enough material for an album and plan on releasing more tunes along with the 14 tracks already laid down with Tatsch and Pipes.
Troum feels good about what the Troumatics are working on. The upcoming releases are strong, he said, and really show how the band has been gelling.
“The feedback has been very positive and very cool,” he said. “I’ve spent my life dedicated to the fields of science and logic, but this is the best time of my life from a creative and artistic standpoint.”
Troum said playing shows at a regular clip is what helped enable the group to network with other musicians around town, allowing The Troumatics to continue booking more shows.
“We try to be fun,” Troum said about performing live. “You come out and want to listen to some original rock ’n’ roll, and we have a good time onstage, and I think the crowd feels that.”
Troum, a hand surgeon, said he’s at a point in his career where he can control his schedule. Making time to play and write music is a priority for him.
As Troum and his bandmates are working hard in the studio and onstage, the singer-songwriter says he’s learned a lot about how the local scene itself works. One aspect he’s excited about is hopefully releasing music through Amplify 817, the Fort Worth Library’s local music platform.
Troum also says he’s been helped by brother Kenn Scott, who played Raphael in the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise.
The group’s sound is very ’90s-alt with some dark lyrics about political turmoil and how the world seems to be cracking during the pandemic.
From a business standpoint, Troum is content joining with seemingly every other band on the planet and releasing a series of singles before compiling them into one long-player to be dropped later.
“Nowadays, people don’t buy CDs that much anymore,” he said. “It’s all about getting singles on playlists. It seems like the trend is to release a series of singles and an EP or compilation. The plan is to release a few more singles and then release a compilation with an EP.”
Troum said his primary objective is sharing his music with as many listeners as possible.
“We want to get that music out there,” he said. “We want fans to see it. I’m not just doing demos out of my basement anymore. It’s on another level now, and it’s fun to meet other musicians and bands. I wanted to take my original stuff, form a band, record, play some shows, and make an impact on Fort Worth.”
