Today we’d like to introduce you to Trevor Boggs.
Hi Trevor, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I grew up in Independence, Kentucky, just outside of Cincinnati, Ohio. My dad’s a police officer, but he had been a musician in Cincinnati throughout the 80s and 90s and produced on the side for a little bit when I was a kid, so I was immersed in music from an early age. In fact, one of my first memories is playing the drum kit in the studio he had built, making a beat between the floor tom and the snare because my feet couldn’t reach the kick pedal. I also remember strumming on his pedal steel and thinking it was the most beautiful sound I’d ever heard.
I had always messed around with guitar when I was young, but I was mostly focused on drums until I was 11. Around that time, I had been playing a lot of Guitar Hero and wanted to try the real thing. My older brother, Tim had been playing for a little while, so I messed around on his guitar a lot. My dad taught me a few things on it, and I used YouTube videos to teach myself as well. Around that time, my twin brother Tyler started playing bass, and after a few years, we were playing in a band with our dad, doing gigs at local house parties.
By the time we were in our senior year of high school, Tyler and I had gotten good enough to place pretty high in some school talent shows, and we also played guitar and bass in the school band. That year, we auditioned for Berklee College of Music, and we got accepted, but we couldn’t afford to go. I was really depressed and considered quitting music. The only other option I felt I had was to join the Army like my dad did. About 4 months after graduating high school, I was in Basic Training. Tyler also joined the Army soon after.
I spent 4 years in the Army as a Radio Operator. It was a great experience. I got to jump out of airplanes and do some pretty cool training, but part of me felt like I didn’t belong there. I wasn’t the most enthusiastic soldier, and I always found myself wishing I could play guitar more. Near the end of my contract, I spent a lot of time playing at open mic nights, singing covers, and writing songs, and the more I did that, the less I enjoyed being a soldier.
In my last year in the Army, I went on a short vacation and auditioned for Berklee a second time. This time, I got a small scholarship. I cried… a lot. I was so happy. Not long after that, I finished my time in the Army and moved to Boston. I spent a semester there and it was a dream come true, but I couldn’t afford a second semester due to some issues with the way the G.I. Bill (basically a scholarship from serving in the military) paid out. I was crushed, but Tyler called me soon after and told me he was heading to Hollywood to study at Musicians Institute.
Only 2 weeks later, Tyler and I, now both Army veterans, moved to Hollywood to continue the journey we had started together 12 years prior. However, not long after we got here, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, and after a few months, we moved back to Kentucky. We both worked a couple of regular jobs there until April 2021, when one of our friends asked us to join a band, and we re-enrolled in school and returned to Hollywood. We both graduated with our Associate Degrees in early 2022, but Tyler decided to move back to Kentucky not long after that to focus on photography, and he’s doing really well at it. I’m really proud of him.
I stayed and continued into the bachelor’s degree program at MI for a few years until my G.I. Bill ran out in late 2023. In the years since 2021, I’ve been pretty steadily playing gigs and recording in sessions throughout Southern California with multiple artists and bands whenever I’m needed, and I continue to do so today.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Oh, absolutely not! Any journey in entertainment is riddled with bumps in the road, detours, setbacks, and rejection. It’s very easy to drown in self-doubt sometimes, but having good people around helps a lot. It’s also a very social endeavor, which is difficult to navigate as someone who values alone time. I’d say the hardest thing for me has been trying not to be too hard on myself when things slow down or when I make mistakes. I’m working on that, though, and think I’m making progress.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I’m mostly a gun-for-hire guitarist. I take pride in being able to play guitar at least somewhat decently in most styles of music, and that reflects in the work that I’ve done. I’ve done session, gigs, and have been in bands that have forced me to adapt to a lot of differing musical situations. Whether it’s pop, rock, hip-hop/r&b, jazz, or metal, I’ve found a way to express myself in a way that also serves the vocabulary and traits of the genre. I’d say that’s what sets me apart.
My favorite project that I’m a part of right now is an Organ Trio called Hambone Relay. It’s a funk/rock organ trio, and Mark Brown (Organ) and Ben Pham (Drums) give me a lot of freedom to express myself. They’re also some of the best musicians I’ve ever met! I also write music sometimes, and when I do, it’s usually either folksy/pop singer-songwriter material or instrumental progressive rock.
Any big plans?
At the moment I’m just keeping busy taking as many gigs and sessions as I can. I just joined the band of an artist that has a really strong backing and great music, so I’m hoping to go on tour soon! That’s the next step for me for sure. Other than that, I’d like to do some freelance teaching as well as start taking lessons again to improve on the instrument.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.trevboggsmusic.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trevvguitar/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/trevor.boggs.31/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYgv1ZhQv9C5zvr9_aekvaA
Image Credits
Eat By Wolf Harmony Guitars
