Meet Skylar Funk of Trapdoor Social

Today we’d like to introduce you to Skylar Funk.

Skylar, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Trapdoor Social’s co-founders, Merritt Graves and myself, met doing environmental studies at Pomona College, then created the band agreeing that it should be a vessel for music and creativity but also a platform to promote sustainability and the philosophies we felt were important. The band has grown and changed a lot since then, but we have continued to work our message into our events, music, and other media. We created and ran Sunstock Solar Festival from 2016-2018, toured Europe and the UK with The B-52s, and these days are hunkered down in LA writing music.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Not always smooth, no. We’ve had to rebuild the band a couple of times. We’ve worked with some great players but they can’t always stick around. It’s not too easy to pay rent as a musician in LA. Of course, we’ve also called into the void and wasted money and busted tour vans and made countless other mistakes… but I’d say building and rebuilding the band has been the greatest challenge.

Please tell us about Trapdoor Social.
First of all, we’re a band. We’ve released dozens of songs and videos, toured and played tons of shows here in LA, etc. We’re also an activist organization. Sunstock Solar Festival was a huge undertaking meant to broaden and support the LA environmental movement. Since 2019 we’re less of a big LA music fest but we’re still using the same equipment (our mobile solar generator and sound system) to amplify the voices of other leaders, like the Youth Climate Strikes, Jane Fonda’s Fire Drill Fridays, and more. It’s very important work to us, and we’re very proud to be a part of it!

Another thing that sets us apart is our style of alternative rock. We’ve been collaborating since 2014 with marching bands and brass bands, digging into our band nerd roots, and enjoying our own “horns up” brand of rock. From “Fine On My Own” which we’ve played live with a half-dozen high school marching bands, to “Feeling Good”, the cover we’re soon to release, we are definitely having fun with the brassy influence.

Do you look back particularly fondly on any memories from childhood?
I remember harmonizing with my mom on Swing Low, standing at a gas station during our big family road trip one summer. She taught me that and it’s still one of my favorite things about music – voices in harmony.

Contact Info:

• Website: TrapdoorSocial.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: instagram.com/trapdoorsocial
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrapdoorSocial

Image Credit:
Colleen Allison Photography

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