What if the tried-and-true pop music triumvirate of guitar, bass and drums were replaced by clarinet, tuba and banjo?

No need to ponder the dramatic ramifications of this hypothetical question any longer. Chris Trapper, frontman for Boston's Push Stars, has just released a rather wonderful solo record that fuses his melodic pop sensibilities with unexpected backing from Boston-based Dixieland and swing experts the Wolverine Jazz Band.

"Gone Again" may not have any of the usual rock muscle, but Trapper's songs don't need any Stratocaster bluster to get under your skin. He and his Wolverine Jazz Band cohorts will be at Harpers Ferry in Allston tomorrow to celebrate the release of this unlikely CD collaboration.

Herald: How did you come up with the idea of fronting a New Orleans-styled Dixieland band?
 
Chris Trapper: After the last Push Stars record (2004's "Paint the Town") we were exhausted and I needed something that would restart the creative process. I've always dreamed of doing a totally live recording, rather than using Pro Tools or computers. Do a one-night session, maybe make a record like it was recorded back in the 1950s and '60s. What's happening these days is that records sound incredible, yet somehow don't have a pulse. Tempos never change; there's never a note that's not entirely predictable. People look for what works nowadays instead of what's right, and this record was more about what's right rather than what works.
 
Herald: Were you afraid that this CD would be dismissed as a gimmick?
 
Chris Trapper: Not at all. This traditional jazz is something I love. I think you can hear a gimmick within five seconds. I was a borderline groupie of this group, so when I asked them to record with me and they said yes, I thought of it as a real honor.
 
Herald: Do you think the traditional jazz arrangements will hurt your chances for radio play?

Chris Trapper: I have the benefit of having a nice fan base, yet without a lot of pressure to write a hit. Now I think less about how to make a record fit in and more just about how to make a cool record. I have to give credit to our fans. They're pretty open-minded. They're not looking for the next rock anthem. They're looking for something that's going to move them in some way.
 
Herald: What do the rest of the Push Stars think about all this?
 
Chris Trapper: I'm actually staying at the drummer's house right now. They support me a lot, come to my shows, spread the record around to people. We're still best friends, doing the occasional one-off show. We put so much into the last record that at the end of it we wanted to take some time away and come back fresh.
 
Herald: Do you consider yourself a songwriter or a performer first?
 
Chris Trapper: I definitely see myself as a songwriter first. I've always done it, since I was a little kid, long before I ever played on a stage. I used to sing in a barbershop quartet in high school, which is a recipe for getting your ass kicked. That inspired my songwriting. I'd come home and write about being glad to get out of high school. Songwriting became not just an outlet but a way of life for me.