Eric and the rest of Blitzen Trapper hit the Stick this Thursday.
11 A.M. on a Saturday probably isn’t the most opportune time to get a hold of a musician, but for the Portland, Oregon based sextet Blitzen Trapper, it seemed like this was as good as anytime.
The band was playing an early afternoon spot at the Newport Folk Festival and was preparing for the gig when I had a chance to chat with Blitzen Trapper mastermind Eric Earley.
Earley and the rest of the band has just released their latest album, “Destroyer Of The Void” back in June and will be out on the road until the snow starts to fly. During my chat with Earley, we discussed how his early influences shape his current music and the band’s evolution.
Here’s my interview with Eric:
AM: “Destroyer of the Void” came out last month- what has the reaction been so far?
EE: It’s been all right so far. I tend not to read reviews and what critics have to say about the albums- so when it comes to that, I don’t really how the critical reaction. But the fans who have been to the show seem to enjoy it and haven’t heard any complaints from them as of yet.
AM: How have your early influences helped shape the band’s current music?
EE: I think a lot of my early influences shape my music today. I don’t think it’s a matter of me sitting down and trying to put my influences into the music- it’s more of a subconscious effort. I think with where I grew up and what my father was into helped shape. He was into folk, bluegrass and country music, but he was also into a lot of hard rock as well, and I think that helped me form the band’s sound.
AM: How have you felt the band’s music has evolved since the beginning of the band?
EE: I think the first two albums we put out had poor production, to say the least. The first album was something that I made myself, very much a DIY type of thing. But as time has went along, the production values have become better and things sound a bit tighter than they were. Stylistically, I think I’ve done a lot of the same things throughout the different albums we’ve had. But we’ve toured so much through the past couple of years that I didn’t really give it too much thought.
AM: Did the recording process seem more difficult for the band this time around versus past albums?
EE: Not so much. A lot of times, it’s really just me writing the songs. I tend to just keep writing throughout and not really worry about an album, persay. A lot of times, it is a collection of songs that I wrote during that time period. When the record company wants an album, I put together the best songs I have at the time and that is how it usually gets done.
AM: There was been an explosion of indie folk bands of the like that has seemed to shown up in the past few years- what factors can you attest that to?
EE: There are so many artists throughout time that have been playing that type of music. Americana based music is one of those things were there have been and always will be people performing that sort of music that it never gone away. Ten years ago, you had guys like Elliott Smith and Wilco doing this time same sort of thing. There are so many people that have made this viable that it will always be around.
Blitzen Trapper plays at the Majestic Theater on Wednesday, August 4th. Tickets are $13 and are available at www.ticketmaster.com. Additional band info and tour dates can be found at www.blitzentrapper.net.
