HEALTH Strings Under the Big Sky - Explore Big Sky

42 June 29, 2012
entertainment
Q+a with Blitzen Trapper’s eric earley
by max lowe
big Sky weekly contributor
Eric Earley’s writing and performance
on Blitzen Trapper’s most
recent album American Goldwing
staunchly stakes him as a storyteller,
musician and songwriter. Stemming
from close-to-home life allusions
and warm reminiscence of past experiences
both sorrowful and carefree,
Eric writes songs to shape episodes
in the minds of his audience.
I caught up with him for a short
phone interview and gained some
insight into the band and the album,
which was released last September.
The band has performed in Bozeman
more than a handful of times and
played a show June 29 at the Filling
Station.
max lowe: You recently played at
Sasquatch. What do you like about
that compared to playing a show like
the one here at the Filling Station?
eric earley: I like the big stages,
but there is a lot less interaction
with the audience. The energy you
get at those types of huge shows is
somewhat overwhelming in a sense,
but super exciting. Playing smaller
venues is definitely a warmer feeling,
where you can have a little bit
more intimate connection with the
audience.
ml: You and the band have toured all
over the country and the world. Has
this had an influence on your creative
process?
ee: It’s definitely affected the way
we perform and the way we arrange
our stage show. Playing so much
gives you awareness to the way you
play as a group.
ml: What literary, art or other inspirations
have influenced the stories in
your songs?
ee: A lot of my writing comes from
literature. My lyrical writing comes
from narrative and literary influence,
in the sense that I try and tell
a story. I like it to be very visual for
the listener so even if the song isn’t
literally telling a story, you can envision
a scene as the music unfolds. I
read a lot.
As far as music, I really like hiphop
and folk music. Gangster rap
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and hip-hop are both very lyrically
powerful. The lyrics are all involved.
I also listen to a lot of guitar
rock from the ‘70s. Energetically,
it’s way more driven by passion, and
even though the lyrics are not quite
as expressive you can feel the power
of the music.
ml: A lot of your songs seem to have
personal stories ingrained in the lyrics.
Tell me about that.
ee: This last record was really all
pulled from my own experiences.
It’s all in the details of each song
and the story and life inspiration
behind it.
ml: “Taking it easy too long” really
struck a chord with me on being
stuck waiting for things that are pulling
you down. Did this song have a
specific story behind it in your life?
ee: That one is just written off a
majority of my life. I spent my 20s
drinking and doing a lot of nothing
around Portland, and that song is
meant to reflect that period. The
music video is shot right outside of
Salem, Ore., on the Mollala River
right around where we all grew up,
so that has a real connection with
that part of my and all our lives.
ml: Have you released any solo
projects around this last album?
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blitzen trapper's eric early performing in salt lake City last
year. Photo by max lowe
ee: I write all the music we do, so I
really only write for the band. There
are always songs I’m writing and
recording on my own, but I haven’t
recorded and released any solo projects.
ml: I recently got back from a travel
abroad, and the music I saw in other
countries seemed very single genre. The
scene here in the U.S. has thousands of
sects and off-sects. If you could, how
would you describe American music?
ee: I think the only forms of music
truly invented here in the U.S. are
rap music and jazz. To me, American
music is gangster rap and hip-hop
mainly. Most everything else has
roots in other types of music from all
over the world. Many other musical
movements have origins elsewhere,
like grunge from England or folk
from Ireland. Folk music for me really
started with learning the banjo
from my grandfather, who was from
Ireland.
ml: Excited to be back in Bozeman
playing at the Filling Station?
ee: Super exited to be back. I’ve had
a great time at past shows in Bozeman
and the Filling Station. The people in
Bozeman feel like where we grew up
in the Pacific Northwest. It’s a small
town and northern town, and you
can feel that.