Eric's Trip INTERVIEW ARCHIVE October 24, 1993 - The Moon Room, Oshawa, ON, Canada
Personnel
- Interviewer(s)
- William McGuirk
- Interviewee(s)
- Mark Gaudet
Sources
| Publisher | Title | Transcript |
|---|---|---|
| Woolly Tuque Vol. 1, Issue 8 | Eric’s Trip Go East Young Man: An Interview | Yes |
Transcript
When Eric’s Trip came to town we had a word with drummer Mark Gaudet…
Tell us a bit about Moncton, New Brunswick?
It is the second largest city and it is in a valley. It has always had to me the best punk scene, the best music scene. It started back in 1978 with bands like the Punks and the Hormones. It was the first Maritime scene to grab hold of punk. There were no other bands in Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, or P.E.I. before Moncton. So I’m pretty proud of Moncton.
And the effect Moncton has on your music?
Maybe if we were from Halifax we would be a lot mellower but being from Moncton and with the hardcore bands, the heavier bands from around there, it gave us more of a raw edge. We are a little more ferocious and less pop although there are still pop elements.
How did the Sub Pop deal come together?
Joyce Lenehan, Sub Pop’s East Coast rep heard Sloan on the radio and she liked them a lot. So she phoned the DJ and she found out they were from Halifax. And her mother is from around there so she got excited and came up for a visit. She got a hold of the manager for Sloan and found they were already signed. And she says “well, Jesus, is there any other bands in your area? I’d love to see a gig.” So Peter Rowan who was Sloan’s manager, put on a gig with us and Tag. Tag is now called Jale. She came up in July ’92, maybe August, and she really liked us. It wasn’t until Jan ’93 that we signed. It was due to Sloan.
Was being on Sub Pop important?
It scared us at first. Originally we turned down the offer thinking we weren’t ready to be on a label. But then we played the Vermonstrous Festival in Burlington in Vermont. We met the owners, Johnathon and Bruce, and they were curious why we passed on the deal and we said, It was all out of fear, big words in the contract, we didn’t want to be owned. And they said, hold it, we’re an indie label, we aren’t going to tell you to do anything. So after all our apprehensions were calmed then we signed.
Is the relationship still strong?
Yeah, it’s great so far because everything we have submitted has been done in our basement (guitarist Rick White’s) and most labels would like to work in a studio with a professional producer. But in the basement we found certain magical sounds that were truly our own. Bob Weston came up to master. So there you go. It wasn’t really selling out or anything like that.
So no big producer, just Bob?
Just like when it was all finished and recorded they said fine, let’s master it, smooth out a few edges. So Bob flew up to Moncton and the album was finished within a few days. But the first few days it took just to get the equipment down into the basement. Half the stuff was shipped damaged from Air Canada.
You didn’t have to move aside an old fridge or shift the furnace did you?
It’s funny, I think the furnace went on in one recording so you might hear the buzz of the furnace in one of the songs. It’s another little personal touch I guess.
So now you have to tour?
We don’t really like touring. Like a lot of bands really get off touring but we get homesick. Our tours last two or three weeks and then we rest up at home. So we never get tired of playing the same songs and we are always excited about our little band. We keep touring to a minimum to keep things more precious.
Is Love Tara your only recording out?
We had four cassettes out before anyone knew us. Then a seven inch single. Then Peter came out. Then Songs for Chris. Love Tara would be the first full length album.
How old is each member?
21, 22, and I’m 29. I’m the old guy in the band.
How long together?
The band originally formed in July ’90 and they had a drummer called Ed Vaughan. In October ’91, Chris Thompson, the guitar player, played drums for about two months and then I joined in December '91.
As the oldest, are you then leader on the road?
I always put it as Rick being the visionary of the band, but Julie (Doiron - bassist) is so important and Chris is right there from the beginning. It's pretty well equal.
What is your favourite album?
With Julie, it is My Bloody Valentine. I sense it is the early stuff. With Rick, it's Dinosaur before they became Dinosaur Jr., and he likes 60s stuff. With me, i guess my favourite band is Battery, a Swedish death metal band. Cargo imports them. (Chris's choice was undecipherable).
Do these choices surface in the music?
Maybe a little bit because the comparision to My Bloody Valentine has been coming up. And then a lot of hardcore punk bands from before and there is a backbone of Ramones style in there too.
What is your favourite track?
My Room. I like that. Follow is quite good and there is a song we have never played live called Spring that I'm a little partial to.
Who is Tara?
There is a girl who lives in Moncton and Eric's Trip have known her since before the band started. And it's funny because the first record we had was Peter and that's one of our friends and Tara is another. Even though they are not important as subject matter, they were there at the time and kind of fit into those songs. So it is kind of neat.
I was trying to figure out how to read the title. Whether it was Eric's Trip love Tara. Or whether it was a letter, like, signed love, Tara?
Yeah, you got it there. Think of it as a letter. The album can be a letter signed love, Tara. Not that she wrote it but...indirectly.
© William McGuirk, 1993