Eric's Trip Interview Archive Jan 28, 1995 - Halifax, NS, Canada

Personnel

Interviewer(s)

David Rodenhiser

Interviewee(s)

Mark Gaudet

Sources

Medium	Publisher	Date of Issue	Title	Transcript
Print	The Halifax Daily News	01/28/1995	Just Playin' Around	Yes

Transcript

Members of Pearl Jam and Soundgarden did it when they teamed up for the Temple of the Dog album. Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, George Harrison and the late Roy Orbison did it under the guise of The Travelling Wilburys.

Even Johnny Cash, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings and Kris Kristofferson do it when they call themselves The Highwaymen.

For love or just the thrill of something new, many musicians keep a project outside their regular band. Something to fool around with.

For the artists mentioned above, endeavors outside their primary careers have proven lucrative. For other, lesser-known bands, such as Eric's Trip, side projects may not make much money, but they're a good way to have fun and be creative.

"We like to have something on the side to get out other possibilities that we can't vent through Eric's Trip," explains Mark Gaudet, the Moncton band's drummer.

Eric's Trip, signed to Seattle's Sub Pop Records, is one of the Maritimes' most popular alternative bands. They're presently in the running for this year's East Coast Music Award for best alternative/rock artist - up against the likes of Thrush Hermit and jale.

All four members of Eric's Trip have side projects, which metro music fans will get to see tonight at the Oasis Bar & Grill.

Gaudet, 31, and his lifelong chum, Raynald Legere - "another guy that refused to grow up" - will be performing as Purple Knight, a basement band they started in 1974.

"Deep Purple was the main inspiration for Purple Knight, back when I was about eight years old," Gaudet says. "Where I'm an old hack, I get to play the older music that the rest of Eric's Trip is not used to playing.... That era, with the heavier, bombastic stuff, is what I get out with Purple Knight."

Gaudet released a cassette in December for another side project, called No Explanation, in which he handles all the vocals and instruments himself.

"It's just nice to have a band that's totally your own, in case you have no friends and you still want to do stuff," Gaudet jokes.

Likewise, Eric's Trip guitarist Rick White has a solo project called Elevator to Hell, which will release an album in March on Sub Pop. Meanwhile, bassist Julie Doiron, has a record for her solo act, Broken Girl, coming out later this year on Halifax's murderecords label.

"For Rick, he has quite a deep-seated soul that can't be fully conveyed through other people, so he has to do his own stuff. And Julie has her own personal things that she wants to exercise," Gaudet says.

In live performances, Doiron is onstage alone with her guitar as Broken Girl. But for Elevator to Hell, Gaudet often backs up White.

Moonsocket is the side project of the fourth member of Eric's Trip, guitarist Chris Thompson. Thompson may play solo for the Oasis gig, or he may have a few friends from Halifax back him up, Gaudet says. Moonsocket, too, has a single coming out on Sub Pop.

Gaudet says the numerous side projects don't cause tension between the members of Eric's Trip or threaten to break up the band. The complete group plans to put out a seven-inch EP this summer, and release a full album toward the end of the year.

"We just treat it as a break from Eric's Trip to do our own stuff. Then, in February, we'll get Eric's Trip back together and it'll be cool," he says.

However, there might be a brief Eric's Trip reunion at the end of tonight's gig.

"A lot of people were wondering if we'd do a song at the end. So, we're going to have to wait and see what happens," Gaudet says coyly.

© David Rodenhiser, 1995