Coming to Europe and the UK very soon, is a very special band; Siskiyou. We have a chat with Erik
Tell us about Siskiyou ... what sounds can we expect to hear at the up-coming live shows?
Siskiyou is collaboration between Colin Huebert and myself. Colin left Great Lake Swimmers in 2008 and had already been working on some rough demos of songs. He shared them with me sometime 2009 and in fall of that year I flew out to Vancouver to help him flesh out recordings that would ultimately become Siskiyou's debut album. With the addition of Peter Carruthers and Shaun Watt, we now have a fully functioning 4-headed, 8-armed musical hydra. You should expect to hear guitars, drums, banjos, keyboards, melodicas, musical saws and all the other things that make life worth living.
Are you still a member of Great Lake Swimmers and if so, what is that band up to at the moment?
I am still a member of Great Lake Swimmers and we've just finished recording a follow-up to Lost Channels. It should be out spring of 2012.
You are heading to Europe for the next month, looking forward to the trip and what will make it a successful trip for the band?
We are absolutely looking forward to our November tour and hoping that the weather could do us a favour and just hold off for a few weeks. We were hit with a snowstorm in Sweden last year and discovered our tour van had no snow tires and little in the way of functioning windshield (windscreen?) wiper fluid. I think the success of the tour hinges entirely on the availability of Belgian beer and good people to share it with.
What are the biggest differences between being on the road in Canada and Europe?
Every Canadian band will tell you it's the distance of the drives between gigs. Long stretches of rolling prairies vs. two countries in two hours. I'm going to say it's the quality of the service stations. UK = Marks & Sparks, Italy = Autogrill, Canada = PetroCanada. 'Nuff said.
What is going to be playing in the tour van over the next month?
If I had my way I would probably alternate between our labelmate Sandro Perri's new album, Impossible Spaces, and some old calypso records I can't get enough of; Blind Blake, Joseph Spence .. you have to check this stuff out. Awesome.
How is life a musician at the moment, still smiling?
Smiling as much as not having a dental plan will allow.
How did you get into music and know you want to play, was there a defining moment?
Gillian Welch and David Rawlings in Toronto @ Massey Hall, March 18, 2000. I had never considered the banjo as anything other than a tambourine on a stick.That performance blew the top of my head off and changed everything.
Any advice for bands just starting out, how can they best rise above today's potential market saturation of the number of bands out there?
Learn how to play your instrument, but not too much. Listen to everything. Record always. Technology is on your side. Go to shows. Above all, be realistic. Hoo-ray for the internet but if you want people to hear you, you will have to tour and it will be hard. But that's part of the fun, right?
If you were to wear another band's tee shirt on stage, Who would it be?
Maybe a smoking jacket in vermillion crushed velvet with a jaunty bit of lace at the throat and Toronto's, 'Bad Tits' stitched in gold across the breast pocket.
For other musicians, any instruments, effects, new finds you would like to share?
I am pretty loyal to Canadian builders and have been using effects made by Dr. Scientist (drscientist.ca) and Empress Effects (empresseffects.com) for years. Also worth checking out - http://www.teixeiraamps.com Great sounding boutique amps.