Interview: Blitzen Trapper

Blitzen Trapper is a Portland based experimental band that was formed in 2000. Members include: Eric Earley, Erik Menteer, Brian Adrian Koch, Michael VanPelt, Drew Laughery, Marty Marquis. In 2007, they released Wild Mountain Nation, their third album, which propelled them to critical acclaim and a record deal with Sub Pop Records. Today they find themselves touring across the country supporting their new album Furr. I spoke with band frontman Eric Earley to discuss his thoughts on the band, and music in general.

CM: How's the tour going?

EE: We haven't started yet. It starts in two weeks.

CM: So Furr is the first album released on Sub Pop, is that different than releasing an album by your self?

EE: Yeah

CM: In what ways is it different?

EE: It's less work I think basically. They can take it further than we can with promotions and stuff like that.

CM: Your music is often described as psychedelic. Do you think it's possible to play Americana music without the psychedelic label and still get attention?

EE: I don’t know, I mean I think song writing is the most important for any label to play a song.

CM: Would you describe your music as psychedelic?

EE: It depends on the song. The song Furr is a folk song, some of our songs are just straight up country songs, and some of them are definitely hard rock and stuff.

CM: You talked about how you wanted to play American music, so what does that term mean to you?

EE: Well we're all American we were born here, we play our music. [laugh] I guess that's important

CM: I feel like alot of your songs, have a country feel. Where do you get the inspiration for those kinds of songs if you're from the city?



EE: Well we're not, we grew up south of Portland outside of Salem, about 3 miles outside of Portland. Portland's not that big anyway. Oregon is very sparse in population wherever you go.

CM: There's been alot to do about the recording at the Sally Mack School of dance, and I was curious about how you create the effects on the album in that studio?

EE: You use some strange gear lots of interesting stuff that was collected over the years.

CM: You've said before that making an album was kind of like painting, how does your live show deviate from the picture that you're painting when you record an album?

EE: A live show is definitely different. It's a different instance in time, you're dealing with different forms. Recording one song could take weeks, live your giving sort of an platonic representation. Recording is giving a representation or an illusion of the platonic ideal. Generally recording you don't play all together at once. When you play live you work with all the tools.

CM: Which would you say you enjoy more, the illusion or the real deal

EE: I like recording alot b/c it's more technical and methodical, but you have to have both.

CM: Are you a fan of digital music?

EE: I like that stuff. I think that there is a place for it. I think on Furr there's not as much of it as the album before that. I think the thing that gets to people isn't so much digital as it is the song writing.

CM: Do you think Furr is a large departure from your other albums?

EENo I don't think so.

CM: How did you guys stay under the radar for so long?

EE: We didn't really tour. There are just so many bands that play in town. The music that's here is pretty good, and it's pretty easy to stay here. Alot of it was the record Wild Mountain Nation did so well.

CM: How do you recreate the sound and feel of older music and make it modern?

EE: For me it's not an issue of older music vs. new music. When you listen to music that moves you or touches you in some way it's usually because of the personality of the writer not the genre that they're writing. I feel like alot of people don't think about that, alot of writers don't think about that. I think the songwriting transcends genre a song you can do anything with it, and it will still be a good song. It's not so much about creating a genre it's about creating songs that will stand the test of time and stay on the shelf. You can take a great song and do anything with it. I just happen to like the sound of acoustic instruments and mid 70's production at least for the record Furr. Before that was more of a punk record in alot of ways. I don't like to do the same thing twice.

CM You've talked about how you are not a Romantic, but isn’t there is sort an outdoor feel to the songs you write?

EE: When did I say that? I don't remember saying that.[laughs]

CM: Earlier this year. Have things changed? Are you now a romantic?

EE: [laughs] No, I just don't remember saying that. It's a good quote though.

CM: [laughs] Yeah it is a good quote.

EE: In one sense that quote is sort of silly because we all kind of are romantics. Romantics, especially with the way the environment is getting. We all know feel sentimental towards these things, you know polar bears are dying and that makes you feel something. I think Furr has elements of talking about nature, but there is a darkness to it that implies how impossible it is to change or understand it completely. If there is a way for things to change it's not the way that we're thinking about it now.

CM: So I guess you're a romantic, you're just a little pessimistic too. A little fatalist?

EE: I think so.