John: If I remember correctly, The Resounding was compiled from years of unused material. Were the songs on Faith, Hope, Love written solely after The Resounding�s release?
Erik: Well, not exactly. �Love and Loathing� was actually recorded by Kilara back in `97 for a split we did with Hellchild, but I was never really happy with how it came out. So, I decided years later - and since most folks don�t know who Kilara was - that I could re-do the song the way I wanted it done, which was a bit faster and more cohesive sounding. Everyone in Kilara sang, so it kinda confused the song. I asked a couple of those guys if they minded if I re�did the song, and the response was unanimous in that, I wrote it so do what I want. Most of the music to the other songs I had written in between The Resounding and Faith, Hope, Love, but some of the lyrics date back 15 years. I just never throw anything away outright because you never know if a riff will work for something down the road, or a phrase will fit with an idea later on.
John: Faith, Hope, Love is considerably heavier than The Resounding. Did you set out to write a more aggressive album, or did it just happen that way?
Erik: It pretty much just happened that way. I always write everything on an acoustic, always have, but I can usually tell where the song is going pretty quick and start thinking about it as a whole picture right away. These songs just came from a different place than the collection on The Resounding.
John: You�ve said that Elliott Smith�s a major influence. How�d you feel tackling �Say Yes?�
Erik: Honestly, I wasn�t sure what I was getting myself into. I�m not trained on guitar at all. I don�t know a single scale, nor do I know what note I�m playing at any given time; I just play it all by what sounds good to me simply by listening. So I had my friend Bo Leslie show me how to play the song in the tuning I write in. it�s not a complicated song, but Elliott would write in a circular way, where lines overlap each-other, which I relate to a lot coming from drums.
But basically I knew I wanted to do a tribute to him in some way when he died, and that song in particular spoke to the themes of the album and to some of my personal experiences in 2003. And even though some folks thought it wasn�t the right song to close the album with, there were reasons for that as well. First as a tribute again to Elliott because �Say Yes� ends either/or, and also because I wanted the album to end on a feeling of hopeful projection for the future.
John: All total, how long did it take to write and record Faith, Hope, Love? And what was the hardest part in the whole process?
Erik: Well, if I had to squish all the writing into a single span of time, my guess would be that I probably spent about a month writing it, but between ATP and The Mighty Nimbus and Axehandle and being married and working, I pretty much started it the day The Resounding was done and sent off. I�m always sitting around thinking about songs and shit. I usually carry a little pocket recorder around with me so if I get an idea I can hum it into the tape machine. Those tapes are fucking ridiculous! Hours of me going �Ja ja ja juh juh juh.� The actual recording of the record was done in a week, and then I spent 10 or so days mixing. I�d say the hardest part of the whole record for me was some of the vocal stuff. There are more vocal harmonies and such that I hadn�t really done before. But it was a great learning process.
John: What�s the difference between an Erik Larson song and an Alabama Thunderpussy song? Or an Axehandle song?
Erik: The main difference is that if you hear it on a record I do on my own, it�s exactly how I envision it to be to the best of my ability. With ATP or Axehandle, it gets filtered and altered slightly through the other members of the band. But that also has its benefits at times. And that�s also the difference between working in a band context and solo. I don�t have to compromise on my own. It�s either going to rule or suck on my terms and no one else�s.
John: Seriously, how do you write all these songs? Do you not sleep? Do you hum in your sleep, with a tape recorded by your bed? Out of all the riffs, chords, and melodies, how much do you not use and simply junk?
Erik: Well as I said before I don�t junk anything, it just goes on the back burner for a while. I don�t really sleep that much, come to think about it. I try to have a recorded version of everything, whether 4-tracked properly or the `ol hum into pocket recorder technique. I don�t know, it�s just what I do.
John: You performed songs from The Resounding live at Emissions from the Monolith last year. I remember you talking about stage fright. Seems kinda strange, considering how long ATP has been playing live. I take it being the front man is worlds apart from just playing Virgil.
Erik: Oh yeah! You got to remember; I spent the first 15 years playing in bands behind a protective drum set. Just moving up to guitar was freaky enough. That�s part of the reason I wear a hat on stage, so I don�t have to see the audience, and I can just lose myself. But singing, just singing, that�s a very naked and vulnerable place to be. If you fuck up, you fucked up and not some instrument technical difficulties. Not to mention, I feel it�s important to connect with the folks you�re playing for in a real way by speaking to them and looking them in the eye. Not necessarily a job I�m ready to take on. Yet.
John: Speaking of which, explain this whole �Virgil� business.
Erik: Well basically, �back in the day� when ATP started we really had no idea what we were doing, just playing what sounded cool, which at the early stages wasn�t always the case. So sitting around joking one day it was suggested that we take on stage names, so that when we guerrilla assaulted our next basement (which we would do by just showing up to a friends house with gear demanding to play) �no one would know who we are!� Couple of years roll by and we get the Man�s Ruin deal. So I�m thinking, �Fuck yea, finally we get to use the names for real!� That being the other dudes� first ever record, they didn�t really think that was such a great idea, so, the name went to my guitar. We share it really, and that�s how the whole ATP name thing started. To this day, anyone who is in the band or works for us gets an ATP name. I�m Virgil Tate.
John: What are the other ATP names?
Erik: Big Shirley (Bryan Cox), Rocky Stubbs (Ryan Lake), Don Croissant (Johnny Weills), Micaloeb Micloeb of Yorkshire, aka Michael VonShprinkling (Mikey Bryant), Virgil Tate (Erik Larson). Others that have been in the band over the years: Earl Scrapton (Sam Krivanec), Floyd Deets (Johnny Throckmorton), Skeeter Deets - no relation, (Garrett Morris, roadie), Opie Taylor, roadie (Opie Taylor - she already had a good one), Cletus Leroque (Asechiah Bogdan), Burlington Tweedfish (E.T. Snyder), Bingo Tuggel (Bill Rose), Billy Acorn (John Peters), The Shit (Richie Viale, roadie) Capn` Cornflake (Bill Henderson- fired for stealing from us), the list goes on and on.
John: Oh wait, I was supposed to ask you about if you were going to do any live shows in support of the new solo album. Are ya?
Erik: I�ll never say never, but it�s unlikely. I have had offers though, so...
John: Ok, now onto the big band questions. Since releasing Fulton Hill, ATP has been seemingly on the road non-stop, touring with the likes of Gwar and COC. How�s it been going? Has the constant touring at least given you inspirations for a good ol� fashioned �life on the road� song?
Erik: What are you talking about, we got loads of those! The touring was great, and I had an excellent time all year. But alas, I�m home unemployed and broke now. If it wasn�t for my wife, Chris, I�d be up shit�s creek with out a paddle.
John: Er, I meant any new good ol� fashioned �life on the road� songs. Of course. Speaking of which, what are some of your all time favorites?
Erik: Well duh! Obviously "Turn the Page" by Segar! and "What`s Your Name" by Skynyrd! And lastly probably "Born for the Road" by Inepsy, who are a fucking great punk band from Montreal.
John: Speaking of Corrosion of Conformity, that line up was, to me, the be all end all of tours. ATP, COC, Weedeater, Crowbar, The Suplecs. How�d that one fall together?
Erik: Basically COC chose the bands. All through friend of a friend type shit. But yeah, I thought it was a great bill also. I also enjoyed the Fu Manchu and Supagroup parts of the trip. We made good friends and had a great time.
John: And if you could put together another bill like that, whom would you personally pick?
Erik: Hmmmm, seeing as how I listen to mostly death metal and folky shit these days, I think that�s a hard question and an even harder tour to swallow. In a perfect world, I�d just want to tour with good bands that are friends. Kylesa comes to mind immediately. But I couldn�t really pick a package, I�m just supposed to write and play songs, man.
John: ATP�s known for constantly changing the set list. Are there any ATP songs you just don�t play? And are there any ones that you want to play but just haven�t?
Erik: Yes and yes. I don�t think you will ever hear us play any of the acoustic songs live, well that is until our big 2016 20 year fat and old acoustic tour. As for songs I�d like to be able to play live, well that�s easy, all of them! I�m a strong believer in that a band should be able to play anything out of its repertoire. Unfortunately ATP has been hit with �the bass player curse� too many times for me to make this a reality, and so we just keep pressing onward and trying to re-learn older stuff when we have a few down moments.
John: How�s the follow up to Fulton Hill coming along?
Erik: Quite nice if I do say so myself. We have only recently started writing for it, but we got a few pretty much in the bag now, and I�m very happy with how it�s coming together.
John: Relapse has re-released the first three ATP albums. Was there a reason to the order of the reissues (it wasn�t in chronological order)? And after all these years, what do you like and dislike about those first three albums?
Erik: Well, they released them how we asked them to pretty much. At the time of Constellation�s release, we were doing more songs off that one than the other two. Rise Again got the second slot because it had been out of print so long and Bill had died. River City Revival is the one that everyone seems to have had already, so that one was last and has the most bonus material on it.
I like all of them for what they are, which is a document of the time in the band they were capturing. I�m not a real fan of �remastering� or total overhaul re-recording all that much. Just leave well enough alone. Look what they did to the ZZ-Top records when they were �remastered� - total shite.
John: Thanks for your time. Any last words?
Erik: Thank you for the interest and all who help out. !HASTA LA VICTORIA SIEMPRE!
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