Interview with The Eruptors (Rock Band)

Hey Gary,

It has been a while since we last featured you on the blog and we know you have busy with the band.

1.) So have things been going with the band lately & is there anything you guys are working on at the moment?

Things with the band have been great! We played and awesome show in London in July at Kliburn's Luminaire venue - one of the best venues in the city - in front of a very apprciateive and rockin' crowd. For the first time we had a fourth member of our trio, Val Hannah, formerly of the Veez and currently playing lead bass in Verse-Chorus-Verse. She brought another awesome dimentin to our brand of 1000% Rock, taking the percentage through the roof and into the balmy summer sky. So, an awesome summer for us.

2.) During the summer you were invited to a conference in London to discuss the relationship between music and business. How did the conference go and did you get the chance to introduce the music of the Eruptors?

Absolutely - the gig was actually an important part of the conference. the conference was at a popular music college (The Institute), so they were proud to have us rock their delgeates in to the night.

3.) Over all do you feel the conference in London gained some attention for the Eruptors?

Naturally. We are very loud, so Kilburn knew alll about. Also, ther ewere musicians and academic sthere from all over the UK and the USA. They went home singing full of turbo-charged rock 'n' roll lunaticy, so that's about as much as we cuold reasonably ask (pound into) of them.

We gave a talk at another conference, in Cardiff, in September. this one was about mareting and promotion, and about concepts of multiple identity. We went down very well, and now the International Association for the Study of Popular Music is all over us.

4.) You guys also played some gigs whilst you were down in London and how did they go?

Oops! See above...

5.) Meet any new bands at the shows?

HellCat Molly and Four Wheenl Drive supported us beautifully. they are rock in the best possible way - true to the soul of the world's purest music. Go hear them play. and buy their records. After you have bought ours, of course...

6.) Where do you guys like to play the best and is there anywhere around the UK you would like to play in the future?

Luminaire is my favourite venue to play apart from the 12-Bar. I'd love to play the 120Bar (Soho), because of its size, intimacy and vibe. We would probably send the audience hope with thier ears bleeding, but it would be the best 45 minutes of their lives.

7.) What has been the best & worst thing to happen to the Eruptors in 2010?

Best thing was out World Tour with Iron Maiden.

Worst things was that that didn't actually take place.

8.) Are you working on a new album for 2011?

Yes - in fact, it's all ready for release. We're just waiting for our marketing machine to get fully into motion. It's an album we've split with a brillinat band from California called Culo a boca. The album contains our - and thier - best material yet. We're particularly proud of the emotional depth and philosophical nuance evident in the lyrics and part-writing of the new material. It'll probably make you cry. And then point at you, laughing at your miserbale weakness.

9.) How do you see the year ahead for the Eruptors & what are your hopes for the band?

We hope to play a world tour with Iron Maiden. Or maybe Coldplay.

10.) We know you guys play many live shows & we hear it is getting harder for non mainstream artists to get shows. What are your thoughts on this & do you see it improving in the future? You play London a lot so is it different down there or is this pattern spreading everywhere?

Playing shows has always been easy. If anything, its gets easier all the time. It's just harder to get heard above the (promnotional) noice of all the other (less-worthy) stuff that goes on around us. What we love about interviews like this is that it reminds people that they don't need to watch 'Strictly Come Dancing' - we're just down the road, much more satisfying, and guaranteed to send you home with a smile on your face and rock in your heart and soul.

11.) Some bands tell us that many venues are only concerned with popular mainstream bands as they can generate more money. Do you think there is any truth in this?

Yes, I do. And the other venues who allow and 'promote' less bullshit music aregenreally run by utter arseholes who try to rape bands for all they're worth. But it has always been thus. You just deal with it, shrugh your shoulders, and rock on.

12.) How do you feel the rock community has fared in 2010 & is there anything that you like to see improve in 2011 & or do you think its still healthy as a genre?

It seems fine to me. Come to our next show.

Interview with The Eruptors!

Hey all! Empty Bottles is back with a fresh new intie for u! This is an interview we have been looking forward to for a while & anyone who enjoys good hard rock fueled music will like The Eruptors.

Hey Alex hope you are doing well.

Hello and thank you. Yes things are good here! By the way, great zine!




1. Just for the readers who may not be familiar with your music could you tell them a little bit about ya sound.


We are a rock band, mostly we like the fast, loud raw stuff such as Motorhead, Zeke, Hellacopters, Iggy Pop, ACDC, Sabbath. We mix it up and call it "1000% rock", we wrote a song about it on our latest album! We have a few slower/quieter songs too for a bit of light and shade, but it is mostly high octane fuel guzzlin' adrenalin rock. The sort of thing that makes you want to jump out of your chair and rock out!

2. You guys are huge rock/metal fans and have been inspired by bands such as Electric Frankenstein who self produced their music. Do the Eruptors feel this an important approach to creating your music? Has this always been the long term aim for the band?

Well we aren't on anyone's payroll which means that we get to self produce our own music. Down-side is cashflow - we never have as much money as we'd like in time for recording, promotion, touring etc. Upside is that we get full creative control and get to do this for fun and creative reasons without compromise or extra pressure of deadlines/bureaucracy/other people's crappy decision making. We've always seen music as being a long term thing for us even though when the current Eruptors line-up got together we didn't have any plans beyond playing a show or two. Now we see it as an ongoing thing and we want it to last.


3. Empty Bottles has noticed that you guys have a close relationship with your fans world wide & is this something the band has tried to do since your inception? Do you find it helps the band to form ya music around the expectations of your audience?

We are very grateful that people enjoy our music. Now there are people writing that we are amongst their favourite 'new' bands and that our latest album 'Seduce & Destroy' was amongst their favourite releases of 2009. We always take time to talk to people who enjoy our music and support what we do. It is great meeting people with shared interests and values. We've followed the example of great bands such as Iron Maiden and Electric Frankenstein who always made the effort to be a 'people's band'. One of the great things about rock and punk music can be the sense of community, that 'stick together and don't let the bastards grind ya down' collective mentality. Us against the world! As far as writing music goes, we don't cynically engineer our music to meet the demands of 'the punk/rock/heavy metal demographic' or anything that contrived, what we do is we make music that we'd enjoy, as fans of rock music. Therefore, if you listen to the same bands we do then you should enjoy our stuff to.



4. With your music crossing into a few different genres is it hard to keep everyone happy at times or does this generally give you more freedom with creativity?

It gives us more freedom and creativity.

Everyone gets a say in how the songs sound and contributes to the songwriting, and we work well as a team. We share a lot of musical tastes and try to bring as much into the mix as possible, there are no musical straight-jackets. So we cover a lot of ground but at the same time the way that we gel as a band, everything we do will sound like The Eruptors.


5. The band has a large following on the East Coast of the USA and is there anywhere else you would like to play in North America? Montreal or perhaps Riverside in California which has a huge punk/hard rock scene?

Yes, we have many friends and fans in the USA and we've had some great support from the press over there. Maximum Rock n' Roll magazine, Sleazegrinder.com and a ton more underground magazines, websites and radio have really given us some great reviews and airplay. So there is a buzz about The Eruptors over there and we'd love to do more in the USA. Our drummer Gary de Niro's wife is from New York, and my wife is from California. So we have good links to America and spend a bit of time over there visiting friends and family etc. Any labels/promoters over there interested in working with us, please get in contact.


6. Microwave Massacre was is latest album from you guys that was recently released in Japan and has a selection of tracks from ya first two albums. So we can say this serves as a solid starting point for the Japanese market to gain an introduction to your music. How has the release been going so far and have you received any feedback from the Japanese or wider Asian press?

Well the most recent in the UK is actually 'Seduce & Destroy', whereas 'Microwave Massacre' (a collection of demos, alternate mixes, and a couple of remastered tracks from our first album) came out a few months before, only in Japan, but it also got reviews in the UK and American press as an import. Classic Rock magazine chose the song 'Cannibal Holocaust' as their 'song of the day' and gave us an interview on their website, and Total Rock Radio in the UK played it too. Big Cheese, Powerplay and a few others all gave it great reviews too. It was well received by the fans in Japan and the record label that released it was very pleased with how it has done, so hopefully we'll be releasing more music over there soon. I don't deal with Japanese press as much as I do with the European and American contacts because of the language barrier, but the record label do, and they are happy with it all.


7. Empty Bottles understands that the band consists of University academics playing loud rock n' roll! Have you guys found it hard combining the two roles? Empty Bottles is curious to know if there any similarities to the approach between the two areas?

Similarities - it is all about getting up in front of an audience and keeping them interested. Also, making money can be difficult in both rock music and academia!


Differences - Rock shows tend not to start so early in the morning!

8. The Eruptors hit the road a lot & what is the most enjoyable part of playing shows & what is the worst?

The most enjoyable is creating great music and 'connecting' with the audience, seeing people in another town or even country singing your songs back to you is a buzz.

The worst part is all of the waiting around and quite often having to deal with bad organisation and/or flakey people.

9. We recently reviewed ya albums on Empty Bottles & noticed that your music consists of elements belonging to hard rock, pyschobilly, 60's, & old school punk rock. Do people appreciate the various contrasts to ya sound and what has the UK response been to ya music so far?

You are very perceptive. Yes I think people like that fact we mix it up and wear our influences on our sleeves, although a couple of reviews have mentioned we are hard to pin down at times, but I think they meant it in a positive way. I mean, I think everything we do fits together and sounds like The Eruptors, we have various influences and we pay homage to them all so we cover quite a lot of ground on each album, but that keeps it interesting. We don’t re-hash the same song over and over. I think we offer good value.

10. So what plans and aims do you as a band have for the future?

Just to keep on keepin’ on, rockin out, workin’ hard and keepin’ it real!

We are working on another albums worth of new songs as well as mixing some live recordings. There will probably be a single or something released in the meantime.

11. Are you working on a new album yet or are still working on live shows at the moment?

(see above)

12. Is there anything else you would like to tell our readers about ya music or any other projects that you are involved with that you feel music fans would be interested in?

Just a mega ‘THANK YOU’ to everyone who has come to our shows, bought our albums , or supported us in some way, including everyone who has taken time out of their busy lives to read this interview. Find us online at www.myspace.com/eruptors

Keep on keeping on and DON’T LET THE BASTARDS GRIND YA DOWN.

Ok Empty Bottles would like to say thank you for taking part in the interview!

The Eruptors - Microwave Massacre

The Eruptors 'Microwave Massacre'

Microwave Massacre was the Japanese release from the Eruptors and is a collection of tracks taken from 'Bad Time To Be Having a Good Time' and 'Seduce & Destroy'.

If you do not own the other two discs then 'Microwave Massacre' serves as a good starting point for gaining an introduction to the music of the Eruptors.

The Eruptors CDs can be ordered from all good record stores/online retailers and Plastic 7

Also available direct from the band through email or via the myspace page.

www.myspace.com/eruptors

eruptors@hotmail.com

The Eruptors - 'Seduce & Destroy' (2009)

The latest release from garage rock band the Eruptors marks an evolution in sound, but still retains their foundations from the first CD.

Seduce & Destroy has a strong 60's feel drawing influences most notably from the Rolling Stones. We can still hear punk in the background on some tracks which suggests the band hasn't forgotten their roots or has any desire to do so.

The album is mellower than the first, but not to the point where we lose the hard rock/garage rock edge to the music.

As commented in the review of 'Bad Time To Be Having a Good Time' the music reminds me of a Nevada garage band. The previous disc took the listener on a journey through space accompanied by a soundtrack of hard rock. However, in this instance we are very much rooted on planet earth on the West Coast of America.

What comes to mind when I listen to the disc is the Californian coastline, vans packed with surfers and people driving with car tops down playing track 4 & 10 (Cannibal Holocaust & Cannibal Reprise).

This certainly is music to drive to on a coast line such as California or even embarking upon a road trip through the Mojave desert. Play those tracks & listen and you will get the idea here what's on offer with the Eruptors. Skaters, surfers, and stoners should find something appealing with the Eruptors.

The Eruptors do offer something for all generations which we can observe with the track '1000%' that has an old school vibe.

Over all 'Seduce and Destroy' is a solid hard rock disc containing 60's influences with modern hard rock elements that avoid sounding too polished or produced.

If you ever get the opportunity to travel to the West Coast of America then take 'Seduce & Destroy' with you and drive along the coast playing the Eruptors. Road movie rock that maintains its gritty garage rock roots.

We have several more features regarding the Eruptors which include an exclusive interview, another album review & a possible feature article. So lookout for those soon!

The Eruptors CDs can be ordered from all good record stores/online retailers and Plastic 7

Also available direct from the band through email or via the myspace page.

www.myspace.com/eruptors

eruptors@hotmail.com

Empty Bottles Blog Zine

The Eruptors - Bad Time To Be Having a Good Time

The Eruptors - Bad Time To Be Having a Good Time (2007)

'Bad Time To Be Having a Good Time' was the first release by British/Irish hard rock band The Eruptors.

The CD cover just screams old school rock & metal and immediately I'm thinking AC DC/Motorhead.

So what is the music like? Well rock fans this really has been made for you. Quite simply it is pure hard garage rock with influences ranging from The Doors, Beatles, Rock & Roll, and NWOBHM. You can also hear punk in the background suggesting the band has some punk roots which fits with their in your face style of dirty rock.

The best way I can describe the Eruptors is picture a garage rock band from Nevada with a few pyschobilly elements waking up in a sci fi movie & starting to jam.

Gravelrash (track 4) oozes hard rock with garage/psychobilly overtones with a little section of blues appearing halfway through the song. One of the stand out tracks on the CD which would get most fans of those genres swinging each other in circles or bottles of whisky in unison.

Next we arrive with 'One Minute Decision' (track 5) that firmly brings the listener back to pure straight old school rock with a hard edge. 'Bad Time To Be Having a Good Time' is a heavily rock orientated album that reminds me of The Doors without their keyboard player and a little added hardness to the music. There are notable spoken intros in the vein of Jim Morrison between tracks that matches the dark atmosphere and feel of the CD.

The Eruptors take you on a rock n roll journey through science fiction that gives you the impression of a garage rock band jamming on an inter stellar star ship surrounded by evil aliens intent on destroying their vessel, but are kept at bay by the boys cranking out their riffs.

Personally I'd recommend the Eruptors to classic rock lovers and maybe even stoner fans would find something here. The music & vibe in places certainly has a Primus feel to it.

Look out for forthcoming reviews of other Eruptors releases 'Seduce & Destroy' (2009), and 'Microwave Massacre' (Japanese release). We also have an exclusive interview with the band & a feature article with further information on gigs etc that will be posted soon!

Check out the Eruptors on myspace: www.myspace.com/eruptors

Anyone interested in playing with the Eruptors or finding out more about their music can contact them at: eruptors@hotmail.com

The Eruptors CDs can be ordered from all good record stores/online retailers and Plastic 7

Also available direct from the band through email or via the myspace page.

www.myspace.com/eruptors

eruptors@hotmail.com

Empty Bottles Blog Zine