From and interview with The Boise Beat:
1. Tell me some background on the band and band members. Were any of you previously in other bands? If so, what made you realize that this was the band you wanted to stick with?
Erik - After moving from Hollywood to a cabin in the woods near Stanley, ID (back-country skiing paradise) I started writing and recording in 1991 under the name Darkjoy. I created 4 albums in the following decade, playing all the instruments and singing, creating artwork and 50 copies of each which I distributed to friends and family. I thought I was just pretending to be a musician, but it has turned out that people appreciate that kind of independent production. I put a lot of heart into the music, but after ten years it seemed like I was missing something by not playing with other people. It was kind of challenging since I lived in the middle of nowhere, but I found people to play with and the music evolved. Playing as Darkjoy with Pat Hickey (Guitar) and James Fisher (Drums), I was maybe a little over-ambitious and suffering from cabin-fever. I was playing bass and singing, triggering samples and effects with foot pedals, and scratching a turntable. Too much. When Mike joined we became Man Or Machine for a while, with a keyboard player and percussion, searching for a sound. Jarod Hermann came on board and we became 3PX, with a DJ and 3 or 4 MCs and the music was a crazy hybrid rock/rap thing. Right before Jarod left for the Bay Area, we stripped down to a 3 piece and the sound of The Maladies emerged. We played a bunch of shows with Dane Rage (London) on drums and Brady Roark (Skeptic Tank, Darling Bastards, Urban Sex Legends) on guitar and a bunch of hooky songs came together. Patrick and Joe replaced Brady and Dane and we recorded the first of the tunes that has became our debut album. The chemistry has really kicked in recently and we have another album mostly done that is very different from the first one. Its very exciting for me to see it evolve and experience the synergy of playing in a group that I hoped for when I stuck my head out of my shell in 2001.
2. What made you decide to base your music career on
disease and other depressing subjects?
Erik - I was just talking with Patrick today and noting that there seems to be two types of music fan. Those who want to be entertained and distracted from the hardships and challenges of life, and those who want to be entertained and have those same hardships put into context, given meaning somehow. We seek to entertain you with stories of your own demise in the hopes that you may feel more alive and engaged with life, like you would if you battled the dragon before it ate you, rather than having it eat you in your sleep. Put another way, consider a volcano. You are at the base of the volcano as it erupts violently and you have no hope of escape. Do you run around in a panic, stub your toe and end your life in misery, or do you enjoy the last moments doing the Happy Lava Dance with a smile on your face.
3. What kind of recording projects have you done in the
past, besides your recent self-titled cd?
Erik - We released an EP called What Doesn't Kill You in 2006 and a bunch of gig discs before that with the songs in progress.
4. What can be expected from the album you are
currently recording?
Erik - The new album has a lot more space and moody shit.
It's more complex musically, and lyrically its kind of more personal and crazy. It makes me feel like I am on the playground naked. Or maybe removing my organs and putting them on display. Sick? What do you want? We are The Maladies.
5. Who are your influences and how do they come
through in your music?
Erik - When I was 13 my big brother gave me his 8 track collection which included Zeppelin, The Who, Pink Floyd, Steely Dan and other stuff like that. Then I bought Combat Rock by The Clash, Dirty Deeds by AC/DC and Ozzy's Blizzard of Ozz. I listened to tons of other music as well, but those albums just lit me up somehow. All I try to do with music is stoke the fire that those bands lit in my nervous system.
6. What is your songwriting process?
Erik - Where I lived in the woods there was a hot spring pool. Many nights were spent staring at the stars and thinking thoughts that didn't seem like my own. When I write a song, I grab a shard of my own experience and pull a rhyme out of it, and then try to let that thought/feeling process that isn't all me have at it. From there it seems to grow on its own and I just tend it like a gardener for a bit. Now I have the good fortune to have other master gardeners that help this dark garden grow. Its a dark garden because the songs come from the shadows of my psyche, I guess. If I may, I think we are living in a time when things are backwards. The tasty looking fruit is rotten at the core, and conversely, I imagine that the dark and unpleasant looking produce from my dark garden is at its core full of light and life. Can you dig that? Do I love to hear myself talk or what?
7. What made you decide to start a label?
Erik - Like a mentioned earlier, I was sort of pretending to be a musician and accidentally acted as my own label. I built the Darkjoy.com website in 2001 just to see what would happen. It has grown a little, but I am hoping its salad days are just ahead. I believe that Idaho and other mountain states are home to a lot of talent that just needs some attention and support.
8. Do you only release Maladies recordings under
Darkjoy, or do you work with other bands? Do you
hope to grow your label?
Erik - Darkjoy Records has nurtured a few Idaho artists, and we hope to find other truly passionate and talented to people to get behind. Artists need time to develop their work. These days, artists are required to do most of that develop on their own and this is actually possible thanks to cheaper recording methods. However, what artists also need in order to develop is encouragement coupled with constructive criticism and feedback from knowledgeable people who aren't necessarily friends. People who aren't going to spare your feelings at the expense of your work. Darkjoy Records, in our search for talent to develop, welcomes submissions of demos or Myspace pages. But be prepared not to have your ass kissed. We care about you and your feelings, but we care more about helping you create the best work you are capable of. Also, if you need help making a demo or album, we operate Morning Star Studios in Hailey, which is a Pro Tools project studio with reasonable rates. Send stuff to Darkjoy Records 720 River Trail, Hailey, Idaho 83333. For studio booking call (208) 720-6418.
9. How often do you play shows?
Erik - We have stayed local in The Wood River Valley for our whole existence so far, playing all the local venues, indoor and out, about a dozen times a year. We recently toured a bit in the Northwest. Big fun!
10. How do you think you can make a difference in the
Boise music scene?
Erik - I don't know that we can. If our music turns people on it will make a difference. That's all we can hope for.
11. What do you think could be done to get people to
come out to more concerts featuring local bands?
Erik - I think artist development may still be the most important factor. Local press and venues can work together to create regular events featuring local artists in a way that encourages fans to keep up with their progress. One of the cool things about any local music scene is watching how things grow and change. Also, it occurs to me that we can always improve ways in which musicians themselves interact and find each other.
12. Where can fans of your music pick up your CD
and/or merchandise?
Erik - Currently, our album is available for sale directly through our website and through CDBaby and Itunes, as well as other online download services. We are working on physical distribution and hope to be in your local stores soon. Of course, you can pick one up when we come and play.
13. Any good band anecdotes and other information you
would like to include!
Erik - My favorite times this year were when Patrick and I went to Belize and stayed at the Mata Grande recording studios (http://www.matagrandestudios.com/) on the beach. We had one night where we sat for hours at the end of a dock out on the water under a full moon playing songs with our pal Clifton the boat captain, and Ebbe the studio owner. Clifton gave us some crazy jungle juice they call The Bitters. Nasty goodness. We worked up a ska-punk version of Bob Marley's Stir It Up. Good times!
Then Joe and I were on our way to Lurssen Mastering in LA to master the album and our plane got cancelled and we had to last-minute upload all our tracks to an FTP server so the mastering lab would have something to work on, and then drive to Boise to catch a flight. We got to LA too late for the session but we ended up getting a tour of Digital Domain http://www.digitaldomain.com/) where my brother works. They were just finishing doing the special effects for Pirates of The Caribbean 3 and Transformers and we got to see stuff that nobody should get to see! Cool!