Erase Errata hits its prime and still has fun on the road
by John Sewell
Contrary to popular opinion, the DIY ethic as applied to music generally stinks. Naive bands aplenty are constantly hitting the road in hopes of "building up a grassroots following," only to be met with disinterest, internal turmoil, and mounting debt. One could conclude, however, that the DIY approach serves a positive function: to pare down the ever-increasing ranks of bad bands that just never seem to go away.
However you slice it, the life of a traveling indie rocker is a tough one. Sure, it's cool to be in a band. But the dive-after-dive, cigarette-after-beer lifestyle offers little tangible reward and countless travails. And the eventual reward rarely adds up to more than "but didn't we have a nice time," which is usually followed up by a bitter return to college or wage slavery.
San Francisco's Erase Errata is one of those rare bands that seem to actually enjoy touring. For this interview, I talked to drummer Bianca (the band eschews the use of last names) via the wonders of cell phone technology. "Fresh" from a fitful sleep in the band's van, Bianca gleefully answered my questions, laughing and exuding enthusiasm all the while.
Asked how she would describe the band's music, Bianca jokingly referred to it as, "totally brutal: 100 percent brutality." This surprising response was followed with a volley of laughter, which set the tone for what would be a lighthearted chat.
"Really, I would classify Erase Errata as being a dance band," Bianca continues. "We're like a modern-day KC and The Sunshine Band. We like seeing people dance to our music and think that's an appropriate response. And each time we go on tour, the shows get a little bit bigger and there are more people dancing. It's fun."
Erase Errata's music certainly is danceable, but the disco characterization is at best misleading. Rhythm is the primary element of the band's sound, but the music is much more experimental than the repeated patterns found in disco. The band weaves sharp shards of dissonance into a tight chain mail of hard funk sounds. Every song is a cornucopia of ideas, presented as a short, sharp shock.
The band's most recent album, At Crystal Palace (Troubleman Unlimited), has received piles of positive comparisons to the more danceable post-punk groups of the late '70s/early '80s Rough Trade Records roster. Sure, this comparison is viable as all get-out; but it could mislead the uninitiated into thinking that Erase Errata is yet another band of paint-by-numbers revisionists. The band is doing something new that just happens to hearken back to an earlier era.
"I think the no-wave comparisons that people have been making about us are actually quite nice," says Bianca. "I take it as a compliment. I mean, we like a lot of those bands we're getting compared to. But I've got to say that my bandmates are the primary influence on what we do.
"When we play live, we improvise to a certain extent," Bianca continues. "And (vocalist) Jenni's lyrics are always changing. So it's never exactly the same."
Of course, being in an all-female band invariably leads to the dreaded "women in rock" questions. However, Bianca says that, operating in the somewhat more sophisticated world of the underground, the band's sexuality is neither an issue nor a stumbling block.
"I wouldn't say we have a sociopolitical agenda in what we do," says Bianca. "I mean, we like our music and think it's important. But it's not necessarily revolutionary."
The present is probably the ideal time to experience Erase Errata in full flower. The band is fast becoming a darling of the indie rock pantheon, yet the members seem to be avoiding the pitfalls of egotism, greed and the dreaded "rock 'n' roll lifestyle." It's always best to see a band just as they're hitting it big for the first time—and this is Erase Errata's time.
"I don't feel like we're going to be in this band for the rest of our lives," says Bianca. "I mean, we all have other interests and the kind of music we make would have to change—and I mean change a lot—in order for us to keep it going forever.
"We've had a lot of good times, and we're still having them now," Bianca continues. "Touring is always fun, and we've met a lot of great people from other bands. I mean, sometimes you get flat tires, and you usually have to eat shitty food on the road, but nobody's died yet."
September 18, 2003 * Vol. 13, No. 38
© 2003 Metro Pulse
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