Erik Chandler - Sound In The Signals Interview

Erik Chandler is known to many as the bassist from Texas pop punk band Bowling For Soup. He recently debuted his solo album and while fans of Bowling For Soup will find things to love about the album, he is likely to bring in new fans with The Truth, as well. The Erik Chandler Band featuring Doug McGrath (SouthFM) on bass with drummer Duncan Black (Mousetrap) has created an album that Erik thinks he would have loved when he was fifteen years old. "I'm certain that the fifteen year old version of me would love these songs. That's kinda what I kept in mind. If I had heard them back then, would I have been super excited about it?". He was kind enough to share when he realized that he wanted to pursue music for the rest of his life, what inspired him to pursue a solo project, and what an average day of writing The Truth was like for him.

Many fans will initially know you as the bassist of Bowling For Soup. You just released your debut solo album with The Erik Chandler Band. How did you first get interested in music? What inspirations did you have growing up when you were developing your passion for music?

THIS IS ONE OF THOSE LONG ANSWERS THAT I’LL TRY TO KEEP SHORT. WHEN I WAS 4 OR 5 YEARS OLD, MY MOTHER GAINED POSSESSION OF HER GRANDMOTHERS PIANO. I SAT DOWN AND IMMEDIATELY STARTED PICKING OUT “MELODIES” AND THEN STARTED FIGURING OUT CHORDS AND, BASICALLY, PLAYING BY EAR. I ENROLLED IN PIANO LESSONS AT AGE 6 AND DID MY FIRST REAL LIVE PERFORMANCE AT AGE 7, SINGING WITH MY GRANDFATHER’S BAND. THAT WAS THE MOMENT I REALIZED THAT I WANTED TO DO THIS FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE. MY GRANDFATHER WOULD THEN GO ON TO TEACH ME A FEW CHORDS ON GUITAR AND THE REST JUST KIND OF CAME ALONG. MY GRANPA WAS MY EARLIEST INSPIRATION, AND STILL REMAINS ONE TO THIS DAY.

What led you to Bowling For Soup in the beginning? How do you manage to keep the magic and fun alive in the band after over two decades?

BFS STARTED AS JUST A GROUP OF FRIENDS THAT WANTED TO HAVE A GOOD TIME TOGETHER. WE HAD NO INTENTIONS BEYOND MAKING MUSIC AND SHARING SOME LAUGHS. THAT BEING SAID, WE ALL REALIZED THAT WE WERE DOING SOMETHING SPECIAL FAIRLY QUICKLY. WE RECORDED OUR FIRST ALBUM THREE MONTHS LATER AND WE’RE STILL HAVING A BLAST MAKING IT HAPPEN 22 YEARS DOWN THE ROAD.

You've said your solo project has been "a while in the works". When did you decide that you wanted to pursue a solo project? Did songs come first, plans for the project, or how did it come about?

THIS WHOLE THING STARTED ABOUT 6 YEARS AGO. BFS WAS ON TOUR AND I WAS HAVING LUNCH WITH JARET WHEN HE SUGGESTED THAT I SHOULD DO A SOLO ALBUM WITH A NEW CROP OF SONGS THAT I HAD WRITTEN. THAT SENT ME BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD. I REALIZED THAT IF IT WAS GOING TO BE JUST ME RELEASING THE SONGS, I COULD DO ANYTHING I WANTED. I THINK THAT WAS THE POINT THAT THE SONGS STARTED GETTING VERY INTROSPECTIVE AND PERSONAL.

In addition to working on your solo project you have also been working on the new Bowling For Soup album. How do you manage to juggle it all?

I’VE BEEN VERY BUSY, AND I’VE RUN INTO A COUPLE OF SCHEDULE CONFLICTS. BUT, FOR THE MOST PART, ITS JUST BEEN WORKING ON BFS A COUPLE OF DAYS A WEEK AND WORKING ON SOLO STUFF THE REST OF THE TIME, SO IT HASN’T REALLY BEEN THAT HORRIBLE.

Similar to Bowling For Soup, The Erik Chandler Band has received funding from fans through PledgeMusic. It's exciting to see fans truly invested in the album and the band. What makes this a rewarding opportunity for the band? What goes into deciding what to offer fans who pledge to the fund?

DECIDING WHAT PACKAGES TO OFFER THE FOLKS WHO PLEDGE IS ONE OF THE HARDEST THINGS, I THINK. A LOT OF THOUGHT GOES INTO DECIDING ON SOME SPECIAL PACKAGES. OF COURSE YOU HAVE THE REGULAR POSTER, T-SHIRT, CD GROUP OF PACKAGES, BUT TRYING TO FIGURE OUT SPECIAL ONES IS NOT AS EASY AS IT SOUNDS. YOU CONSTANTLY WANT TO OFFER SOMETHING THAT POSSIBLY NO ONE ELSE IS DOING SO YOU HAVE REALLY COOL ITEMS, BUT THOSE AREN'T ALWAYS EASY TO COME UP WITH. BUT WHEN YOU FIND THOSE GOOD ONES, THAT'S WHERE THE PAYOFF COMES FOR THE BAND AND THE FANS. YOU GET TO SHARE SOMETHING SPECIAL AND SUPER LIMITED EDITION WITH THE FOLKS WHO WANT IT MOST.

You released The Truth on August 19th. You said, "I'm very happy to finally release this album. It's been a while in the works, and I'm excited to show another side of what I do musically. These are songs about me and my life, presented in the most honest and sometimes puzzling ways. Changes have been made to protect the innocent... Maybe". Tell us more about your writing process. What was an average day of writing and/or recording like for you?

THE RECORDING PROCESS IS ACTUALLY PRETTY BORING AS FAR AS SOMEONE WHO ISN’T INVOLVED WOULD BE CONCERNED. MOST OF THE HARD WORK HAPPENS DURING THE WRITING PROCESS. IT’S LOTS OF COFFEE AND NICOTINE AND 14 HOUR DAYS THAT CAUSE YOU TO FORGET TO EAT.

The cover artwork is very interesting. Who came up with the concept and how was it created?

THE ARTWORK FOR THE COVER WAS DRAWN BY MY GIRLFRIEND, WHO ALSO MAKES A VOCAL APPEARANCE ON THE LAST TRACK ON THE ALBUM. IT WAS BASED ON A CRUDELY PHOTOSHOPPED PHOTO OF A FRIEND. SHE AND I BOTH HAVE AN AFFINITY FOR ANTHROPOMORPHIC ANIMALS. WE HAVE FEW PRINTS HANGING ON THE WALLS OF OUR HOME DEPICTING ANIMALS “BEING” HUMAN. THAT LED TO US DISCUSSING THE ART IDEA AND IT EVENTUALLY BECAME THE ALBUM COVER.

Thanks for the interview. Do you have anything else you would like to add?

I’D JUST LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO HELPED ME MAKE THIS ALBUM A REALITY AND I HOPE THAT IT’S AN ENJOYABLE LISTEN!

Find The Truth on Amazon, iTunes, and Spotify.

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-L.Burden