Despite having been in our lives since 2009, Brian Erickson waited until 2020 to finally release a proper solo LP. But when it finally happened in the form of the 10-track Little Secrets, it was met with near-universal acclaim, proving once-and-for-all that while Erickson had done the bulk of his work within a pair of collaborative projects (The Paper Jets from 2008-2018, The Extensions from 2018-now), he could also bring the goods by himself. We caught up with Brian and asked him what makes him tick:
1. How did the band form and what does the band name mean?
Well, over Labor Day weekend in 1982, my parents got together. Nine months later, I was born. That's where my band came from. And "Brian" is a name with Irish lineage that means "Noble and virtuous." That's what my "band name" means.
(Yeah, yeah, all you solo artists are so funny. We get it)
2. Previous musical projects? How did you first get into music?
I played in The Paper Jets from 2008-2018 and I currently play in The Extensions. I know you didn't ask for current projects, but in the context of my solo work, I felt it'd be relevant. I first got into music in college. My four closest friends all played guitar and I thought to myself, "The world could really use just one more white male in a dorm room with a guitar." Luckily, my application was accepted, and I've been a millionaire almost ever since.
3. First concert that you ever went to?
I won tickets to see Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band at the Jones Beach Theater. I took my dad. Mostly because I was too young to drive. If I could do it all over again, I'd probably still take my dad. Because I'd still be too young to drive.
4. What's your writing process like?
I make funny noises with my mouth while playing guitar until something comprehensible comes out. Words are as much about the sound as they are about the message. Not everyone pays attention to that, and that's how we end up with lyrics that are buttass (or at least don't match the song they're supposed to be attached to).
5. What other artists or songs inspire your music?
If I told you, you'd start to realize just how much I blatantly steal from other artists. My bandmates in The Extensions occasionally catch a whiff and become disappointed in me. All-told, I try to pull from enough sources that it'd be hard to trace back to one single place.
(So Brian didn't follow the rules so instead of his playlist of inspirations here is his 2020 album "Little Secrets")
6. What's the live experience like and your philosophy on playing live? Do you think the live sound and the recorded sound should be identical? Or should they both be their own separate things?
I've played in projects that utilize backing tracks, but that's a lot fewer and further between than my projects that just tend to hit it raw, so to speak. The backing tracks create a sense of formality and structure. Neither approach bothers or deters me. I'm more familiar with no backing tracks, but I can't knock the true professionalism of having everything in your pocket, ready to roll. I think if you're aspiring to be a true professional, you want to get your act as close to the recording as possible. But if you're just some jabroni like me, what does it matter? All seven people listening to my music aren't gonna measure one up against the other. So it's more about where you place your aspirations as a performer, if that makes any sense.
7. Has the band toured? What has the touring experience been? What are some of your best/worst shows?
I toured with my Mint 400 label mate Renee Maskin in 2021 and we had a lovely time together. We're both social introverts who know when the night is over, and we've also been close friends for nearly a decade. On tour, there's got to be a sense of trust, and we had that. You're in unfamiliar places, eating unfamiliar food with unfamiliar people. There's nerves, there's stress. You need to count on the people you're with. So my touring experience has been largely positive.
And the best shows are when you know you've connected with an audience. Your worst ones are when you don't learn anything. The Hold Steady once said "Some nights it's entertainment, some other nights it's work." I live by that, but even on the "work" nights, there's always something to be gained if you pay attention.
8. What's up next for you?
Well, I've got this video and the massive compilation that pretty much ties a ribbon around the Little Secrets project. We've got unreleased stuff from that time, alternate versions, etc. And I'm happy to have that all out there, and the video turned out beautifully. The Extensions are working on a pair of albums which should start to creep out in 2023. I also play bass in a band called The Hard Maybes. We have a couple singles and an EP slated for 2023, as well.
As for me, I don't have any aspirations to record as a soloist for the foreseeable future. But I do have a ton of archived material that I plan to release on the quiet throughout the next year or two. That includes a collection of instrumental songs, a professionally-recorded solo performance from 2011, and a one-man-band full-length that eventually morphed into the final Paper Jets album. That circulated around for a little while, so it might finally be time for that, too. I've always given the priority of my time to whatever full-band projects I'm part of. But I still recorded almost constantly in the 2010's. So there's a good bit of material there; almost like a "shadow catalogue" recorded alongside whatever main thing I had happening for me at the time. It'd be fun to release it and really plot out that alternate history. As long as the suits at my label are okay with it.