In a musical partnership that has officially spanned 20 years, Eric Anders and Mark O’Bitz have worked in several genres and formats, but their home base is and always has been folk and Americana. With their recently released EP, Contrapasso, they’ve immersed themselves in Americana.
Produced by Mike Butler, who plays multiple instruments on the EP, Contrapasso reveals the enormous talents of Eric Anders (vocals), Tim McNally (strings on “Sold Down the River), John O’Reilly (drums), and Butler (guitars, bass, lap steel, piano, keys, dobro, banjo, mandolin).
Contrapasso is simultaneously conceptual and political in the sense that the term Americana doesn’t simply describe the style of music. It’s more – a commentary on the present-day milieu permeating America, a polarized atmosphere of, for lack of a better word, craziness.
That being said, on another level, Contrapasso is beautiful, affecting music, that’s wonderfully arranged and highlighted by Anders’s oh-so haunting voice.
Tattoo.com spoke with Eric Anders to talk about the EP’s inspiration, his influences, why he makes music, and his definition of success.
What inspired your latest EP, ‘Contrapasso?’
Mark and I wrote these four songs years ago, mostly in 2020, during the beginning of the pandemic and while Trump was still flailing as POTUS. The songs were essentially inspired by the frustration and disgust of having endured four years of his right-wing, racist incompetence. The songs are really about the disgrace of the Trump cult (‘High on Cult Life’ and ‘This Haunted Love’) and attempts to try to remind this very large fascist cult about our country’s original sin of slavery and how the racism of Trumpism should be anathema to Christians (‘Sold Down the River’ and ‘Bells Toll’). We did these songs in an Americana style because this racism and cultish zeal is so very American.
What do you want people to take away from Contrapasso?
Mostly we are hoping they will be moved by the music. I’m also hoping that, if they are moved, that the ideas I mentioned above might be more likely to penetrate what seems to be the otherwise impenetrable ideology-idiocy of Trumpism.
How, where, and when did the two of you first connect?
Pasadena, 2001. See the “From Songwriting Partners to A Duo” blog post for more details.
How did you get started in music?
See the “From Songwriting Partners to A Duo” blog post.
Which singers/musicians influenced your sound?
Too many to mention. Mark Lanegan was my age and he had a very big impact on me starting in 2011–which was just after we were fortunate enough to work with Jeff Fielder, Mark Lanegan’s guitarist, on Remains In Me. We were fortunate to work with Jeff again on my anti-Trump album, Eleven Nine, which you can read about at the “Impeachment and ‘This Fire Has Burned Too Long’” blog post. Our Mark Lanegan (and Duke Garwood) channeling really got going for American Bardo and This Mortal Farce, but in an Americana mode. Our Nick Drake channeling can be heard on much of our work, but especially ‘Twilight’s Last Gleaming’ and ‘Bryter Now.’
If you had to describe your sound to the uninitiated, what would you say?
I’d only have to describe the sound to those who aren’t interested enough to have googled us, so … I guess I would say something like a contemporary Nick Drake if you somehow were able to morph him together with Mark Lanegan, Neil Young, and Tom Petty.
Why do you make music?
Because I can … and I must.
What can you share about your writing process?
It’s the secret sauce.
Which artists in your opinion are killing it right now?
Waxahatchee, Jon and Roy, Big Thief, The Be Good Tanyas, Other Lives … and Damien Jurado, always.
How do you define success?
Total success would mean having someone fund our production and touring … and pay us a living wage … to do music. It would also mean Damien Jurado and/or Jon Middleton calling me up to work on a project together. Frazey Ford singing on a project we worked on together would be cool too. Artistic success would mean feeling really good about what we have created, which is how I feel.
What can your fans look forward to over the next six months? Live gigs? Music Videos?
Nothing, actually. We can’t afford to tour. Actually, we can’t afford to make more music at present. I lost my father yesterday, and my beloved father-in-law a week ago, so I think I am going to spend the next six months really taking care of my family. My wife lost her dad, and my three kids lost both grandfathers. Rough times. For more on my music as it relates to my famous dad, see “‘Earth Rise’ and Earthrise”.
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