Blitzen Trappers lead singer Eric Earley may or may not remember writing that it was a waking vision of a winged creature trying to break into his apartment that led him to drop out of school and start writing songs.
Whatever the case, he did, and moved from rural Hayesville, Ore., to Portland, Ore., where, while homeless, he recorded Wild Mountain Nation with the indie experimental country band Blitzen Trapper. Rolling Stone came to name the song one of the top 100 of 2007 with the description: A shambling, hypermelodic jam from Portland, Ore., indie boys down with Native American culture and the best Grateful Dead knockoff in forever (video below).
Sunday night Blitzen Trapper will shamble into Moscow to play with Sera Cahoone at the Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre. Earley has described the bands latest album, 2011s American Goldwing, as us letting our loves, our early influences hang out for all to see. The hard guitar rock and country picking of our younger years mixes with glimmers of our usual space-aging technology and pawn shop Casio aplomb.
Its a combination thats led the group to appear on Lollapalooza and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
Earley will turn 36 on May 29. No longer homeless, he says the band has two new records in the works, one traditional, another different. Were going to go with the one thats different.
360 Question for Blitzen Trapper frontman Eric Earley
Q: What music inspires you?
A: Its hard for me to find bands that are doing what I like to listen to. I guess 90s gangsta rap because of the poetics involved. You just dont hear that anymore Wu-Tang Clan, Public Enemy I like storytelling. Theres people doing it now but its different.
if You Go Who: Blitzen Trapper and Sera Cahoone When: 8 p.m. Sunday Where: Kenworthy Performing Arts Centre, 508 S. Main St., Moscow Tickets: $15 in advance at Deadbeat Records in Moscow, $18 day of the show and at the door
Blitzen Trapper's song "Taking it Easy Too Long" from "American Goldwing:"
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgZ0qFYWMdI&list=PLCC117C99B0CAA840&index=3[/youtube]
The official video for "Wild Mountain Nation:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zoY9qtHm6vs[/youtube]