Jesse: First off, thanks so much for taking the time to conduct this interview.  We appreciate it!  For those who might have only just been introduced to Birds of Prey from your new album, give us some background on how the band came to be formed and what the initial goals were.

Erik: Basically, in 2004 I was approached by Daniel at Dental Records with an idea. He wanted me to put a band together of "stoner rock dignitaries" and make a death metal album. I said yes but forgot about it for a long time. Once reminded, I left for tour with ATP and started talking to folks about it. Long story short, I asked a group of my friends to play in the band. Bo and I wrote the album over a weekend and sent tapes to Summer, Ben and Dave. I set up studio time and by the end of 2005 Weight of the Wound was in the can at Relapse. We had no goals of playing shows or even to do more records, it all just happens on its own time table. Three records later and we still haven’t played a show.

Jesse: How did the writing process start for The Hellpreacher?  Did you go into it with the intention of creating a “concept” album of sorts or did it just take on a life of its own after a few rehearsals?

Erik: Basically Dave called me and said he wanted to do another record. So I called everybody and drove down to Bo’s house in South Carolina and we wrote the album in 5 hours. I insisted that Ben do the concept album thing because I knew he was capable of writing an amazing story, and I wanted to have more singular purpose with The Hellpreacher instead of just a collection of songs like the first two. There is never any rehearsal with us; we just meet up at the studio and record. Fortunately, I drove Dave’s band Municipal Waste on tour the month prior to entering the studio, so we worked out a lot of the details with the drumming on the road.

Jesse: I hesitate to ask, but were any of the conceptual and lyrical ideas on The Hellpreacher taken directly from your or one of the other band members’ personal lives?  If (hopefully) not, who’s depraved mind is behind this story or was it a collaborative effort of depraved minds?

Erik: No, this is all Ben’s baby in the lyrics. It took him a bit to get started, but once the ball got rolling, it took on a life of its own.

Jesse: I’m from Texas and this intrigues me on a personal level, but one word that has been used to describe Birds of Prey, and other bands that you and your band mates have contributed in, is “southern.”  What do you think when you hear that word used as an adjective to describe not only your music, but other forms of rock and metal?  Is there something distinctly “southern” about the music or do you think that people just find it easier to connect a band’s place of origin to their style?

Erik: I think living in the south affects how you approach many things in life and that gets reflected in the music. Kinda smooth around the edges kinda feel, taking our time to get it done right. Doesn’t really matter to me how we get pegged, just that folks get it.

Jesse: Speaking of other bands that you and your band mates are a part of; would you consider Birds of Prey to be your main focus at this point? Is it difficult to bring everyone together to rehearse and tour? Talk about the kind of challenges that can arise trying to manage everyone’s time.

Erik: Definitely not any of our main band. We don’t tour and we don’t rehearse. We just make records when we want to. We’re all spread out by time and geography, so when we do get together its really fun but down to business.

Jesse: While we’re at it, how’s the touring been?  What kind of response do you get overseas?  I see that Birds of Prey has been invited to play Maryland Deathfest in 2010, you and the guys must be pretty excited for that!

Erik: That will be our first show ever, so its kinda nerve racking to think that we will be basically debuting the band in front of all those die-hard metal heads.

Jesse: What was one of the craziest experiences you’ve had either on stage or on tour?

Erik: Man, I’ve been touring and playing in bands my entire adult life, there’s no one craziest time story.

Jesse: Who were your musical idols growing up? When did you know that you were going to be a musician?

Erik: I taught myself how to play the drums by listening to the Beatles at age 11. Picked up the guitar at 23. It’s just something I’ve always done. I never had any idols and haven’t tried to emulate anyone. DIY all the way.

Jesse: Who is that on the cover of The Hellpreacher?

Erik: Don’t know, it’s a painting by Orion Landau.

Jesse: I take it that you and the rest of the guys are mostly from Virginia or have at least spent many years in the state.  Something that I have always found amusing and interesting throughout the US is what I call “adjacent-state animosity.” For some reason, people really dislike other people from a bordering state.  I’ve seen it between New Hampshire and Vermont, Tennessee and Kentucky, New York and New Jersey, Kansas and Missouri, etc. Here, Texans and Oklahomans sincerely do not like each other for reasons I don’t think anyone can honestly come up with.  So I ask what is it about West Virginians that bothers Virginians so much? Don’t worry, no one in WV is reading this. ;)

Erik: Only Ben, Dave and I live in VA and we’re all transplants to varying degree. I don’t have any problem with any WV folks. This is the first I’ve ever heard of such a thing.

Jesse: What does the immediate future look like for Birds of Prey?

Erik: Maybe get some practices in before the death fest, maybe not.

Jesse: Again, many thanks for the interview.  Any last words to leave the readers with?

Erik: Thanks for giving a shit.

Ben Hogg: Vocals
Erik Larson: Guitar 
Bo Leslie: Guitar
Summer Welch: Bass
Dave Witte: Drums

Formed: 2006 
Richmond, Virginia  USA
Label: Relapse Records
Genre: Thrash/ Death/Sludge Metal

CURRENT LINE-UP:

Birds of Prey's Erik Larson

August 17, 2009

Interviewer: Jesse

DISCOGRAPHY:

The Weight of the Wound (2006)
Sulfur and Semen (2008)
The Hellpreacher (2009)

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Check out Jesse's review of The Hellpreacher here

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