Escherbach is one of the area's top live bands. Mixing all kinds of different influences, time signatures and an energetic live performance, Escherbach has quickly gained a large follwing in Michiana. We caught up with the boys from Escherbach to find out what they've been up to, and what their future plans are for world domination!
The band, consisting of Neil Carmichael on guitar, Minkis on bass, and Sean Norris on drums, decided to answer our questions as a band, so here are their collective responses.
When did the band officially start and how did you all come together?
Escherbach officially formed at the beginning of 2007. The three of us had previously played together in another local project that dissolved. Shortly after that we got together to discuss starting a new project.
You play a unique style of music. What went into the decision to follow this path? Was it just natural or a conscious effort to develop to where you are today?
We played a wide variety of styles in our previous project including a few instrumental compositions. We had always felt that our strong suit was in that realm of songwriting and decided that if we were going to form a new group then that was what we would focus on.
Obviously, most of your music is worked out but do you ever improvise live or is it all mapped out beforehand?
Coming from playing in a ‘jam band’, the earlier material contained elements of improv as well as orchestrated sections. The music stayed that way for the first couple of years. After the release of our debut album Cycles, we began to focus more on tighter arrangements which lead to all of the newer material being mapped out.
Are your songs ideas usually born from jamming, or you does someone write the music and then bring it to the band?
In order to make the most efficient use of our time jamming is pretty non-existent at our rehearsals. For the most part someone brings in a part or multiple parts and we decide if it’s something we want to pursue. From there we end up branching from those ideas and adding more until we have a cohesive composition that we’re all happy with. We actually spend a lot of time going back and forth dissecting parts and sections. It’s a slow process but we feel it helps us write well crafted songs.
We also draw inspiration from non-musical ideas. For example, the Fibonacci Number Sequence and an odd suggestion from a friend about Colossal Squids led to the creation of one of our newer songs; Fibonacci Hooks a Colossal Squid. Another song was inspired by a character, Shardik, from the third book of the Dark Tower series by Stephen King. He’s a 70-foot cyborg bear with a grudge and a parasitic infection. Intense stuff, but a little sad. Read it, and then listen. There are videos of each song on YouTube from our last show at The Beanery.
You’re known as a very good live band. Is it hard to capture and keep people’s attention without a vocalist?
We always take the live show and the audience perspective into account during the songwriting process. We try to create something that we are completely happy with but hope won’t bore the crowd. We feel we achieve this by constantly changing the mood and atmosphere and also incorporating parts and transitions that will keep the audience engaged.
A lot of bands can be volatile. Do you all usually get along pretty well and agree on most things?
For the most part, we get along very well. We’ve known each other long enough to know when to take a break or not take anything too personal if someone is having a bad day. Recently though we had a lengthy discussion about Sean’s unwillingness to grow a beard and it escalated into something quite nasty. That’s a joke, but seriously, Sean needs to grow a beard.
What do you like best about playing with this group of guys?
That it all works out so well and with little conflict. Most non-musicians may not realize how hard it is to get a group of like-minded individuals together and maintain the relationship. We feel we’re very lucky that it came together organically and is lasting.
Everyone has some guilty pleasures in regards to music. Who are some of the bands that you like that would surprise people?
Not Rush! (laughs). We are constantly being compared to Rush and none of us actively listen to them. Sean is a huge fan of Dave Matthews Band. Neil fancies The Getdowns and other local acts. Minkis is a sucker for some pretty depressing stuff.
How did you record your latest CD?
Cycles was recorded in the basement of Sean’s old house with our good friend Nicholas Schmidt. Bass and drums were tracked in two days and then Neil and Nick worked at a leisurely pace to record multiple guitar parts as well as other instruments and some vocals. We weren’t originally planning on releasing it as an album but decided it would be a good debut after letting it sit for a year.
It’s seems the band continues to evolve from where it was in the beginning. Are there other places you’d like to take the music?
Anywhere, as long it keeps things interesting and it doesn’t start to sound too stale to us. At the moment we’ve been working on more epic pieces of music in terms of scope and feel. We’ll try anything as long as it doesn’t sound too out of place.
There are rumors that another CD might be in the mix?
We are currently preparing songs for the purpose of recording a new demo that is more accurate of where the band is at the moment. There is a chance that this could turn into an EP. We’ll see how it works out.
What is the next step for the band? I know you’ve mentioned moving to Chicago at some point. What are the future plans for the band?
We’re currently working on getting things together for touring next year, recording, and various other things. So the current break we’re taking is not really a break at all, just an opportunity to plan some stuff out. For the future we are just looking to continually keep busy writing and playing while expanding our reach. We’ll probably stick to the area for now. We can spend more time writing and preparing rather than working long hours to pay for high rents and rehearsal spaces.
You’ve all be very supportive of our vision at SouthBendScene.com. Why do you think it’s important for a site like ours to survive and thrive in our music scene?
There is a great local original music scene here but it is very hard to keep in touch and promote efficiently. Things are very scattered it seems. We feel this site could help the local original acts pool information together and make it more easily accessible.