The next big thing is the post-punk revival. El Guapo, Fly Pan Am, Xiu Xiu, Gogogo Airheart, all bands that learned the english sound of bands like Gang Of Four, Wire, Pop Group. There is also Erase Errata, a girl combo who knows everything about post punk, but add something new. Their album (Other Animals) is not the new Entertainment or the new Y, but is for sure something new into the american indie rock of today. Sonic Youth asked for them on tour. And Sonic Youth have good taste…
Sodapop: How did Erase Errata form? What was the idea behind the band?
E: In 1999 we all convened in the San Francisco bay area and became friends and neighbors. The idea behind the band was it was supposed to be a one-time only thing just for fun...but that worked out so well we kept going.
S: What's going on in the San Francisco music scene?
E: Our friends are making beautiful music every day.
S: What's your opinion of the english post-punk rebirth that's currently taking place within american underground rock (El Guapo, Fly Pan Am, Xiu Xiu, Gogogo Airheart)?
E: It's better than rap-metal.
S: If I had 24 hours to spend in San Francisco, what would recommend me to do while in town?
E: Go to Tire Beach (abandoned industrial beach by the Bay); ride a bicycle; eat a burrito; go to the Musee Mecanique (antique arcade) at the Cliff House before it closes; see a show at the Eagle.
S: What's the biggest problem with indie rock today? What solution would you suggest?
E: More style than substance. More nostalgia than innovation.
S: Do you consider yourselves a political band?
E: Some of our lyrics are political; putting yourself in the public sphere is a political act; everything you do is a political act.
S: What influences you outside of music?
E: Architecture and design.
S: Where do you practice?
E: Downtown Oakland.
S: What is the antithesis of your band?
E: Cops.
S: Do you make a living off your band?
E: Well, some of us don't have jobs and somehow figure out a way to get by.
S: You often toured with Sonic Youth this year. Do they act like rockstars? Have you got some funny anecdotes to tell?
E: Sonic Youth were really rad and supportive, running the gamut from distant to down to earth. They let us eat all their food and drink their beer. We made a one-off band with Kim Gordon called The Anxious Rats where we wrote five punk rock songs in five minutes.
S: If you made a mixtape for me what songs would you include?
E: Quixotic, Mortal Mirror; Crass, Big Hands; Numbers, Too Cool To Say Hi; Cream, Tales Of Brave Ulysses; Zombies, Hung Up On A Dream; Tommy McCook, Ali Bab.