Fred Erskine played bass, trumpet and sang in numerous bands including Hoover, Crownhate Ruin, HiM and June of ’44.
When I was in college I was part of a mix tape club (yes, I was in college that long ago) and one of the guys in the club made me a tape with a good variety of music on it including some math rock and post-rock stuff. I thought I knew something about the genres but was blown away by such bands as Don Caballero and June of ’44. While I don’t understand entirely what post-rock means, I do know that when I listened to June of ’44 I heard weird time changes and angularity in the sound. In addition, the bands of that genre I watched usually put on stellar live shows with a good combination of sincerity and energy. There were also obtuse lyrics that in the case of June of ’44 often sounded like some sort of spoken word or poetry. Such lyrics have, on occasion, found me having a deep interest in crying out, “Port and bow! Stern and starboard!” (“Pale Horse Rider”). I’ve found I most enjoy June of ‘44’s debut, Engine Takes to Water, but many people cite their Four Great Points album as being the band’s best release.
June of ’44 had band members that had been and would go on to be in some phenomenal acts: Rodan, Codeine, Rex, Shipping News, Rachel’s and Lungfish (the fucking Lungfish!). Super group really doesn’t seem such a far-fetched term for June of ’44 as they actually lived up to their billing.
I never had the opportunity to see Fred Erskine’s band, June of ’44, or any of his other acts, including but not limited to HiM, Crownhate Ruin or Hoover. Both of the last two were on the fine Dischord Records label out of Washington, DC.
Despite only one full length to their name (Lurid Traversal of Route 7), Hoover is often cited as being one of the better post-hardcore or dare I say “emo” bands of the early to mid-90s that broke up way too soon. (And when I write emo, don’t think Rites of Spring and also for the love of all that is good, please don’t think Dashboard Confessional. Besides, there’s definitely more post-hardcore going on than emo. Fuckin’ whatever – I hate all of you.) One thing that set Hoover apart was the inclusion of a trumpet in some of their songs (played by Fred), which for the time period probably weirded a bunch of people out. (“A jazz type instrument in punk rock! Ahhh! My world is collapsing in on itself!”) As happens from time to time on my blog, I’d love to write a lot more about this album, but someone has already done that for me. You can read a really good breakdown and history of the band and Lurid Traversal of Route 7 here.
Where do you currently live?
Indianapolis
What do you do to pay the bills?
I’m a union carpenter.
Are you still involved with music in any way (work for a label, play in a band, do press for a band, book shows, etc.) or any of the other arts (performing, visual, literary)?
Yes. I never stopped playing music. I have been in several bands other than the ones you’ve mentioned. Now I have a band called Freddie T and The People. We’ve played in Indiana regularly and around the Midwest some and toured out East once so far. This is our first record that came out recently (available for download and on LP):
http://freddietandthepeople.bandcamp.com/
At what point did you decide to “give up” the touring and band life and why? Was there a sudden realization that you wanted to live in the “real world” or was it gradual?
About 10 years ago it started to slow down for me and gradually since then I go on the road less each year. It’s more about economics than anything else. I still enjoy it when I can get out.
Do you still speak with the other members of the band (Crownhate Ruin, June of ’44, Hoover)?
Yes to all three.
Are you content with not living the “rock and roll” lifestyle of your past or do you miss it? (Please note: I use the phrase “rock and roll lifestyle” loosely.)
How do you know I’m not living a rock and roll lifestyle? I still love to do lines and keg stands at work. And to be fair, I still get in my van and drive all over the place.
Do you feel as though you can still relate to the person you were when you were in a band and touring? Why or why not?
Yes. I was me and so am I.
April 16th, 2011 at 8:08 am
awesome, Kurt! Another East Coast-Indiana transplant. Great bassist, great bands. I can’t wait to see Freddie T. Looking to get a show together where it works.
January 11th, 2012 at 11:31 am
[...] certainly part of our musical world view. (Our bass player has some beautiful nods to Hoover’s Fred Erskine.) I’ve always seen the songs as based on Amphetamine Reptile noiserock filtered through chaotic [...]