Sitting backstage at the Duchess with a rather excitable Ryan Hamilton, co-founder of BFS “Supergroup” ‘People on Vacation’, I’m struck by what a charming host he is. “Thirsty? Want a drink? We have water…” He pauses, looking uncertainly for any other non-alcoholic beverage on the fold up table behind him, groaning with the weight of plastic cups, spirits and mixers. “…beer? vodka?” he finally concedes with a mischievous smile.
As I’m deciding whether to sacrifice professional composure for a drink at 6pm (“It’s never too early for alcohol!” quips Ryan), Erik Chandler, bassist for ‘Bowling For Soup’ and songwriter extraordinaire walks in. It’s day four of Bowling For Soup’s third acoustic tour round the UK, and Erik is both headlining the show with fellow BFS bandmate Jaret Reddick AND supporting with his solo project. ‘People on Vacation’, a collaboration between Ryan and Jaret, will provide the other support act, making tonight’s show a party with “BFS Family Only” stamped firmly across the invites.
So this is your first time playing in York?
Erik: Yeah, this is time number 1
Ryan: Well this is only my second time in this country, and he’s been here, what, is this your 30th trip?
Erik: Something like that.. we lost count a few times ago and so we’re estimating around 30 right now… but yeah very, very first time in York, and it’s a lovely city.
Has it surprised you? Are there any major differences playing a gig in the UK then in the states?
Erik: You know what your country loves? Your country loves doors, and stairs. You guys will put a door, in the middle of a hallway?? It doesn’t lead anywhere!!!
I think they’re called fire doors.. it’s something to do with health and safety…
Erik: … *pauses, perhaps pondering what the term ‘health and safety’ could mean*
Ryan: And I don’t understand why the bathroom’s always up three flights of stairs, way in the back, very far from wherever you need to be.
What about musically, do British listeners expect different things from you as musicians?
Ryan: I think people here are just more excited in general to, you know, to go to a show, to hear a band that they love. At home it’s starting to be very common for people to stay home and listen to music or watch an online concert or whatever so I think people here are still very excited about music, and they love live music and new bands. That’s what I love about the fans here.
Erik: Yeah I think also there’s a major sense of camaraderie in fans, because everyone is at the show to make the night an experience, and that comes across to us and makes the night that much more amazing!
It seems, Ryan, that that camaraderie is very much present in ‘People on Vacation’? You and Jaret come from two different musical backgrounds (Pop punk and indie folk), how’s that been combining them?
Ryan: Well, on paper it’s not supposed to work. Jaret and I aren’t even supposed to get along or be friends. But the Bowling For Soup crew, you know their whole family, are just so genuine and nice and accepting so to go in and work with someone in that mindframe, who’s so open to something new and different, I think that’s why it works. Like I said it’s not supposed to, it’s two different worlds and even though we consciously met in the middle and were like we can’t be too much Jaret, and we can’t be too sad… which would be me…. It just worked.
Ryan: Um, I don’t like it. I don’t like, like… what’s his name… Skrill.. Skrillex?
Erik: Yeaaaah, I don’t get it
Ryan: I don’t get it either!! You know, I understand why other people want to go out and dance and have a good time but me? I want to be moved by music, I don’t want to just get hammered and dance. And like I said, I understand the appeal. I was in College once…. I think…
Erik: *Laughs*
Ryan: I think I remember that! But musically, I’m not a fan of electronic.. folk.. is that what you call it?
Erik: Technofolk
Ryan: *pulls a face*
If People on Vacation is a mix of two different sounds, has it been a release for you, Erik, crafting your own sound by breaking from Bowling For Soup?
Erik: It’s funny, because I’d never consider it as ‘breaking’ from Bowling For Soup, but the most amazing compliment that I ever got was from Jaret. We basically used to share writing duties as far as the music for Bowling for Soup went, and then the band kinda started taking a turn more towards the stuff Jaret was writing, and so I kind of graciously bowed out, or whatever. And I went through this period of several years where I didn’t write anything, and when I started writing these songs again Jaret was like “You know, it’s amazing how you picked up exactly where you left off. Your music hasn’t changed, your writing style hasn’t changed. You’re doing exactly the same kind of stuff that you were writing in the mid 90s” and I thought that was just an amazing thing to be doing.
There is a real sense of past in your EP. It’s actual title is Writing the Wrongs – did you intend it to be a kind of atonement for past experiences?
Erik: Yeah… yeah… It’s funny because I actually named my publishing company ‘Fifty-three Mistakes’… my writing tends to focus on the things that I’ve f**ked up in my life, and I write about that kind of stuff. I mean, I don’t want to seem all tragic, I don’t wanna get all RYAN on you, but those are the topics that just seem to come to mind when I write.
Ryan: *laughs* But that to me just shows that it’s coming from a real place
Erik: Yeah, yeah absolutely, I mean everything that I write about is real. I think there’s one song I wrote that was about nothing, it was just an idea I had. But the rest of it is all very much based in true things that have happened to me, and I’ve been lucky enough in this career to have 3 lifetimes of experience to draw from.
[At this point, Jaret comes in, sits down next to us and proceeds to leisurely scrawl his autograph on a batch of Bowling for Soup posters to be sold at the gig later]
First time I listened to Bowling for Soup I was at a house party, ‘Girl all the Bad Guys Want’ came on, and we all got up and danced before stopping and going “What the hell’s a two way??”
Ryan: Ha! Did you find out what it is?
No! And I realise this sounds like a terrible party, a bunch of British teenagers sitting round discussing the function of a two way, it was actually a lot more fun then that.
Erik: *laughs* It’s a pager, it’s a mobile texting device. Before you were texting on your telephones, there were ‘two way’ pagers.
Ryan: But see how your brain automatically goes to the other thing?
Jaret: The idea behind that was that everybody thought it was a sexual thing.
Excellent! Well, that was the first time I heard BFS, and first time I listened to Smile Smile it was as part of a very chilled revision playlist. These are two very different scenarios representing two different types of music and fan bases. What fanbase are you aiming for now? Who do you write for?
Erik: You guys have a very interesting relationship…
Ryan: It’s hard, it’s hard, but I love it. I really do. I love the music. I just wanted to put good music out and have some fun with Jaret… he hates it when I say this but it was a “happy accident”
Erik: A brilliant mistake
Jaret: Yeah, I mean the idea initially was to write songs for whatever reason, film, tv, other bands etc. And after we wrote the second song we were like “Ok wait, we’re not giving these away!”. But I don’t know that you could call it an accident! I just don’t know. I don’t like us to be a ‘supergroup’ and I don’t like us to be just a ‘happy accident’. We’ve been together two fricking years, you know? But I do understand why you like to call it that…. I ain’t mad at ya.
But looking at some of the titles on your EP, they’re quite melancholy “Rainy day”, “Better off dead” – were you aiming for a more melancholy lyrical tone matched with a more upbeat melody and rhythm?
Ryan: I can’t help being the sad, whiny man when I sing. You know, it’s my style. But when this guy sings flowers bloom, children are dancing in the street.
Jaret: Well when you sing in my studio now you can sound happy and aggressive
What about you Erik, has the reception of the tone and style of your EP boosted your confidence the success of your upcoming full album?
Erik: The album will come out as a full length in the states this summer, and when that happens the rest of it will be available for digital download here in the UK. The album was recorded over a year ago, but I’ve been really lucky because I haven’t read anything that was bad yet. I feel tentative saying that! But I’ve been amazingly surprised at all the great feedback.
Jaret: We haven’t had any negative feedback either, except for the other day, when we released the where do we go video, and BFS put the link up on their facebook page. About 100 people were just like “That’s f***ing great!” and “this is amazing!”. Then this one kid goes “Not to be rude, but that is the worst thing I’ve ever watched in my life.” …So I ‘liked’ it.
Erik Chandler’s Ep Writing the Wrongs and People On Vacation’s The Carry_On EP are now available for download on I-tunes