Q & A with Tapes ‘n Tapes’ Erik Appelwick
Previously published at the Washington DC City Paper.
In advance of their appearance on Friday at the Rock N Roll Hotel, I caught up with the bass player for Tapes ‘n Tapes by phone. Erik [pictured, far left] was kind enough to field questions while on a much deserved break from touring.
BPB: 2008 was a good year for the band—lots of touring and accolades for Walk it Off. What does 2009 hold?
EA: More touring and working on a new album. For the new album the songs are being written while out on tour which is turning out to be a good way to work them up as opposed to cooking them up in the studio. Nearly all of Walk it Off aside from two or three songs were extensively road-tested. To be clear, though, its not like we’re operating on a mandate that the song evolution should follow a set path.
BPB: Favorite songs to play live?
EA: “Jakov’s Suite” off The Loon and “The Dirty Dirty” from Walk it Off.
BPB: Tapes ‘n Tapes got their initial buzz from blogs, and your cover art pops very well on a screen. What’s your take on the future of music in a digital realm?
EA: You’d have to have your head up your ass not to realize the benefits of downloads and digital exposure.
BPB: Talk a little about the Minneapolis music scene and why you think it has remained vibrant for so many years.
EA: The wintertime is so long that you have to hole up and be creative or die. Many of the kids that end up in the city came from small Midwestern towns where being in the school band was something to aspire to, which fosters an attitude of learning to play music and being good at it. Couple that with the number of local music venues and people that embrace live music, it makes for a good scene.
BPB: Walk it Off is a straight up rock record. Was that intentional?
EA: I think so. I would leave it to Josh to say what his intention was with the album, though coming out of the gate after The Loon, I think his intention was to bring the rock and make a heavier record.
BPB: What are you currently listening to?
EA: I can’t seem to get Radiohead’s In Rainbows out of the player.
Tapes ‘n Tapes play Friday night, Feburary 27th at the Rock And Roll Hotel.
Tickets are $15 with doors opening at 8:30 and opening acts Wild Light and the The Subjects.