Interview: Thomas Erak on roller skating mishaps, karaoke dreams and (maybe) joining Chiodos

When news broke in November about Chiodos guitarist Jason Hale departing the band only a few months after their reunion with frontman Craig Owens and drummer Derrick Frost, it actually wasn’t that surprising. After all, in the band’s cover story in AP 290, Hale was quoted as saying, “I honestly think [continuing on] is totally doable without me… I don’t think I’ll ever be touring full-time again.” Cue Thomas Erak: The former frontman of the Fall Of Troy (and current leader of Just Like Vinyl) is a guitar virtuoso to say the least, and was approached in October to fill in for Hale for the remainder of Chiodos’ live commitments in 2012, including their headlining set at this weekend’s A Very GK! Holiday Festival in the Chicago area. But does that mean he’s an official member of the band? As we came to find out, even Erak doesn’t have a solid answer for that question.

INTERVIEW: Scott Heisel

I saw you took a nasty spill roller skating the other day.

My sister had her 30th birthday party, so she decided to throw the same party she did for her 10th birthday. I was just goin’ super-hard in the paint and couldn’t stop in the paint. I was probably goin’ about a hundred miles an hour. [Laughs.] My face stopped me.

Is there security camera footage and will we see it on Tosh.0 next season?

I hope so! Good question. Nah, it was in Everett [Washington], not Seattle. They don’t have technology like that there yet. There’s probably a black box or something just in case the place blows up.

Okay, let’s talk about Chiodos, who you are playing guitar for right now.

Who? I’ve never heard of that band ever. [Laughs.]

Are you an official member of Chiodos?

I’m… I’m… I’m playing guitar with some guys from Michigan.

Why the caginess?

Why the kinkiness?

Caginess, but kinkiness is fine, too.

Because, like, there’s a lot of talent flying around in this situation. What you have to understand is when there’s so much talent flying around, you can’t be thinking about making decisions. You just kinda gotta let it happen. I can’t confirm or deny anything. [Laughs.]

You can confirm that you’ve at least been playing in Chiodos in a live role, filling in for Jason Hale.

Yeah, Jason is a sick guitar player and those are big shoes to fill. [To Matt Goddard.] Oh my god, Matt, will you shut up? [To AP.] Hold on, we just had a van fart. Who did that? Jared, did you do that? Goddamnit! Sorry, that was like a barf fart right there.

You hinted on your Twitter account back in October that there was exciting news coming. How long had you been keeping this a secret from people?

I don’t keep secrets from people. I make them keep secrets from me.

Okay… Then how long has this been kept a secret from you?

I don’t know, it’s still a secret. It’s still being kept a secret from me. I’m just trying to find out the truth.

That’s a very Fox Mulder answer.

It is a very Fox Mulder answer! [Laughs.]

In this scenario, which member of Chiodos is Dana Scully?

Definitely Pat. Definitely Pat.

Is it safe to say you are a member of Chiodos? Would the other guys in the band say that?

There’s no real talk of that right now. It just is what it is. I’m being honest for once; I’m not joking. It’s not being talked about yet. I’ve known these guys for almost 10 years, and they’re really good guys. They’re my friends and they make music I like, and I like playing music with them. Wherever that ends up going is where it’s gonna go. I would love to tell you yes or tell you no, but there is no yes or no at this point. It’ll figure itself out, man.

When were you first approached by the band?

Nobody in the band called me; their manager did.

Were you surprised to hear from them?

Yes and no. That’s a good question. I was surprised in what was going on, and I was surprised that it came in such a… it just seemed like the perfect time for me.

What do you mean by that?

I don’t know… I don’t know if I mean anything by that, other than the fact that sometimes stars align, sometimes they don’t. It just felt like one of those instances where you’re in the right place at the right time. Does that make sense? And it was like, “Hey, Jason’s bouncing, do you wanna come play with the guys?” And I was like, “Absolutely!” If nothing else, it was just an opportunity to come hang out with these dudes I haven’t seen in a while and go sing karaoke.

What was your karaoke choice?

I pretty much brought the house down with “Kiss” by Prince last night. There’s video. It’ll be viral by about two o’clock today. [Laughs.] It’s pretty unreal; you wouldn’t believe me if I told you. Me and Brad, we brought the house down last night. Girls started humping each other… I’m not even lying. This actually happened. It was crazy.

So worst-case scenario, if this Chiodos thing doesn’t play out, you have a new career as a karaoke superstar.

Me and Brad are probably gonna make T-shirts and go on tour as professional karaoke artists. A lot of bands nowadays play to so many fuckin’ [backing] tracks it’s pretty much the same. So why not? We’ll get some neon-colored T-shirts and sing other peoples’ songs and not play instruments and sell merch.

How are you adjusting to playing in Chiodos versus playing in Just Like Vinyl?

I don’t adjust to anything; I just do it, you know? There’s no adjustment. You just go out and do what you need to do. At this point, getting in front of people is not a big deal. It’s more about getting out here and singing Prince karaoke.

Do view karaoke on the same level as playing California Metalfest in front of 3,000 people?

I was more nervous to sing Prince last night than I was at Metalfest, honestly, because at least I have five other guys who I trust and believe in onstage with me.

Your focus is currently with Chiodos. Where does that leave Just Like Vinyl?

I don’t look at it like that. This is what I’m doing right now; this is what my mind and my heart wants to focus on. That doesn’t mean a piece of my heart’s not back home. I’m just rollin’ with the punches.

If the punches were to roll in the direction of Chiodos asking you to officially join the band, where does your heart lie in that?

I don’t know. I’d have to get to that bridge before I cross it.

Chiodos are also going to be working on a new record next year. Is that something you’ve thought about, contributing to their record?

Oh, sure! I’d love to be part of that. I’m sure it would be pretty insane. I’m not against it, if that’s what you’re asking.

This is the first time in many years where you’re playing in a band where you’re not the center of attention—where you’re contributing to a bigger whole and not singing the songs. What’s it like to take a step back?

It makes it very not-difficult.

I think the word you’re looking for is “easy.”

No, that’s not what I’m looking for—I’m just trying to, like… I dunno. As an artist, I’m just looking to always do things differently, and I feel like I’ve done enough of [fronting a band] for now. I don’t need to be the focal point of a situation for it to be great; I just need to be a part of it.

What do you think 2013 has in store for you?

[Laughs.] You mean if December 21 doesn’t blow the world up or some shit? I am gonna probably hang out in Seattle, hang out in Michigan… I’m not Miss Cleo; I can’t tell the future, but I’m looking forward to 2013. I’m interested to find out myself what you’re asking me. Things are looking pretty damn good. I’m just gonna ride this adventure out as long as I can. Music is not a joke—everything else is. alt