Based in Washington state, USA, Erik Hansen recently featured on our blog through his single Savior. The track was taken from his second Seasons of the Wind EP and I wanted to learn more about his trilogy of records.
By Graeme Smith
GS: You’ve just released your second EP in a trilogy, Seasons of the Wind II. Can you tell us the story of the trilogy and what listeners will get with your new EP?
EH: The trilogy idea came about because I had gotten done recording thirteen songs of various influences of mine. I felt with the trilogy idea I could slowly release the songs and listeners would be able to get an idea of what I’m about as a songwriter. I like writing songs that are in the hard rock vein but also like to have softer parts and acoustic guitar parts. I very much like to paint with a broad brush. On the new EP listeners, will get to hear anthem-like rock choruses and a couple slower moody type songs. A song like Let Me Breathe isn’t something I would typically write but I was encouraged by my vocal coach Pamela Moore to write something outside my comfort zone.
We’ve just shared the single Savior from it. I had a listen and found the lyrics contained a lot of depth. Can you tell us a bit about the meaning of the track?
I’m based out of Seattle, Washington in the USA and we have lots of people living on the streets here. I see a lot of their faces and, to me, some of them look trapped in a cycle that they can’t figure their way out of. So I was trying to confer the idea of struggling through life and the realization that we have to find ways to help ourselves first and then we can seek help from others. No one ever really comes and solves our problems for us, it’s typically a situation we have to overcome.
Can you give us a sneak preview of what part three will hold?
Part three will contain a similar vibe to parts one and two. There will be an acoustic song I wrote that was inspired by a couple of my favourite artists, The Scorpions and John Fogerty and a heavier song that’s reminiscent of Dio-era Black Sabbath. There’s an upbeat tempo song that my friend remarked that it sounded like late ’70s proto-metal, I’m not sure what bands he was referencing but, to me, I think it has a good new wave of British heavy metal vibe.
It’s fair to say you’re a lover of all things rock – you cite AC/DC, Metallica and Deep Purple among your influences – what draws you to the genre? What else influences your music?
I like different things like classical and folk music but there has always been this underlying need to hear roaring guitars, vocals, bass and drums. It’s like its a part of my DNA and nourishes me! The cool thing about the genre of rock is that there’s a diverse group of artists within that label so you can draw from lots of different things if you want. I like stuff from The Byrds to Pink Floyd to Black Sabbath and Metallica.
Musically I like to hear melody and a nice natural rhythm. I like creating music where there’s a beat or melody that sounds and feels natural to the ear. I may not listen to a lot of Pop music or mainstream, per se, but I can usually hear the hooks in the songs and take mental notes on what I think is grabbing the listener’s ear.
Lyrically, I like to draw from real-life human experiences, feelings and emotions. At this point in my life, I like writing stuff that I think people can relate to or think about. Music has always been a pillar for me to lean on through all the ups and downs, so I’d like to be able to give back.
You’ve now gone solo after previously playing with the Fallen Angels – what prompted the change in direction?
When Fallen Angels faded out around 2015, I started doing another project with some local musicians I know and that project was called Sygnal. We went through many lineup changes and inconsistencies for around six to seven years, so it never really went anywhere. It was my attempt at wanting to do something more in the ’70s/’80s hard rock/metal arena but I didn’t always feel like the songs were forming the way they should.
Around 2021, I started writing songs with an acoustic guitar sound in mind and was practicing getting more comfortable singing. Over the course of that year, I started developing the music and style I’m currently doing. Maybe I got a little nostalgic, but I also started drawing from the ’90s rock bands from my youth which is something I had never done previously in any of the projects.
I always like to learn more about musicians’ hometowns and how their music scenes are going. How are things in Washington in that regard?
I’ve been playing around here since 2003 and I’ve seen the scenes come and go quite a bit. The early 2000s had lots of nu-metal inspired bands but there was also a small underground metal scene with mainly black/death metal bands, so anybody doing anything outside of that was rare. Currently, there’s some more melody-based bands around but I think the biggest demographic shift has been due to the local economy which has had a huge boom from around 2009 to now with jobs based in tech. This has brought lots of people to the area who aren’t really listening to hard rock/metal, so anybody doing that seems to be living farther out of the area. There seems to be lots of singer-songwriter types but I’m unsure how many bands are around and what they’re doing.
What’s next for you?
I’m currently practicing with and trying to figure out who I can assemble for a live band. I want to get out doing shows and really bring this music to life in a live setting. I’m also working on writing and figuring out the songs I’d like to record for the next album. I’d like to start recording early next year. Beyond the music creation side, I’m just continuing to look at ways to market my music and figure out how to reach more people who are fans of this style of rock.
Any last words for the readers?
Check out my EPs Seasons of the Wind 1 and 2 if you’re a fan of rock/hard rock from the ’70s/’80s/’90s and to keep supporting live music and music created by real musicians playing an instrument and honing their craft. Music binds us all; long live rock n roll! Peace!
Seasons of the Wind II is out now and you can check it out below.
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