Arcane Ghosts Interview: Eric

Arcane Ghosts is a band from Ontario, Canada comprised of Jason (vocals and guitar) and Eric (drums). The
band had a sick vibe on their latest EP, “Human Interference,” and we knew we had to reach out to learn more about this awesome group! We spoke with Eric and discussed numerous topics where we learned so much about their craft.

WCBG: How did y’all become a band?
Eric: I was previously in a band called Minority 905 and I had left the band. My old band played a show with
Jason’s band and I loved the energy his band had on stage. A year later Jason was looking for new members, so I reached out to him and it just worked out really nicely.

WCBG: Why did you choose the drums?
Eric: Rockband for Xbox. The drums for Rockband are a solid teaching tool for the actual drum set. It’s not
like you can learn the guitar from Rockband but the drums are pretty similar.

WCBG: What’s your writing process like?
Eric: For our EP, “Human Interference,” Jason, Matt, and I would jam a lot and we had a lot of songs that we
had come up with. We had to whittle it down to the ones we thought were the best. Actually, ‘Petrified’ came
about because we couldn’t agree on the last song for the EP. We wrote the song overnight in like less than 24
hours. It’s actually our biggest song off the EP. I really like listening to songs we record when we jam and try
to envision what the song could be. I’ll start planning out how the song might unfold and try to bring that to the next practice. The songs were lovingly crafted over some months.

WCBG: What is your favorite drum part to play on a song?
Eric: The drumming for ‘Summertime’; it is so hectic in the beginning, but it is so fun to play. Jason and I both have hectic parts to play in the beginning of the song. The lyrics on that track are also my favorite.

WCBG: What is one thing you would change about the music industry?
Eric: We play shows and we have our side jobs because we can’t live off this. Songs or someone’s art is
viewed as a product, I get that, it should be more than just the product. I don’t know how we should go about changing this.

WCBG: What is your opinion of streaming services like Spotify?
Eric: Before streaming services, we would have less than 50 listeners monthly listeners. Currently we have
about 10,000 listeners. People listen to us from all around the world. Spotify and iTunes have been a huge help for us to gain exposure. I do wish the pay could be improved for artists from streaming, but I am unsure as to how we can go about that.

WCBG: What is your favorite venue that you have played in?
Eric: Bovine Sex Club in Toronto. Outside are all these rusted bikes, it’s a super punk venue, like it looks
closed. It’s sick. An honorable mention would be Doors Pub in Hamilton, there’s a library in the band and it’s
a pretty intimate venue.

WCBG: What musicians inspire you/what have you been listening to?
Eric: Radiohead...Zach Hill, the drummer from Fugazi. The video of “Hella” from Japan is kinda insane to
look at. It made me want to be a better artist all around. My favorite band of all time is probably Death Grips;
I’ve also been listening to a lot of Duster (slow core from the 90s) and some local bands.

WCBG: What are the plans for Arcane Ghosts in 2020?
Eric: We are focusing on writing new music and we have some interesting things cooked up. Our plan is to
work hard and to continue on in 2020!

Go check out Arcane Ghosts music and support amazing bands like them!