Present yourself to the readers.
We are Bubbles Erotica, a heavy groove rock band from Chicago in the states. We’ve been playing together for almost 8 years now. We initially started off as a cover band, but quickly began writing our own songs after about a year or so. We’ve released a 3 song demo, a few singles, a 4 song EP, and we just self-released our debut full-length album back in May. We like our music to be loud and heavy, and our swagger to be catchy and fun.
Who composes? How does it work in the band?
There’s typically two ways a song will come to life for us. Someone will either bring in an idea for a song and if we all like it, we’ll work on it, or we’ll spontaneously improvise and come up with an idea that way. Everyone contributes and helps with the construction of a song.
Who writes the texts? What are they talking about? How does inspiration come?
We all contribute lyrically, but primarily I am the one who comes up with the concepts and lyrics. There are times when I have writers block, in which I will then turn to one of the other members and ask for their help. But, it is not uncommon for another member to write most of the lyrics for a song. The things we talk about in our music cover the entire spectrum, from super serious subject matter to super light hearted subject matter. From love, loss, and despair in our songs like “Ghost” or “Cloak & Dagger” to good times and ancient stories in songs like “Wisconsin Discotheque” and “Humbaba”. The inspiration really comes from the music. Typically, the music is written first, and how the music makes me feel will inspire the concept and lyrics for the song.
Why the name Bubbles Erotica?
When we first started back in 2010, we were a System of a Down cover band. We called ourselves Bubbles Erotica, which is a lyric from their song “IEAIAIO” on Steal This Album. Once we began writing our own songs we changed our name to The Elephant in the Room, but unfortunately that name was used by literally dozens of other bands. No one had Bubbles Erotica, so we decided to continue using it for our original songs as well.
What are your personal music tastes and your influences?
I am very much into rap music and punk, so I like writing aggressive yet beat oriented music. Mike is into classic rock and hip-hop so he adds a lot of texture and depth to his tone and his playing. Colin is very much into tech metal and progressive rock so he brings a lot of diversity in his song writing choices and his tone. Brad is into a lot of contemporary rock and pop punk so he always keeps us grounded in what we are doing and the songs he writes. There tends to be a lot of push and pull when it comes to our song writing, mostly due to our different personalities, but it makes up our sound. It always is inherently Bubbles Erotica. We all have different musical inspirations and influences, everything from Pink Floyd to The Faceless, from Wu-Tang Clan to System of a Down, from QOTSA to Slayer. Were all into different things.
Generally, what’s the reaction of the public during your concerts?
If we are playing in front of our audience, i.e. people who know the music and/or have seen us before, then the shows can be quite crazy. We all come from a punk, metal and hardcore background so we believe in performances being a cathartic experience for both the audience member and ourselves. If we are playing in front of people who are witnessing our music and live show for the first time, people either get what we are trying to accomplish musically, sonically, and aesthetically, or it’s just over their heads. Go home, listen to the music, watch the videos, and be apart of it.
