Eric Slick | Interview | Reissue of ‘Palisades’
‘Palisades’ is the sophomore album from Eric Slick. Originally released in 2017, the album is steeped in psychedelia and often features a noticeably darker sound than his other work.
Accented by reverb-drenched bursts of guitar and colorful synths, the record takes the listener on an introspective journey influenced by his experiences with meditation and dream therapy. The 8-song collection showcases Slick coming into his own as a songwriter.
Now ORG Music is bringing the title to vinyl for the first time, available widely on silver vinyl or on “Golden Eyeball” color vinyl, exclusively through independent record stores.
“Throw a bunch of stuff at the wall and hope the best stuff sticks”
Org Music reissued your sophomore album ‘Palisades’ June 24th. What’s the story behind it? How long did you work on it?
Eric Slick: I started making ‘Palisades’ in 2014. I was living in Asheville, NC and was doing a lot of self exploration. Dream therapy, tarot, meditation, salt floats. I wrote somewhere between 50-70 songs that year, and a chunk of them ended up being in the dark and dreamy zone. I recorded the album at the end of the year in Anacortes, Washington. I didn’t finish it until the end of 2016. Some things take a long time!
How would you compare it to your latest album, ‘Wiseacre’?
It’s much darker and weirder. It feels a lot like where my subconscious was at the time, if that makes sense. I was purging myself of a lot of darkness and it all ended up on that record. ‘Wiseacre’ is a lot brighter and funnier, at least to me.
You had some incredible players on ‘Wiseacre’. How was to work with Steven Drozd (Flaming Lips), music producer Butch Walker, and Natalie Prass (Slick’s wife and renowned art-pop singer)?
It was incredible. In the case of Natalie, she’s just so good at everything. I think she did the song ‘Closer To Heaven’ in one take. Steven did his tracks remotely, and I couldn’t believe it. He’s one of my all time heroes. He sent a Dropbox and said, “I hope this is okay”. We literally used everything he sent.
Are you working on something new?
I am, and I am so excited about it.
Let’s talk about your influences, would you like to talk a bit about your background?
I am from Philadelphia. The Philadelphia music scene shaped me. Jazz, prog rock, TSOP, and hip-hop. My big Philly influences are: The Phanatic, Craig McIver, Hoagies, the song ‘Me and Mrs. Jones’, Make A Rising, Dr. Dog, Pattern Is Movement, and Charlie’s Pizza.
When did you decide that you wanted to start writing and performing your own music? What brought that about for you?
It was always burning in me. I didn’t decide to take the plunge until 2009. My friend Dom Angelella was super encouraging and would come over to my house and write songs with me. He’s probably my biggest support system.
How do you usually approach music making?
Throw a bunch of stuff at the wall and hope the best stuff sticks.
Do you often play live?
With other people mostly. I would love to do more solo shows.
Let’s end this interview with some of your favourite albums. Have you found something new lately you would like to recommend to our readers?
Raven Lenae’s new album is incredible. Same with new Kendrick Lamar. Anything that pushes the boundaries is great to me.
Klemen Breznikar
Eric Slick Official Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Bandcamp / YouTube
Org Music Official Website / Facebook / Instagram / Twitter / Bandcamp / YouTube
