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Eric's Trip

From Alfawiki
Eric's Trip
Company typeBand
IndustryMusic
Founded1990
Headquarters
Moncton
,
Canada
ProductsIndie rock music

Eric's Trip is an indie rock group originating from Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. They became notable as the pioneering Canadian act to be signed by the prominent Seattle-based grunge label, Sub Pop, during the early 1990s.

The band achieved moderate success in the alternative music scene with their track "View Master," featured on their 1994 release Forever Again.

History

Formed in 1990, Eric's Trip came together when Rick White and Chris Thompson teamed up with Julie Doiron and Ed Vaughan, who was eventually replaced by Mark Gaudet. The band's name was inspired by a song from Sonic Youth. Their musical style combined heavily distorted guitar sounds influenced by Dinosaur Jr., vocal approaches reminiscent of My Bloody Valentine, folk-inspired touches akin to Neil Young, and a lo-fi production quality. Rick White characterized their music as "melodic pop with emotional depth layered over dense distortion," while Gaudet described it as "punk with a dreamy quality."

Their initial album, Love Tara, debuted in 1993, followed by Forever Again in 1994 and Purple Blue in 1996. In 1995, they took part in the Tragically Hip's Another Roadside Attraction (festival) tour.

The band dissolved in 1996 during a tour across the United States, concluding with a final performance in their hometown that June. In 1997, they issued Long Days Ride 'Til Tomorrow, a compilation of rare tracks fulfilling their contract with Sub Pop. Eric's Trip reunited for tours in 2001 and again from 2006 through 2009, appearing at notable events such as the 2007 Halifax Pop Explosion, the 2008 Primavera Sound festival in Barcelona, and Sub Pop's 20th anniversary concert held in Redmond, Washington.

Between 2006 and 2009, they were regular performers at the Sappy Records Festival in Sackville, New Brunswick, with their last band appearance occurring at the 2009 festival. In 2010, both White and Doiron returned to SappyFest for individual sets.

Post Eric's Trip projects & legacy

Julie Doiron has pursued a thriving solo career; notably, she collaborated with Ottawa’s Wooden Stars on the 1999 album Julie Doiron and the Wooden Stars, which earned a Juno Award for Best Alternative Album. She also played alongside Shotgun & Jaybird between 2003 and 2007.

In 2004, Rick White initiated production of the documentary Eric's Trip: 1990-1996, which premiered at Sappyfest in 2008. Although plans were made for a DVD release, it never materialized; instead, the film was made freely available on Vimeo in December 2012. White revisited the project in 2021 by re-editing and remastering it, producing an updated version that omitted some original segments.

White and Gaudet were members of Elevator until its disbandment in 2009, announced by White during SappyFest. White has also released three solo albums under Rick White Album: The Rick White Album, Memoreaper, and 137. Gaudet now performs with the heavy metal group Funeral Fog. Chris Thompson, performing under Moon Socket, is currently involved with The Memories Attack and Diamondtown.

Rick White produced Doiron’s solo albums Woke Myself Up (2007) and I Can Wonder What You Did with Your Day (2009). The former includes three songs featuring the complete Eric's Trip lineup—their first studio collaboration since their breakup. Critics have observed that I Can Wonder marks a direct return to Eric's Trip’s stylistic roots within Doiron’s solo repertoire.

Tribute compilations honoring the band include Paper Heart Records’ 2000 cassette The Eric's Trip Show and Gooseberry Records’ two-disc CD set Songs For Eric: A Tribute to Eric's Trip, released in April 2009.

Band members

Present lineup

  • Rick White – guitar, vocals (1990–present)
  • Julie Doiron – bass, guitar, vocals (1990–present)
  • Chris Thompson – guitar, bass, vocals, drums (1990–present)
  • Mark Gaudet – drums, vocals (1991–present)

Past members

  • Ed Vaughan – drums (1990–1991)

Timeline


EPs and cassettes

  • Eric's Trip cassette (Independent) – December 1990
  • Catapillars EP cassette (Independent) – April 1991
  • Drowning EP cassette (Independent) – August 1991
  • Warm Girl cassette (Independent) – January 1992
  • Belong 7-inch EP (NIM) – April 1992
  • Peter cassette/CD (Murderecords), LP (Sub Pop Germany) – April 1993
  • Songs About Chris 7-inch EP (4 tracks) / CD5 (6 tracks) (Sub Pop) – May 1993
  • Julie and the Porthole to Template:As written 7-inch EP featuring solo songs by each member (Sappy Records) – July 1993
  • Trapped In New York 7-inch EP (Summershine Records) – 1993
  • Warm Girl 7-inch EP (Derivative) – 1993
  • The Gordon Street Haunting 7-inch EP / CD5 (Sub Pop) – May 1994
  • The Road South 7-inch EP (Sonic Unyon) – August 1995

Studio albums

Live recordings

  • The Eric's Trip Show live CD (Teenage USA) – 2001
  • Live in Concert November 4th, 2001 live CD (Great Beyond) – 2001
  • Live at The Esquire May 1995 archival digital release – January 2020
  • Live in Montreal - March 16th, 1993 archival digital release – October 2022
  • Live In Halifax March 17, 1992 archival digital release – May 2025
  • Live at Pop Montreal 2007 archival digital release – May 2025

Split releases

  • "Laying Blame" b/w Stove-Smother Split 7-inch with Sloan (Cinnamon Toast Records) – 1994
  • Pillow (Red) b/w Payday and Don't Spook the Horse... Split 7-inch with Moviola (metoo! records) – 1996

Compilation appearances

  • "Sickness" on Naked in the Marsh, a Moncton bands' compilation 10-inch (NIM) – 1991
  • "Understanding" on the Raw Energy CD compilation (Raw Energy Records) – 1993
  • "Blue Sky for Julie/Smother" featured on the East Coast compilation Never Mind the Molluscs (Sub Pop) – 1993
  • "Blue Sky for Julie/Smother" included on the Sub Pop Employee of the Month compilation (Sub Pop) – 1993
  • "Laying Blame" on the East Coast CD compilation Trim Crusts if Desired (Cinnamon Toast Records) – 1994
  • "Evie" on the CD compilation Not If I Smell You First (Sonic Unyon) – August 1995
  • "If You Don't Want Me" on the LP/CD/8-track compilation Teenage Zit Rock Angst (Nardwuar the Human Serviette/Mint Records) – 1995
  • "So Easier Last Time" on the compilation More of Our Stupid Noise (Squirtgun Records) – 1996
  • "Universe" included in the soundtrack for The Boys Club – 1996
  • "New Love" remix and live version of "We're Only Gonna Die" from Montreal '94 on "The Stareoscopic Scary Show - An Audiological View Of Moncton N.B.," independently released by Rick White
  • Long Days Ride 'Till Tomorrow released by Sappy Records – 1997

Additional Releases

  • Bootleg (Independent) – 2007
  • Eric's Trip Demos (1992–1995) – 2023

Related Topics

External Resources

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