North Carolina-based songwriter Eric Roehrig started Erie Choir in the early 2000s as a channel for his acoustic folk musings that didn’t quite fit with his main band, but over the past 20 years, it’s morphed into a full-throated, muscular rock and roll outfit. What began as a quiet solo project gradually accrued trusted collaborators, slowly solidifying into the longstanding lineup of today: Roehrig, James Hepler, Bob Wall, Jack Watson, and Ben Spiker. Their latest album, Golden Reviser, came out in November.

Erie Choir is an anagram of your name, and your album titles are also anagrams. What draws you to anagrams?

I think it comes from a desire to both put myself and my music out there into the world, while also having a contradictory impulse to hide and remain anonymous. I want some layer separating me and the singer of my songs. And part of it is just that it’s fun making up anagrams. 

Your latest album is called Golden Reviser. Are you open to sharing what that’s an anagram of, or is that something you’d like your fans to play with for a bit?
Yeah, I won’t give away the answer, but it’s not too hard.

Your second album came out nine years after your first, and the third came out eight years after the second. What did the intervening years look like for you?

Personally, a lot has happened naturally. The pandemic, the loss of loved ones, kids going from kids growing up, new jobs. The band really didn’t shut except during the pandemic. We recorded and had an EP back ready to release in 2020, right before the pandemic hit.  We put out a sort of odds-n-sods collection of songs (“Bad Tsars Was A Drag”) a few years later, and the band kept playing shows pretty regularly.  The lineup has been very stable, having the same members for the last 15 years or so.

How has your sound evolved over those years?

The earliest Erie Choir songs were acoustic, folky, singer-songwriter tunes. As I started playing more with a live band, I started to write more rock songs. A folksy indie pop number morphed into an extended choogle. Each successive lineup added its own color to the songs. Once Bob Wall joined and switched from bass to guitar, I think I, perhaps not even consciously, figured out ways to showcase his guitar playing. And over the years, whatever type of music I was listening to sort of seeped into the songs we were playing which is why we kind of float between several related genres, not clear where to draw the line. In my mind, at least, I used to separate ‘Erie Choir songs’ from those of my former band, Sorry About Dresden. But when the possibility of ever playing as Sorry About Dresden again ended with the passing of our bandmate Matt Oberst, that dividing line wasn’t there anymore. 

What themes are you exploring in the new album?

Nostalgia, Coming to terms with your past and who you are now, Loss, Grief. Fun stuff!

Given the focus on nostalgia, do you think this is an album you could have written seventeen years ago?

Funny enough, there are some songs that may be 17 years old, at least in part. And 17 years ago, I probably was dealing with some of the same issues. And I’m pretty sure I was writing songs about nostalgia even in my 20s. I think it’s human nature to be nostalgic, and it’s not all bad. However, it can be deceptive if we sugarcoat the past and the memories we choose to focus on ignore the realities of our younger selves. 

I feel like I’m hearing echoes of Elvis Costello in the lead single, “Summer Bummer.” Is he an influence at all?

Ha, yeah. I’ve got that comparison a fair amount over the years, so no use running from it, and on “Summer Bummer” we put a straight up Steve Nieve-esque organ line down on it.  And I’ve been a pretty big fan forever – probably starting when “Veronica” got played on MTV. Finally got to see him live for the first time last year. 

Who are some other influences on this album?

It’s kind of a grab bag of classic rock, punk, new wave, and indie rock – Neil Young, The Replacements, Elvis Costello (as noted above), Pernice Brothers, Steely Dan, Teenage Fanclub, Joe Jackson, The Rock*A*Teens, Superchunk, lots more I’m sure. 

Do you have any plans to tour in support of Golden Reviser?
We’d like to play some shows out of town – if for no other reason to see some of our friends. Scheduling is always a challenge. 

What’s on the horizon for you?

Well, we’ve got a couple new songs recorded, ready to come out next year. I keep telling myself that the album as a format isn’t really necessary in 2025, so we’ll just release some singles, digitally at least. That way we don’t have decades between releases. At the same time, I can’t help but think in terms of albums. I’ve got a new batch of songs for the band to learn and record, and hope we get to it!