The Skull's Eric Wagner Looks To 'Trouble-d' Past To Forge Future

By Casey Moffitt in Arts & Entertainment on Dec 17, 2014 4:40PM

The Skull was formed in the wake of singer Eric Wagner's departure from Chicago doom metal pioneers Trouble. He scooped up fellow Trouble alumni Jeff Olson to play drums and Ron Holzner on bass. They found a pair of guitar players and started playing shows mining songs from Trouble's 1984 self-titled debut (later referred to as Psalm 9) and the 1985 follow-up, The Skull.

The Skull released its own album of original material, For Those Which Are Asleep, last month and have embarked on the first tour supporting the new album which stops at Reggie's Rock Club Friday night. We caught up with Wagner last week to talk about the new album and forging ahead with a new identity for the band.

"At first we just wanted to play that old stuff," Wagner explained. "Trouble wasn't doing it, so we figured we'd do these songs, play out here and there, and it was awesome. People were digging it. Then they started asking us if we were going to make a record."

"To me, the best part of being in a band is making new music," he continued. "We had this original band for a little while and it just seemed like a natural progression. We found out that we really liked playing with each other... Wait, that didn't come out right. We found out we liked jamming together, so we decided, 'Let's make a record.'"

The result is a heavy, guitar driven rocker of an album that will remind people of classic Trouble albums—heavy riffs, mid-tempo tunes with hints of psychedelia.

"I know it sounds kind of cliche, but doing those old songs kind of brought us back to our roots," Wagner said. "It reminded us that this is cool and it's pretty heavy shit. So we wanted to take that and move it into the present."

"I kind of feel like we're in a transition right now," he continued. "We want to become The Skull. We want to able to do the Trouble songs because we want to do them and not because we have to. We're always going to be compared to Trouble. It's a part of who we are and I'm proud it. But, I'd really like to move to become The Skull."

Part of that transition was to alter the creative process. Wagner said each member of the band contributed to the writing process, which made for a comfortable recording session.

"With Trouble, (guitarist) Bruce (Franklin) wrote all the music and I wrote all the lyrics," Wagner said. "For this album I really wanted everyone to be involved in writing it and not have those guys just as hired guns. I didn't want them to think, 'Oh, I'm just the bass player,' or 'Oh, I'm just the drummer.'"

"I think that proves something." he said. "It proves that you need everyone. It took all five of us. We're the ones that made that sound together. Not just one person."

However, Wagner said his personal approach to writing lyrics didn't change for this album.

"I always leave at least a little bit up in the air when we go into the studio," he said of writing lyrics. "There's just something that happens when you have the candles going and you're all coffeed up - actually I drink green tea when I'm in the studio - and have a couple of joints. Things just come to me."

"Things always change in the studio," he continued. "Especially for me and writing lyrics. It's like, 'This worked in my head, but not now!' So sometimes you just have to go with the flow and try to be very open-minded. I'm not the kind of guy who says, 'I'm going to sit down and write a song about sex, drugs and rock'n'roll.' I wind up with a blank piece of paper for a good two weeks."

It also helped the recording process that guitarists Lothar Keller and Matt Goldsboro have fit into the fold almost seamlessly.

"Awesome. Those guys are awesome," Wagner said. "We had another guitarist when we started. He was good and he was friend of Lothar's, but he just couldn't make the commitment when we decided to be a real band and not just weekend warriors."

"I don't even remember how we got Matt, exactly," he said. "He just came out of the blue. I guess he knew Ron and somehow got in touch with him. At that point we just had a single come out, and we were going to crash this festival. We told him to learn these three songs, and he came out and played with us at Reggie's and that was basically his audition. He came in at the end of the writing process and I'm excited to hear what he brings for the next record."

During The Skull's recording sessions at Gunpoint Studios in Chicago, Trouble released its latest effort, The Distortion Field, with its new lineup. It was an odd coincidence, but Wagner said the guys in The Skull didn't allow it to distract them.

"We went in to make a great record and not worry about what anyone else was doing," he said. "When you start to worry about what others are doing, it just takes away from what you're trying to do. It really was the fans that wanted to make this a competition."

Wagner said The Skull is itching to play the new songs at the Reggie's gig Friday night, but fans can expect to hear some classic Trouble songs as well.

"This is the 30th anniversary of Psalm 9," he said. "We played that album in its entirety a few times this year, and people can expect a tribute to it at the show."

Wagner said it's been a busy year for The Skull, but once the tour wraps up and the calendar flips, the band will get back to work. Next year is the 30th anniversary of Trouble's The Skull, and Wagner said there might be a few shows where the band plays that whole album. And there is work to do writing new songs.

"I know some of the guys have got some new riffs flying around already," he said. "I get bored easily, so I always need something new to do."

The Skull plays Friday, Dec. 19, at Reggie's Rock Club, 2109 South State St, 7:30 p.m., $10-$15, 17+