NR: How was the "Project Independent" tour?

Erik: It was cool. It was a really good month run. I don't think we had more than one day off. It's been a fun tour.

NR: You guys are an honest band. You tend to say what you feel. With all the pop hits out there in the music industry are you having any problems getting your music out there?

Erik: No, we really don't care. The people that come to us and dig the band and want to do some promotion or do an interview with us or things like that, we let them come to us. We don't go out there looking for them. People don't like an honest band in the big media circle. We don't really give a shit. We are out to go play shows and get our music out to people and have them check it out. We don't really want to have to keep up with what's on top in pop and shit. We are a metal band. Even in our own genre there are like 6 different kinds of metal. There is Scremo, Emo, Hardcore, Metalcore. We don't need any of that stuff man. We just go out and play. We don't need any of that horrible shit.

NR: With MTV and Fuse telling people what to like, do you have any respect for these bands or do you consider them sell outs?

Erik: Hell yeah, man. See they are playing Slayer on Fuse or MTV2 and Hatebreed as well. The bands are unconditionally who they are. We have no problems with them being on there. Especially considering I grew up on some of these bands and even the new ones are great. Fuse is doing a good job. I don't tend to check out MTV2 often. Fuse is playing the most underground of underground. Uranium is getting underground bands a lot of attention. I think that is a great medium. I think it's time for the underground to be heard. I don't think those bands are selling out. We were called sell outs for having a Jagermeister sponsorship. Are people going to call Hatebreed or Slayer sell outs and shit and they are doing the same thing as us. It's all just how you look at it.

NR: For people who haven't seen you live how would you explain your live show?

Erik: It's all about the live show. We like to throw a big arena style rock show with lots of crowd participation in small place. We bring a big crazy rock show. We are not shy. We don't come with nothing. We love to give a show. These people that come out to see us every time we are out on tour sometimes live in small cities and they may only see 4-5 shows a year. We want to make sure they have a good time. We bring out big lights and a loud sound and get them screaming and singing. Also getting a circle pit going and cause some devastation.

NR: What do you think is a better show. Playing to 5 people or playing to a sold out crowd?

Erik: That's a tough question. When we go out to play a show we always have the same approach. Whether there are 5 people and a bartender there or a sold out show to 5000 kids we always give them 110%. We give them the big rock show they came out to see. Make sure the kids are having a good time. Also making sure to thank everyone. That philosophy has carried us through the 10 times we toured across the U.S. We have made more friends and more fans just playing to 10 people. The next time we come back those 10 fans bring 100-200 kids with them the next time. Word of mouth is huge. Never short change anyone. That's just the way we have always operated. At the beginning we knew we were going to play to no one. That carried us a long way.

NR: You guys have toured a lot. Has there every been a band that you will not tour with again?

Erik: Won't go on the road with? I see where you are going with this.. You're trying to get us to call fuckers out and tell you who the pussies are.
NR: No you don't have to name the bands. Just have you had this experience before? Anyone that was just rude.
Erik: I don't really know the guys. At one point we played a big Jager show with Saliva and (hed) pe. And (hed) pe are a great bunch of guys. They were cool as hell. There were some big rock stars at the same level as Saliva that just don't care about the little guys. We played at 6pm and there was a sell out crowd that came early to see us and then (hed) pe which are underground favorites. Everyone was pitting and having a great time. Then when Saliva hit the stage there was only like 200-300 people left. It was suppose to be like 4000 people. It was cool to see people really proclaim who they came to see that night. As far as touring bands. Anyone we have gone on the road with is cool. When we go on tour we don't open for people. So normally we bring out bands to get them exposure. By the end of the tour they are normally like brothers to us. We keep it cool like that. Bands are the only thing that help out the bands when you are really out on the road. The bookers the promoters and people like that don't really care about you. The bottom line is the bottom dollar and that's what they really care about. We brought Grain out on the "Project Independent" tour for a month. It got them out of Texas for the longest time they have been out on the road. It was a lot of fun. Instead of 4-5 guys out on the road having fun we had our brothers out with us too!

NR: Under the right circumstances would you guys sign to a big label like Warner Brother's or Epic?

Erik: Now your talking. The only real benefit to signing with the big labels right now is exposure. They are going to be able to get your music out on the mass level. When you sign that deal with the devil with someone like Warner Brother's or Epic they have a stake in what you do and what you sound like so they can make you marketable. Right now that is not where we are at. At the beginning we did some label stuff and that burned us right from the get go. People want to spend money on you and get to out to places that didn't need to get us any ways. They didn't get what we were doing in the first place. We just want to do our own thing. We want to make our own industry. We don't want to ride someone else's coat tails. Here we are going to give you this and this and then we are going to take all of your money. We can go out and make the same amount of money with smaller numbers and do it ourselves. We earn fans one by one and we get to keep control of our music, our video's, our tours. Nobody is telling us how we have to be, sound or look. If you leave it up to labels they will have I.R.A.T.E. in sparkly fangs, makeup and gothic guitars. We aren't into that. We are who we are. We are not going to fuck around with no one. We are going to go out and lay down the law. We like to play what we like to play and we like to make our records the way we want. I don't fore see us taking that route. We like making them ourselves. If we put it in someone else's hand we have to compromise and that isn't always good. I think we are going to keep away from it. Of course everyone wants to be able to survive with this pay their rent. But I would rather be able to pay half my rent and go out on the road doing what I want to do then sell out, which is the real meaning of selling out. I don't want to have to take orders from someone else. That's just not what we are doing right now. That's why "Project Independent" is such a great opportunity. Not just for us but for us being able to bring out bands and get them attention. I don't know about big paychecks. I think being poor is what makes us who we are. It keeps it real. I think I would like to make our own label and we able to let bands get exposure but do what they want to do. I just want us to keep control of our band. I don't want to hand it over to people that are going to tell us who to be and what to sound like. It's not where we are at. We would rather be touring across the country in a van. I think what we are doing is what will work for us.

NR: There has been some legal issue's with the name I.R.A.T.E. Do you guys plan on keeping your name no matter what?

Erik: As of right now we are I.R.A.T.E. by the U.S. Government. The only other hiccup we have is there is a band in New York. We won't lower ourselves to them and talk crap and such. We made our name the way it is. We took all the right steps to secure our name. So that way bands can not book tours under our name and fans come out thinking it's us and then they are calling us wondering where we are at. We had to go in and intervene to keep that from happening. We went and trademarked the name. We keep it legit and no one can take our name from us now. And if they want to try, hey we are some bad ass motherfuckers when it comes to supporting our shit. We don't mind having to throw down if it comes to that.

NR: You guys support a lot of underground artists. Is there any bands you can recommend for fans to check out.

Erik: Hell Yea. You want a whole list of bands that are working their asses off in the underground and getting little to no recognition. Grain is the first name on the list. They are going to put their record out later this year. They will be on the next "Project Independent" tour. Then there is 2 Headed Chang from the Seattle area that throws down. They are an awesome band that no one ever see's or knows. Every time one of these bands gets out and starts hooking up with other bands we have to do everything to get our names out. Every bit of press helps. Everyone is shopping each other. The bands are the only thing we have left. When it comes to labels it's run by the suits. On the underground the bands run it. There are kick ass bands all over the place. We packaged our new album as a two disc set. On the second disc, which we ate the cost on, we put like 20 bands on it. Since we got a leg up and some distribution from having some success from before. Anything that we can utilize to get their names out. The title of the album is "Brother's of the same Struggle." Just for the fact that it is all the bands working together. We all want to get our music out and get our message out to the same people. We can make it our own industry and not have to worry about MTV and radio and such. We do our own stuff. The kids in the end really realize that this is cool. So I'm glad that we can get out 20 other bands with our own CD to kids.

NR: Where is the best place to get "Brother's of the same Struggle?"

Erik: The best place to pick it up is Tower Records. They are really supporting the underground. They pick up bands without distribution without really taking the bands money. They dig a band being able to give them a record for 10 times cheaper than the labels do and they can still get the same mark up. They can still keep the record store business alive with all this shit going on online. They get a good product to sell and the kids can pick it up and they don't have to pay $20 for a CD. If you figure we sell it to Tower for $8.50. And when the consumer goes in and picks it up for $12.99 it's still cheaper than new albums especially considering it's a 2 disc set. So as far as the consumer or the fans are concerned it's cheaper for them to pick it up from the I.R.A.T.E. web site. They will pay $8.50 and shipping is free. It's the most cost effective place for our fans to buy it. But again Tower Records is very supportive of this whole "Project Independent" thing. If there is a Tower Records in your town please go out and support them.

NR: What influences came to make I.R.A.T.E?

Erik: We all come from different backgrounds but we are mostly old metal fans. We like everything from Slayer, Metallica and newer mainstream acts like Mudvayne and Korn. I could tell you that my influences are the Ramone's but it's not like you can probably hear that. Bands that stay true to what they've always done. Slayer don't change for anyone. Slayer is Slayer when it comes to hitting the stage or making an album. That's probably the biggest influence right there. Not ones that have to write pop songs next year because they got a major label deal. Those are the guys being told what to play. Since we got rid of our label we got heavier.

NR: What can fans expect from you this upcoming year?

Erik: We are going to head off across the country again for another wholes month in late August and September. We are going to re-establish ourselves and hit some new markets as well. Hopefully we will get some over-sea's action by the end of this year or early next year. Get the record out and get some more distribution. And just build it slowly and on our own. Just keep working "Project Independent." Get some more bands and be able to get more bands noticed. Just do things on our own. We can give musician's the option to do it on their own instead of having to take it out the ass from somebody else that's funding it.