Check out R&B Rhythms exclusive interview with Erik Alcock. We talk about his work with Eminem and Aftermath and much more.
Q.) How did you get your start in music?
Bit funny. I’d made a demo that I managed to get into the hands of EMI Music Pub Canada. That got me in the room with the President Michael McCarty to play him a few songs on guitar. Whilst playing I cut my arm and bled all over his office. Years later he told me that he didn’t even like my songs that much but signed me because he figured if I was willing to bleed all over his office and not stop playing then I must want it pretty bad.
Q.) Who are your inspirations as far as writing songs and performing them?
Growing up I was a Beatles fanatic. John Lennon is still a huge hero of mine. David Bowie, Stevie Wonder. Honest songwriting has always gotten to me. In terms of more current influences, I love Tame Impala, Pond, Portugal the Man and Gabriel Garzon-Montano… Really anything that’s weird and musical.
Q.) So, you are a part of The New Royales. How did the group come together?
Chin Injeti was the catalyst for the group coming together. He knew everyone and got us all in a room to work on a song for one of his records. We all clicked and decided to keep at it.
Q.) You and Liz both worked with Aftermath a lot with artists such as Bishop Lamont and Eminem. How did the track City Lights by Bishop Lamont come to happen?
The topline was written in Vancouver actually. I was there at Chin’s place when Khalil sent the track and asked if we heard anything on it. Wrote it in about 10 minutes.
Q.) Did you ever have the chance to participate in the making of Dr. Dre’s “Detox” album?
Sort of? DJ Khalil has worked quite a lot on it I think, and I’ve had the opportunity to add some ideas to things here and there that he’s been working on over the years, but I wouldn’t say I was in any way an integral part of the process.
Q.) Have you worked with any artist in the Aftermath family on a song that hasn’t came out yet?
Hasn’t came out yet or hasn’t came out lol? Where to start…
Q.) You recently had an addition to your writing credits as a co-writer for Eminem’s “Castle” off Revival. Can you tell me how that came to be?
That was quite an old one actually. The initial idea had been kicking around for years but I guess it worked in the context of this album. It’s always such an honour to work with an artist of Eminem’s caliber.
Q.) When can we expect some new The New Royales material?
These days we’ve all been working on a lot of different projects together and separately so I’m really not sure. The New Royales is a band and also a production team so there’s no telling.
Q.) You’re working on a solo project under the moniker Altar Eagles. Can you tell us more about that?
Altar Eagles is one of the things I’m most excited about right now. It’s started as a psych studio project and has developed into a band. I want to make it a rock psych band that uses 808’s and drum programming. At the moment I’m working on a new record that’s going to blow the old one out of the water. Pretty excited about it.
Q.) What projects may we see you on in the future?
Well superstition dictates I not answer that haha, but fingers crossed a few big things are in the works!
Q.) Would you like to give a shout out to anyone and let the fans know all your social media addresses so they can hear your music for themselves?
Sure. Shout out to my manager Greg Johnson and our creative team Grand Cru Entertainment! You can find out more about Altar Eagles at altareagles.com or by looking us up on social media.