We recently interviewed both Jesse Cash and JT Cavey of Erra about their new record, but tefore finishing up the interview, we delved into their dream tour and setlist discussing which bands they'd want to tour with, which song from each album they'd include in a setlist, and where they want to tour. Check out all their answers below.
Which band is someone you haven’t yet toured with that you’d really like to?
JT Cavey: Architects and Parkway Drive. I don’t know if Animals as Leaders’ fanbase would like us, but we definitely like them.
Jesse Cash: There’s some bands that we really enjoy that it’s hard to gauge if we’re a proper fit. And that’s a valid concern. Yeah, it would be cool to tour with a band like Animals as Leaders, but I don’t know if we’re the best fit for that band. Or like I love Deftones and I don’t know if we’d fit for them either. But then again I felt the same way about Between the Buried and Me, but they do have a lot of elements that blend with our sound. In the metal realm, we’ve toured with a lot of bands we’d want to except Periphery.
JT: I’m very surprised that hasn’t happened already.
And on the contrary, who’s a band you’ve already toured with that you’d like to again?
JT: Northlane and August Burns Red. I always have a good time with Silent Planet. I love how passionate their fanbase is, so I kinda want to steal some of their fans. They’re just super nice people and I love those dudes.
Jesse: I definitely want to do a proper tour with Between the Buried and Me again. We love touring with the Northlane dudes and our fans are the exact same people. You wouldn’t expect it because our bands sound really different, but I feel like us and The Plot in You have a lot of the same fans.
If you were trying to create a retrospective setlist by choosing one song from each Erra, which one would you pick?
Erra EP
Jesse: I know there’s still a cult following for the first two EPs and I think that’s great, but my issue with those EPs and metal like that in general is that there’s too many ideas put on paper and not organized. I’m thinking of a room with five really nice things to look at and another room with thirty things and you overlook some aspects because there’s so many things to look at. Recently, I listened to our past material with a clear head to get perspective on what would be nice to return to. And the only past record that I still listen to and understand why people miss aspects of this and I’d like to implement aspects of this in future music is Augment. I don’t even feel that way about Impulse. For me, Impulse sounds like a record written by me at 19. It’s still good stuff and I love certain songs, don’t get me wrong. Off the self-titled EP, I think “Dissention” best represents how I write songs now. It’s a lot more organized than others. But with that being said, I’d probably have to choose “Separate and Coalesce” as my final answer.
Andromeda
Jesse: I would say “Isolation Blue,” which I co-wrote a few sections on guitar including a solo at the end, but that song is primarily written by our old guitar player, Alan Rigdon. He wrote like 80% of that song on guitar.
JT: I do like “Of Rare Reform.”
Impulse
Jesse: I would say “Render the Void.”
JT: Even though we’ve done “White Noise” and “Seven” a lot live, I think I really like “Pattern Interrupt” as my favorite.
Augment
Jesse: My favorite songs on Augment when I listen back it would be either “Ultraviolet” or “Dementia.”
JT: It’s always going to be “Rebirth” for me. Something about that song live is so good. It’s long and has great energy. It’s kinda similar to “The Hypnotist” in length and vibe.
Moments of Clarity
Jesse: Maybe “Warrior.”
JT: I really love “Dreamcatcher.”
Drift
Jesse: Here’s a curveball for you. I’d choose “Safehaven.” We haven’t done it live and I think it’s our most underrated song.
JT: This one’s really hard. I think “Sleeper” is so underrated. I don’t know if we’ll ever play it live, but I love that song. It’s a really interesting Erra track.
Neon
Jesse: “Ultimata” is my favorite. That’s probably a headliner song.
JT: I think “Signal Fire” will eventually make it to the set. Something about that song, I just adore. I think that chorus is one of my favorites off my record. That’s a really rock-y song too. The intro riff sounds straight off a Tool record. It’s probably going to be really fun to play live.
What countries would you still like to tour?
JT: Malaysia and maybe Korea one day. Texas in July did a farewell show in Tel Aviv, Israel. I’d love for Erra to come there too. That was a great experience. Their fanbase for metal over there is very polite. And for some reason, out of all the European countries that I’ve been to, their English is phenomenal. Not even a hint of an accent and they speak better English than I do.
Jesse: As far as playing shows, it’s hard to say because it’s hard to gauge how you’re going to do until you get there. So far, it’s been very pleasantly surprising. A country that I want to go to just visit and experience would be Thailand. I love thai food and my girlfriend’s brother passed away last year, but he traveled a lot and that was his favorite place. Something about Thailand, I feel like I’m being pulled there.
