It’s Tuesday, April 6, 2021. In a ravaged country that has reached levels of bizarre at best and dystopia at worst, Eric Jayk and his band WIldstreet are getting ready to singlehandedly bring live rock n’ roll back to the masses. These hard rocking, hard partying dudes have been locked up like the rest of us for a year. Their separation from the road has only fueled their appetite for loud guitars and louder fans. We had the chance to sit down with Jayk to discuss this upcoming tour, upcoming album, and the history of Wildstreet. As you’ll soon learn, there’s more than meets the eye.
Greetings Eric and welcome to Defenders of the Faith! How are you doing today?
Eric Jayk: I’m good. Just chilling. I’m trying to get everything together for the tour. It always feels so crazy that you’re gonna leave town. But then you realize that you really don’t have anything except for the stuff that you bring *laughs*. So it’s not so crazy. But yeah, I’m just getting ready, trying to finish up some projects and then get on the road.
The tour you’re about to embark on, The Kings of the World Tour, is one of the first national tours booked in over a year. How does it feel to be leading the charge in bringing back live rock n’ roll?
EJ: Well if there’s any band to do it, it’s Wildstreet *laughs*. But seriously, last year we toured once. The tour ended in February and then the world shut down. We had a world tour booked. Basically, if you skip about a year, we’re just continuing with our tour.
So you’re picking up where you left off. Were these dates planned for last year or are they all new?
EJ: Some of them were for last year. We did have a lot of the same places booked around this time in April last year, but it’s not the exact same tour. There are some differences. We had a full Midwest tour booked for July. At the very last minute, about 2 days before, we cancelled it. We were actually in Billboard magazine for this whole “Should we go on and play concerts or should we not?” article. So that was pretty cool. Anyways, I can’t wait to play. It’s one of the reasons why we all do this. Playing music with other people is something beyond compare. The energy of live shows and the energy of rock music is like nothing else.
I know you’re a multi-instrumentalist, playing a little bit of everything. Growing up, which instrument did you gravitate towards first?
EJ: I started playing guitar when I was about 8 years old. My town got MTV and I was this little kid like, “Woah! Oh my God! Look at these dudes!” It was Aerosmith and Guns N’ Roses. I was looking at Steven Tyler and Joe Perry and I wanted to be both of those people. So I picked up the guitar when I was 8 and started playing professionally at 11. Now “professional” for an 11 year old was playing bar mitzvahs and weddings in my town. I ended up going to college for guitar too. I started singing a little bit later. Once you start, you can’t stop *laughs*.
Who were the singers that inspired you to go in that direction?
EJ: Definitely Axl Rose and Steven Tyler and Rod Stewart. Right now, I listen to everything. I also manage Wildstreet’s playlists on Spotify, so I hear new music all the time. I love a lot of different kinds of music, but the stuff that made me want to start singing was definitely those 80s singers.
Could you give us some background on how Wildstreet formed?
EJ: I was in this band in New York. I guess it was the early to mid 2000s, around 2005. I put an ad on Craigslist because the guitarist in that band quit. Jimmie Marlow, my co-writer in the band since the beginning, answered that ad. As we were hanging out, we realized we were going in a different direction. We broke up that band and just started writing. We would party all the time and write all night. It would eventually become Wildstreet 1. We found the rest of our band at that time. We finished recording the record in 2008. We got signed to this small indie label, went on tour for 10 and a half weeks all over the US, and played our first time at Rocklahoma. The band took a break in 2013 for about 3 years. In 2016, Jimmie and I decided we wanted to do Wildstreet again. So we put this version of the band together which is, in my opinion, by far, the best Wildstreet that has walked the earth *laughs*. Our drummer right now is Lachlan Driver and our lead guitar player is Dominick Martes. Those guys are on Wildstreet 3, our new record that’s coming out on Golden Robot Records on June 25.
So we’ve officially got a date!
EJ: Yes and the date happens to be my birthday *laughs*! It wasn’t planned that way. It just happened. Two days after that, we’re gonna be in Switzerland on the Swiss Rock Cruise. It’s gonna be amazing. We’re co-headlining with Thundermother. There’s a ton of really great bands playing. So if anybody wants to come, that’s where the party’s at!
What separates this current incarnation of Wildstreet from previous incarnations?
EJ: The number one thing is we have fun. There’s no fighting. There’s no BS. Everybody respects everybody else and we all play great together. When somebody’s having fun, it makes you play that much better. It makes you inspired to be better. In the past there was so much stress. Who wants that? You just wanna rock n’ roll.
Your self titled debut was widely praised for sounding more like Def Leppard than anything Def Leppard had released in some time. Have you ever crossed paths with any of the members of Leppard?
EJ: No, I haven’t. I would love to hang out with them. I’ve got total respect for them. I’ll meet them eventually.
Over the years, you’ve played several high profile shows and festivals. Are there any shows in particular that stand out as personal favorites?
EJ: There’s a bunch. One of the coolest shows, as far as playing for a lot of people and having it be crazy and insane and fun, was when we opened for Black Veil Brides at the PlayStation Theater. That was pretty cool. Also, when we won the Rockstar Energy Drink contest and played the Uproar Festival with Avenged Sevenfold and a bunch of other bands in New Jersey. That was totally insane. Our first time at Rocklahoma and Rocklahoma 2013, all those shows were pretty huge too. With this current lineup, I’d say the Glam and Sleaze Fest in Germany was the most awesome show.
When was that?
EJ: That was 2019. We did a mid Europe tour with this band from South Africa, LA Cobra, and a band from Sweden, Strÿkenine. LA Cobra is also signed to Golden Robot. We had never met and we went on this European tour together and became really good friends. We played this festival. It was at this big party house in Germany. Crashdïet was the main headliner and we co-headlined. It was crowded and filled with kids. It was just a really great show.
When it comes to songwriting, do you constantly have ideas flowing in your mind, or do you set aside designated time to write music?
EJ: Well you’re talking to the strictest person ever in that regard *laughs*. I get pretty angry with myself if I don’t write something everyday. Even if it’s just a vocal idea or a quick recording, it’s like, the time is now. I gotta do this. Why? Because I love it and it’s what I do. It’s my job. I go through periods when I can’t write anything and I get so down on music that I don’t know what to do. As far as recording as a band, that’s a little more complicated. There’s tons of demos of songs, but recording in a studio…you have to be ready and you have to have a concept in mind and an album together.
What is the direction we can expect on Wildstreet 3?
EJ: Wildstreet 3 has been done for over a year, maybe a year and a half. It’s definitely an album, not single by single, but we released it as such because of the state of the world and we’re trying to get enough momentum to launch the record. Our next single comes out on May 17. It’s called “Mother” and our fans have not heard Wildstreet like this. I think we’ll get a lot of new fans and also change the way people think about us. As I said earlier, the album comes out on June 25. You can preorder the vinyl and CD, and pre-save on digital on Spotify, Apple Music, etc. on May 17. Definitely get a copy. We’ve never had vinyl before!
Wildstreet came out at a time when glam metal was making a serious resurgence. While most of those revival bands have since disbanded, you’re still going strong 15 years later. What do you attribute to Wildstreet’s longevity?
EJ: To be honest, I don’t really know. I think we’re just lucky. The hooks are universal. They’re not necessarily glam minded. The aura of Wildstreet may be glam rock, but if you actually listen to us and put on your favorite 80s album, we don’t really sound like that *laughs*. We give 110% onstage. We’re good to our fans and our music is a sign of it. I think that’s why we’re still around. And because we’re having fun.
What are some of the biggest lessons you’ve learned, whether it be musically or personally, from Wildstreet?
EJ: Uhhhh…easy does it baby and you can’t stop the rock *laughs*! I could keep going. Oh yeah, and the more you have fun, the better things go.
Now our publication is based in Chicago and I know you’re gonna be playing the area very soon. Could you give the fans some details on that upcoming show?
EJ: Yeah totally! We’re playing at the WC Social Club on Sunday, April 11. That’s in West Chicago. I’m not sure how that works out or where that is. I’m assuming it’s west *laughs*. There’s a few bands on the bill and it’s gonna be a great night. All you fans in the Chicago area should come out and rock with Wildstreet because it’s gonna be the best night of your life.
For more information on Wildstreet, visit www.wildstreetmusic.com.