Doomed Confessionary: Erik Sugg (The Magpie)
What about another interview for today?
The Magpie is a heavy rock and roll band from Raleigh, North Carolina, formed by Erik Sugg (ex-Demon Eye, Lightning Born), Brian Walsby (ex-Snake Nation, ex-Double Negative, ex-Polvo) and Mike Deloatch (ex-Crystal Spiders).
The trio dropped their self-titled debut album on September 8th, 2023 via Sugg’s own label Firelight Records.
Can you say a few words about your band?
The Magpie started sometime around late 2021 or early 2022. I had spent the previous decade playing with the band, Demon Eye, which I left in 2019. I needed to make some life changes, so I decided to step away from music for a while. After Covid, like everyone else, I reassessed life and time, and what I could and could not do. My old friend Brian Walsby was interested in jamming, so he and I finally got together to play after talking about it for years.
Brian was at ground zero for the Southern California hardcore scene in the early ‘80s and he’s old friends with the Melvins. Most people know Brian for the album art and T-shirts he’s done for bands throughout the years. He also played drums for a great hardcore band, called Double Negative, and toured for a decade or so with the Melvins. Brian’s drumming style is like Dale Crover meets Bill Stevenson, but he also sounds like someone who was raised on classic rock and roll, which he was.
The general idea for the Magpie was essentially to write short heavy, noisy songs with quirky time signatures. It was obviously Melvins-influenced, (perhaps a little ‘90s Touch & Go, Amphetamine Reptile as well?) We didn’t really want to be a “sludge” band, nor did we want to sound like a standard doom, stoner metal group. I have an odd, high-pitched, vibrato singing style that doesn’t fit with a lot of things, but it was fun trying to blend it with what Brian and I were doing.
Originally, the Magpie was going to be a two-piece project, just Brian and myself. It was one of those situations where it seemed solid enough in theory, but it became obvious that we needed some more low end to round out what we were doing. Mike Deloatch is a very beloved person in our town. He’s one of those awesome people who goes to a lot of shows and puts a lot of positive supportive energy into the local community. He had been playing with the group, The Crystal Spiders, and he was ready to make some more noise. Mike is mainly a guitar player, but he was stoked to join us on bass.
What was the biggest challenge for the band this year?
Definitely releasing music on a newly unearthed, independent record label. We recorded our debut with Mike Dean, who found the time to record us between his schedule with Corrosion of Conformity. Originally, I was interested in shopping the album around to different heavy music labels, but I also had always wanted to start my own label. I took the plunge and created Firelight Records. The Magpie debut is also the debut for the label. It’s a rewarding feeling, but it’s a lot of work when you start something from scratch. Still? The response has been fantastic, so we are very grateful.
What can you be most proud of this year?
The Magpie was supposed to be nothing more than an excuse for Brian and me to hang out on occasion and write some riffs. That all changed once Mike joined us. This past year we wrote some fun music, played some great gigs alongside bands like Freedom Hawk, Conan, EyeHateGod, 1000Mods, Satan’s Satyrs, and Early Moods, and we released a record we’re all very proud of.
What is your biggest regret?
Hard to say since we had such a productive and fun year. I always regret it when I miss seeing great, hardworking bands perform live, particularly since they’re all doing the exact same thing that I’m doing. Life for most people in bands is all about balance. Sometimes I regret things if the balance gets too far tipped into one direction.
What was the best concert/tour this year and why?
Hard to say what our biggest show was attendance-wise, but the Conan, EyeHateGod, and 1000Mods gigs were all packed rooms.
What was the biggest surprise on the music scene for you?
Early Moods! We played them recently and they completely blew me away. Definitely keepers of the Trouble/ Witchfinder General flame.
Where can we see you live next year (concerts/tours)?
In early 2024, we’ll be playing our first out-of-state gigs, heading up to Richmond, VA and Baltimore, MD. We’re also honored to be invited to play the Maryland Doomfest during the Summer of 2024.
What are your plans for the next year as a band? What do you personally want the most?
Obviously, we’d love to increase our reach and sell more records. We operate on an independent level, so it would be amazing to see our record label grow and to meet more likeminded folks.
How can people best support your band?
People can follow The Magpie and Firelight Records on the socials, and you can purchase the Magpie debut in any format via Bandcamp. If you’re broke, you can stream our music on any platform.
Do you have any message for your listeners?
Thanks for supporting independent heavy music!
Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well