Bands use unique sounds in their music all the time, but not many songs feature a crying baby.
But Eros and the Eschaton, the duo comprised of on-and-off-stage couple Kate Perdoni and Adam Hawkins, do just this. The power of music brought them together in Omaha, Neb., in 2010 while they were playing in different bands. They casually began playing together and quickly fell in love. A year later they had their son, Lio, and started writing their own music together. The first song they wrote, which is also the first on their newly released album “Home Address for the Civil War,” was “20 Different Days,” and it starts off with a three second audio clip of their son crying.
“While we were recording he was wailing about something and we just decided to keep it in,” Perdoni said.
The song was recorded in a building owned by Hawkins parents’ which used to be a church. The unique acoustics in the space let the sounds of their playing reverberate which is an important element in many of their later songs.
The name of the band, Eros and the Eschaton, comes from a lecture given by the American psychonaut Terence McKenna. In Perdoni’s words, the talk was about how adults can find and keep hope in a world where so many bad things happen. McKenna, and especially this talk, was a major inspiration for the band, and the reason the sixth song on its album is called “Terence McKenna.” Perdoni and Hawkins are self-described spiritual people and many of their songs focus on the inner-self.
During the early months of the band’s existence, the three lived near Greensboro, N.C., where most of Perdoni and Hawkins’ time was spent writing music. Now, for a little over a year, they have been on the road. This time around, the touring has been a little different than it was in the past and that is mainly due to Lio.
“We used to just be able to sleep in the back of the van, or under the stars, but now we need to make sure we find a place that’s safe for Lio,” Hawkins said.
Since becoming parents, Lio has become the duo’s main priority. Also, despite what it may seem, touring is not all fun and games.
“There’s a daily grind to it,” Hawkins said. “We’ve gotten to the point where we are dirty and tired.”
But at the end of the day, the two say they love it. Perdoni and Hawkins love hearing new music, meeting new people and collaborating with them.
On Sept. 12, the band played a show at the PhilaMOCA, or the Philadelphia Mausoleum of Contemporary Art, on 12th Street. While they did a soundcheck, their son ran and danced around the room, clearly enjoying himself.
“Usually he doesn’t come to our shows — we have someone take him to a house or hotel, but we’re leaving for New York tonight so we brought him,” Perdoni said.
A family friend watched Lio during the show, which allowed for Perdoni and Hawkins along with their bandmates to take the stage. While they played, a screen was draped behind them where images were projected. The images were constantly changing and featured bright neon colors, paint splashes and hypnotic spirals which created a psychedelic atmosphere as they played. Despite a few technical difficulties the band stayed upbeat and positive during the show, really showcasing their love for the music.
Eros and the Eschaton are signed with Bar/None records and their debut album came out on Aug. 13 of this year. As with most music in the dream-pop genre, their songs are mellow with a strong psychedelic feel, but there is also a prominent indie rock sound. The band’s inspirations are eclectic too, including My Bloody Valentine, Yo La Tengo and Neil Young.
As for the future, the band will continue to tour for another two months before finally stopping in November. They then plan to settle down and begin working on their next album.
“We’ve been culminating all these ideas – now we just need to map them out,” Perdoni said.
Jamie Schoshinski can be reached at jamie.schoshinski@temple.edu.
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