Q&A: Eric Earley of Blitzen Trapper

Eric Earley is now into his 12th year leading Blitzen Trapper. The band spent the first half of its life mired in Portland’s local indie-music ghetto. Struggling with his father’s death and his own indifference, Earley wound up homeless for a while before pouring his energy into late-night recordings in the band’s practice space. Those sessions produced Blitzen Trapper’s critically acclaimed third album, 2007’s Wild Mountain Nation and its Sub Pop debut, Furr, which were recorded concurrently. They were followed with 2010’s Destroyer of the Void and last year’s American Goldwing, which blends a ’70s classic-rock mien with Earley’s rootsy swagger, and lyrics that express longing for another time or place, or just somewhere to call home. The Pitch recently caught up with Earley in Portland, where he was preparing to leave on tour. (The Kansas City stop is Thursday, May 31, at the Riot Room.)