On February 5th of this year, vocalist/bassist/guitarist Erik Corveaux, front man and songwriter for New Orleans rock ‘n’ roll outfit the Bad Off, got, in his words, “creamed” by a car while riding his bike to a Carnival parade. The accident, which resulted in massive injuries, put Corveaux out of commission for nearly three months.

“I was out of the loop of employment. Out of the loop of playing, everything,” says Corveaux over the phone from his Gentilly home. “[Playing] has since arisen again, and having the support system of the guys in the band has been the best medicine I could ever have.”

The Bad Off, at least in nascent form, came together in August of 2003. Corveaux, who had been around the New Orleans scene since 1997 playing with Orange Eye as well as backing New York Dolls guitarist Sylvain Sylvain on tour, started playing with drummer Jody Smith. “[Guitarist] Johnny Foran [formerly of Orange Eye] was also playing with us. I met Dan Lauricella (bass/cello) at the Tennessee Williams Festival. He’s a huge literary junky,” says Corveaux.

After Foran left town to move to Las Vegas for personal reasons, the three continued to play, moving Bad Off HQ to CRS studios in Mid-City, where they started playing with guitarist Brian Berthiaume. “He was one of the first cats I met when I moved here. Didn’t know a lick; didn’t know nobody. I had really no idea of whether I was coming or going,” says Corveaux.

But all things back come around. After eight years, leaving New Orleans once, going through several bands and suffering a near-fatal injury, Corveaux is hopeful as the Bad Off releases their first EP, Twilight in Eclipse—a mix of heavy, yet nuanced guitar rock and theatrical song structure occupying the strange space between rock minimalism and rock overindulgence—amidst a growing buzz and a flurry of press coverage. Twilight, which is more eloquently and thoroughly reviewed in these pages, was a long time in the making for Corveaux, who actually gave Lauricella an early rough cut of the songs upon their first meeting. “The only thing salvaged from the original tracking session was the drums. It took a while for us to figure out where the song was actually going. As a result, quite a bit of time had elapsed,” says Corveaux.

The evolution of Twilight seems to have suited the Bad Off just fine, allowing the line-up to solidify, their sound to gel and mature and their live shows to, frankly, rock. “Those songs had a thread to them that was tucked underneath all this other fabric,” says Corveaux. “With the current lineup of the band, those guys aren’t just playing those parts, they’re becoming parts, even though they didn’t write them. That’s the best thing for music, in terms of popping on a record and going, ‘Damn that sounds good. I wonder what they are like live?’”

Good question. In fact, without a record to pimp, the Bad Off began making a name for themselves based solely on their performances. New Orleans first took note last Halloween, when the Bad Off deftly disguised themselves as Led Zeppelin at the Mermaid’s Masked Ball—a feat they repeated at the Circle Bar on June 10. The choice was an apt one, as Zeppelin too managed to simultaneously be stripped down, dirty rock ‘n’ roll and indulge in over the top flourishes. Zeppelin also knew how to entertain. Aside from actually having a great voice, Corveaux is a natural front man, with an energy and commanding stage presence sorely lacking in many New Orleans bands. He’s making music, but also putting on a show, which may be one reason he gave up guitar duties earlier this year. “I think that has given Brian [Berthiaume] full court,” says Corveaux. “He’s totally high on the hog. He’s got all that weight on that guitar. Each one of us is doing one craft, and that has made a huge impact on the deliverance of the songs. Our material has changed as well. I have a very angular approach to the guitar. Without that, now it’s like a very steady two by four, whereas before it might have been shims.”

Back in the game and not content to rest on his laurels after the release of Twilight, Corveaux is looking ahead to the future. “We’re going to get back in the studio. We’re working a lot on our live show, but we want to get back to crafting songs. We’re going to get into Voodoo Fest, mark my word, because I’m pressing them. We’re going to get on that bill,” says Corveaux. “But after all that, the biggest return of all has been coming out with this record. It’s a great snapshot of the songs, in their current state with this lineup.”

The Bad Off Perform two shows in July, on July 2 at One Eyed Jacks opening for Atomic Bitch Wax (ex-Monster Magnet) and on July 26 with Bad Wizard and Fu Manchu at the HOB Parish.

VOODOOFEST
The official Voodoo Music Experience schedule is, in fact, due out a couple ofdays after press time. Our inside sources have given us a sneak peek at the illustrious lineup, which includes Nine Inch Nails, the Flaming Lips, Cake, Queens Of The Stone Age, Billy Idol, Ryan Adams, My Chemical Romance, the New York Dolls, Handsome Boy Modeling School, Louis XIV, the Decemberists, VHS Or BETA, Death From Above 1979, World Leader Pretend, Prince Paul, Ghost, Ballzack, as well as a slew of New Orleans artists from coverboy Ivan Neville to Dr. John. No word yet on the Bad Off being booked, but we’re keeping our fingers crossed guys.