By Anna Marden, News Correspondent

More than two years ago, in a tiny room full of old sheet music in Ryder Hall, two Northeastern musicians ‘- a drummer and a guitarist ‘- started jamming.
Passing by, Zivi Krieger heard the noise from the hall and thought there was an organ in the room with them. He knocked on the door and was surprised to meet only two musicians, Ben Gram and Ben Hoffman. Krieger saw that Gram had been using a chorus-pedal with his guitar, mimicking an organ’s sounds. A week later, Krieger brought his bass, and joined the other two in their practice spot, which they called ‘The Library.’
‘The Library’ became home-base for the group of music industry majors ‘- Krieger a middler, Gram a junior, and Hoffman a senior ‘- as they developed their sonic sea legs. It’s also where they created the content for their debut album.’
Today, Krieger, Hoffman and Gram comprise the instrumental post-rock band Eroica, and sometime before the end of February, Eroica hopes to release their newest record, a two-song, limited edition EP ‘- a concept album about the rise, fall and disappearance of the dinosaurs. They recorded the record live last semester.’ ‘ ‘
Eroica means ‘heroic’ in Latin; it’s also the name of Beethoven’s third symphony which was originally written for Napoleon. Eroica was the right name for the outfit, Gram said, because it is a reminder for them to keep creating triumphant, epic instrumentals, like Beethoven’s Eroica.’
Self-sufficiency is a key part of Eroica’s existence, Gram said. They are unsigned; they write all their own music. They recorded, produced and mix-mastered their first album, Hisen the Architect, on their own at Side Two Studios in South Boston. Hoffman takes the lead in booking all the bands shows ‘- Eroica has played most local venues, and toured the East Coast last summer, Gram said.
On stage, the band’s autonomous tendencies are stronger than ever. Using foot controls meant for Christmas tree lights, Krieger runs the band’s lighting while he plays bass.’
Gram said most bands that run their own lights pre-set patterns using a click track. But because Eroica often improvises onstage, controlling the lights as they play is necessary.’ ‘
The band has created a theme of symbolism and subtext ingrained in their music. The absence of lyrics has allowed them to explore new ways of conveying messages, Gram said.’
The band’s entire debut record, Hisen the Architect, is rife with this subtext and symbolism:’ For starters, it’s book-themed, inspired by their practice time in ‘The Library.” ‘
Photos for the cover were taken at the Boston Public Library by Kelsey Tucker, a junior music industry major. A cropped image of a book shelf on the front forms the letter ‘E.’ Sound recordings of page turns are audible throughout the album, as well as the sound of a book closing at the end.
‘We consider [Hisen the Architect] a project and documentation,’ Krieger said. ‘It is the framework for someone to tell their own story. We’ve set it up, we’ve included the binding, the pages and the soundtrack. All that the listener has to do is create the words.’
Gram further gave meaning to the concepts of instrumental music. ‘Without specific lyrics to tie the song to a certain subject, the piece could then be about anything and the music can then be whatever you want it to be for you. In the absence of lyrics there are infinite lyrics,’ he said.
Eroica’s upcoming album follows the band’s continued pattern of symbolism. The first song on the album is 19 minutes long and is meant to convey the band members’ shared vision of the rise of the dinosaurs, the height of their existence and their demise, Gram said.
The band chose a song title that fits with the dinosaur theme. It’s called ‘Haida Gwaii,’ which Gram said ‘is the name of a real place in Canada, an island off the coast where dinosaur fossils have been discovered that are not usually native to that region.” ‘
The band is fairly sure, though not positive, that ‘Haida Gwaii’ will also be the name of the album, Gram said.
The Haida Gwaii project was markedly different from their first album. They recorded live in two takes instead of spending two weeks in a studio, separately recording each instrument, Gram said.
They have also chosen a new way to produce CD covers. This time they’re using cardboard CD sleeves made of recycled material, Gram said. Eroica is creating the album artwork for this EP using spray paint and stencils. Every cover will be unique and hand-numbered, the band said, and they will release only 75 to 100 copies.
As for Eroica’s future, the band members said they plan to keep churning out new material ‘- ‘sounds as big as dinosaurs,’ Gram said.

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