Satan's Pilgrims: we are not Satanists at all

Satan's Pilgrims is a 5-piece band from Portland. Drummer Ted Pilgrim discusses the band's sound, misconceptions about the band's name, and what goes into every Satan's Pilgrims show.

What is the story behind the name Satan's Pilgrims?

We wanted to have a name that sounded like a biker gang from the old AIP biker movies, but also not have it be too serious, since we like to have a sense of humor about the band. When we came up with the name, we never thought that we would play beyond Portland and would be making records, much less 17 years later. It's always funny to us when people are turned off by the name or refuse to put it on a marquee or ad, but we learned that things can be a lot different outside the bubble of Portland. We are not satanists at all, and find it equally funny when people assume that about us.

Complete the sentence. Satan's Pilgrims is...

5 old friends that love recording and playing surf and 60's style instrumentals together whenever they can.

Why should I have Psychsploitation in my collection?

Because it is a really unique album that features different sounds and great production value as you go from song to song. Eric Hedford, who recorded us, really did a fantastic job working on each song with us to give it that quality.

If you could write and perform a song with any artist, who would it be? Why?

Brian Wilson. I think he is the one artist that we all have the same love and respect for and it would be really quirky but hopefully inspired at the same time. Plus, we'd love to hear what it sounded like when it was completed.

What makes a Satan's Pilgrims show?

Usually lots of sweat, both onstage and in the crowd. We are lucky that our fans love to dance and can get quite uninhibited. We probably like watching them more than they like watching us.

What would you be doing if you weren't making music?

Well, since we can't play in the band full time, probably what we already do. Three of us own and run our own businesses, and most of us work in creative and artistic fields.

Want to add Phychsploitation to your collection? Click the link to buy the album.