Haven’t posted here in a while! Been busy. Here’s my latest song, hot off the presses. Hope you enjoy! It’s a free download or you can buy it if you like. Please feel free to share this any ol’ which-way ya care to. This is me on guitar and vocals and bass, Michael Urbano on drums. Michael Rosen recorded and mixed it at his studio. Myles Boisen mastered it up. Shannon Wheeler drew the cover. These gents all did such beautiful work, and I’m so very grateful to them. Happens to be ready on this holiday, so, I’m glad to share this today! <3
Category: Recordings
This is a blog category with posts about some records I have helped make over the years. Hope you enjoy!
Matt Jaffe – "Blast Off" Full Album Is Out!
Well look who’s here! The full album version of Matt Jaffe’s debut, produced by Matthew King Kaufman with yours truly on guitar, has finally been released into the wild. This was a really fun record to make, and it’s a wonderful listen. I have bleated often about what a great songwriter this kid is. Here’s why! Also, Alex Coltharp and Sammie Fisher, what a scorching rhythm section. Yep, it was a slice! Listening now brings the moments back. Matt J and I both played guitar on everything here except the title track, which Matt produced solo at his home studio. Blast Off, babies! On iTunes and Spotify and probably other wabbit holes I am sure.
Baby Baby Baby Baby Baby Happy New Year!
Making this song summed up the second half of 2017 for me somehow. It’s redundant to say I’ve had enough of last year, who hasn’t?! I’m looking forward to good doings in 2018! Let’s go.
I wrote and recorded that in October right after the North Bay fires. BandCamp didn’t make me shorten the title, bless their hearts. I had to shorten it to distribute to the streaming services. Oh the humanity!
My fellow Uptone Mike Stevens played drums. I played acoustic guitars and sang. There’s just one electric guitar part on the song, the 8 bar solo in the middle. We turned Mikey’s old Champ amp up to eleven and I let ‘er rip on the same mutant “Tele” hybrid I’ve been playing since 1983. This thing:
The guitar, not the cat. The cat helped me do overdubs at home later.
New Single Comin Out This Week!
I’m excited to announce that my next solo track is ready and I’m putting it out this week. The song is “The Laughing Man,” which I co-wrote with my Uptones band mate, brother Paul Jackson. My EP is slowly but surely growing into an album. Oh and I got some more CD’s finally! If you want one, please ping me or order from here. It’s also in Spotify and iTunes if you prefer those wabbit holes. The other song in this new pair is called “Everything Is Wrong,” and it will follow soon. Here’s the artwork by Shannon Wheeler. I look forward to sharing these tunes! That is all. Cheers and thanks <3 E
Peace and Love and Digital Distribution and Bears, Oh My
Well here is a first, in my foray into self-releasing self-made stuff — I’m putting my EP out in (gasp) the regular channels!
I decided to try Distrokid to distribute my EP to the streaming services – Pandora, Spotify, Apple and a few others.
I just uploaded Peace and Love and Rock and Roll part 1. So now it has a UPC code and ISRC codes and it’ll be in those entertainment gizmos shortly.
You can still get the EP directly from me of course, click the record cover, 4 clams for 4 songs –
UPDATE Nov. 2023 (wow!!) This is out of print! Other things happened
Thanks! Hope you enjoy.
And in order to keep this post focused and concise, here are some bears, playing in a hammock.
Blogging About Blogging About My New Record, part 1
As the rain continues to pour on our thirsty California, I’m reflecting on the last year a bit, and considering what to do next. While the debacles of 2016 played out, I spent some time writing and recording new music. I released four new songs as “Peace and Love and Rock and Roll part 1” as the new year arrived. Nearly everything about it is a first for me. I’ve never done a solo record before, I’ve always worked with bands. Never self-released anything before, or self-produced.
I’m glad I did it, and I have decided to do more. I made a new website to host my records, and after thinking very hard about it for almost two seconds, decided to call it peaceandloveandrockandroll.com. You can pick the EP up there instantly in download/digital form, or even order a physical CD if you like, from the very small batch I made.
Wishing you all a good start to this strange new year. I am going to go swim in the rain now.
Peace and Love and Rock and Roll to you and yours,
Eric
Holding On and Letting Go
New Matt Jaffe video is just up –
I played guitar on that recording, along with young Matt and his fabulous Distractions. He’s a helluva songwriter and musician, and it’s been a pleasure to work with him and watch him go from open-mic wiz-kid to budding rock star. I’ve been by turns, a session player, confidante, and even tour manager for this band, when they supported Blues Traveler in the US tour last fall.
“Holding On” is one of my faves in their live set, and I dig the “rollercoaster” metaphor in the vid. Occurred to me also, that “holding on” is like attachment in the Buddhist sense, the cause of suffering, and that gives the chorus its power. But I think too much. “Holding on, cos I don’t know what’s true.” Amen.
Recently I’ve been making some new recordings of my own, and young Matt actually played guitar on one of them. Full circle! More on that later. Cheers all!
RANCID – "… And Out Come The Wolves"
“… And Out Come The Wolves” is my favorite Rancid album, and “The 11th Hour” is a collaboration I’ll always be proud of. Tim Armstrong and I wrote it in about three hours spread out over as many days, as the band was deep into the finishing stages of recording. I was surprised that Tim wanted to push one more song through the works, but it not only made the cut but ended up being track #2 on the record. There’s a 20th Anniversary remastered edition that just came out, more on that at Epitaph Records.
STIFF RICHARDS Infamous "Email EP"!
This record from STIFF RICHARDS features 5 original songs with lead vocals from The Rev. Paul Jackson, and some phenomenal drumming from Tuan Titlestad. On the opening track, “Not From Here” (later covered by The UPTONES), you hear the collision of Bennie Wood’s commanding ska bass style and Tuan’s all-out rock drum approach. That sets the tone for the whole EP and it does not let up. “Halibut” is a personal favorite of mine, especially as it finds Paul channeling Sasquatch, explaining, “Don’t call me Bigfoot.” The set closes with “Bonnie and Clyde” (also later covered by The UPTONES) which was composed in the studio. These songs called for me to go hog-wild on guitar, and I love how it all come out.
Available at iTunes.
"Check Out The Fashion Slaves" by – you guessed it – The Fashion Slaves!
The Fashion Slaves started as a side project when Emily Jayne was singing and playing guitar with The UPTONES in 2011. We got home from a little tour and she’s rarin’ to go so we decided to make a four-piece rock band. I called Eric Knight whose bass playing I loved in ENGINE 88, and young Pete D’Amato completed the combo on drums. This live album contains one of our earliest performances. Our producer Matthew King Kaufman encouraged us to play the Millard Fillmore High School dance, and sent Michael Rosen out with his mobile recording setup to capture it. The opening cut is our cover of “Psychotic Reaction” which was so damn fun to play as it has two (!!) extended guitar solos, so I went completely nuts right at the beginning of the set. Here’s a video Emily made for the song.
Available at iTunes
