Casualty of Conflict - Taylor Comes Home

Taylor, my angel, was a casualty of conflict, a prisoner of war, and by war I mean a fairly amicable divorce between two people that loved each other, respected each other, and didn’t want to hurt each other. Like any child, Taylor was the one piece of the separation that we could not agree on, and ultimately I caved, a decision I have regretted since 2004.

Taylor, you see, was my 1996 Taylor 412. I purchased her from my good friend Rob Woerther for $500 back in 2000, right after Angela and I were married.



For those that are wondering, did your ex play guitar? The answer is no. For those that just shook your heads in disgust, thinking why the hell would she take your guitar, I will explain. At the time, Angela was interested in learning to play guitar, and I needed a second acoustic for live shows so I could keep one tuned to DADGAD which is an alternate tuning that I often use when writing songs. That being said, in the 4 years we were married, she played the guitar for a grand total of 11 hours, 17 minutes, and 34 seconds. I may have been a bit generous there. While I understand that she wants to learn to play, if you are living with a musician who is more than willing to teach you, and you don’t do it, you are never going to learn. In her mind it was her Taylor because she was bought, in part, so she could learn to play. In my mind, she was my kid. I was the one that held her when she cried, changed her diapers, kept her hydrated and fed…she was my go to guitar. I wrote 3 albums on her, toured over 8 states with her. She is me.



However, when it came down to it, I turned my back on her to keep the peace. I mean she is just a guitar, right? I have tons of them. Well, the problem is, of all my guitars, Taylor is my favorite. I even have another Taylor. It is a 410CE from the same year, but there is something about this guitar. Maybe it’s the combination of Rob’s energy and mine that has seeped into her beautiful mahogany. I don’t know. She is just a very special.



To her credit, Angela offered to let me buy her several times over the years, but I wouldn’t do it. It was a matter of principle for me. She was my guitar, like paying to sleep with your own wife (yeah, I know what I just said…it made sense in my head. I am just going to leave it alone), but I just could not find a replacement. The number of guitars that I have bought and sold in an attempt to replace this beauty is staggering…seriously. At one point, I bought a brand new Taylor 412ce. I mean it is the SAME. GUITAR. Right? No. Again, there is something special about her.

As you may or may not know, Angela now works at my office (yes, I knew she was applying, even helped her through the process and served as a reference…we have never not been cool to one another, this is the kind of people we are). We bump into each other from time to time, so sometime around September I decided I needed Taylor back. I just couldn’t be without her, like she had been held in some P.O.W. camp, and I was determined to free her at any cost (well any may be a stretch). Angela and I went back and forth. I told her what she was worth; she had some “people” give her an assessed value; I busted out the Blue Book value on her, and it seemed like we were at a stalemate. But I had to MalcomX the situation, by any means necessary. So a couple of weeks ago I shot her one final offer. The text read, “$XXX (all you need to know is I bought her back for more than we paid for her) for Taylor…what say you.” She took a few days to respond. I had almost lost hope, but she rolled into to my office on Monday to let me know we had a deal. Taylor came home on Thursday, and I couldn’t be happier.

Rather than post a poem, I thought I would post a video so you could hear her. I recorded this this afternoon. Thought it would be good closure. "Picture Frame" was written on Taylor a few months after my divorce. Enjoy.

April = Awesome

For those in the winter weather weary Midwest you probably think that this blog is the official announcement of sunshine's arrival. Well, you are wrong. Not that I am not stoked about Old Man Winter going into hibernation for several months, but this post is about the alignment of stars, about all things that are great in this world, including Cool-Whip and Cherries, taking the passenger seat to the Month of Rock.

Without a doubt this April features the best line-up of shows I have ever seen in one month, so I thought I would do a little video collage of the concerts I will be attending.

Up first Queens of the Stone Age at the Pageant. Unless you have your tickets, you are out of luck...SOLD OUT!!! This concert is extra special for a couple reasons. 1) It is my first time seeing QotSA 2) I graduated high-school with the lead singer, Josh Homme. I know you all just thought, how is this your first QotSA show then? Well, I was actually a bigger fan of Josh's first band Kyuss. That was the band I grew up with, the band I saw at generator parties in high-school, the band I listened to every time I took a trip from San Diego to Palm Desert.

Now, were Josh and I good friends, absolutely not. In fact the last time I bumped into him was when I was home on leave from bootcamp. I approached him to tell him that I saw the video for Green Machine, and I thought it was awesome. He was a total cocky ass. But whatevs, I am quite sure he would have no idea who I was today. We played football together, and maybe had two classes together. But, it is still cool to know that you can accomplish what he did with his life, and the reality is, as a musician, I have the utmost respect for his playing, producing, and for the fact that he essentially created a new genre of music called Stoner Rock.

Year book photos:



"Go with the Flow"



Flowing up this rockfest we have the 1st Annual Pajammy Jam. I put together a great line-up of performers: Brian Sowinski, Loza, and of course my band So Much Closer, the Koken is a super cool space, and my good friend Vinnie Saletto is running sound. Plus our friends My Molly are going to be joining us for two songs. SO COOL!!!

Flyer:



This show is NOT sold out, and actually we could really use some support. I mean you get to wear your pajamas, who doesn't love that? Here is a little commercial we made for it.



The following Thursday, April 14th, the Damnwells are coming to town. I think my love for this band has been made very clear through the course of this blog. If you somehow missed it, read the Epic Roadtrip '09 series. Trust me, if you are in St. Louis, and want to see a great show, you will want to come to Off Broadway on the 14th.

"Werewolves"




April 22nd has me over at the Old Rock House for the Black Angels. I am new to the Black Angels, but the Old Rock House just implemented one of the coolest things any venue has done, local musicians, in current bands, can get in free to any show at ORH. To say I am going to be spending a lot of time at this venue is an understatement. I have asked them to just put a cot up for me.



On April 27th I am in a HUGE quandary. I have a ticket to go to the Pageant for the sold out The Decemberists show, but there is a conflicting show at Off Broadway that has Company of Thieves on the bill. It is hard to say for sure, but Company of Thieves probably put on my favorite show I saw all of last year, and seeing them at Off Broadway would be amazing...What. To. Do.


The Decemberists "Down by the Water"



Company of Thieves "Oscar Wilde"



If someone can please let me know what they would do about the 27th, I would really appreciate it. Here is to an AWESOME April!!!

**Update**
SHIT!!! I just remembered Wakey! Wakey! is going to here on the 27th too. I think the booking Agents need to start working together this is crazy. Three shows I would LOVE to attend all on the same night. DAMN!!!

"War Sweater"

Still Thinking of You...the Unsolved Mystery

Those that follow me on Twitter or have "Friended" me on Facebook, may be aware that on Friday I came home to a rose on my doorstep.



This is probably a totally normal event for most you, or at least an event that has happened to you before. Not me. Except for when my dad forgot my birthday and sent the obligatory "Oh Shit" flowers, I cannot recall ever being sent flowers. That being said, it was completely anonymous. So, if the sender is reading. Thank you. You have no idea how cool that was for me. I was already on a post-gig high from playing an incredible 4 hour set with So Much Closer at the Brewhouse, and then I get a rose. Inced my cake indeed.

Of course, I have a curious mind, so I have used some deductive reasoning to narrow down suspects, but ultimately all I have are theories.

My first concern was was it intended for me, I mean I do have a roommate, and it wouldn't be the first time I received a neighbors mail. Well, unless there is another Eric in the house, I think it was for me, and they obviously know my address, which isn't really very hard to find on-line, so this has not helped me to narrow things down at all.



Now, I do not know Dierberg's delivery policy, but I couldn't imagine them rolling a van for a single non-vase rose, so who ever it is is close enough to do a drive by.

It would appear to be someone that I know but haven't talked to in a while. And for the doubters, a girl. No boy writes like this, unless my roommate planted it and purposefully girlied up the handwriting in some weird attempt to boost my self-esteem. Maybe since there has recently been a role reversal, he is WGF (with girl-friend) and I am SGF (sans girl-friend), he thought I needed a pick-me-up. Previous to his WGF status I would have never thought him capable of doing something of this nature, but I saw him turn into Betty Crocker over Valentines Day, so it is not outside of the realm of possibilities.



The reason I think I haven't talked this person in a while is the use of "Still." I am actually pretty friendly with most of my ex's, so we talk (sometimes) daily, weekly, definitely monthly. I'll see them at shows or other functions. If it were one of them, I would expect them to just put "Thinking of you" as opposed to "Still thinking of you!" There are a few that I have lost contact with, so they have just moved up in the rankings.

The next clue could be a completely random occurrence or could be indicative of someone that really knows me. This card was also attached to it:



Roses are without a doubt my favorite flower. So the person either got really lucky, or we have had enough discussions that this random tidbit of information came up, and they remembered it. Because I don't want to read too much into it and the fact that the rose is a fairly common place instrument used when showing interest, we'll say it was a random occurrence, which still leaves me with an open list of potential candidates, and an unsolved mystery.

Besides being just an incredibly cool gesture (albeit somewhat stalkeresque and creepy) it also made me do a little writing. The concept of "still thinking of someone" hit home sending some random flourishes of thought into my frontal lobe, so I released them here for you. It gets kind of racy, so you are warned.

I Still Think of You

You
Whose energy ignited social sparks and summer skin
Like solar flares exposing a fragile atmosphere

You
Whose genius and creativity caused curious moments
Like humming baroque movement melody on first date

You
Whose sunshine smile and intoxicated laughter released daydream-desires
Like pre-teen magazine-moments as he dreamt of what it would be like

You
Whose youthful kisses are still seared on wanting lips
Like Sigma stains shoulders of black brothers

You
Whose intelligence was only usurped by insatiable passion
Like mammalian brain absent Leptin leads to death by gluttony

You
Whose full breasts found my fingers kneading them
Like my thickening self needed to feel your warmth

Anointed by Soul and Spirit

As I was driving home last night, planning this post as mile markers disappeared into darkness and headlights provided my path for safe travels, I couldn't determine when I actually started to like dance. I know I was really into break dancing. My floor work was mediocre at best, but my popping was pretty good. Still I am sure it was before that, those Sunday morning cleaning sessions with Mom and Dona Summers or Al Jarreau or Lionel Richie or some other R&B artist improving the chores. Inevitably there would be a dance moment, a moment when mom took my embarrassed hand and taught me to shimmy or jive or twist. Dance is another one of those taboo interests that are not taboo to me because I was raised by my mom.

Of course, there was my senior year of High-School when I participated in the G.A.T.E. program, which was focused on making the performing artists multi-disciplined, Singers danced, Actors sang, Dancers acted, etc. There were also some high-school musicals when I dated my first dancer...ah, Cecilia, but I think my passion for it happened in college. Lindenwood had a really great Dance program. While I was in school I took every opportunity I could to learn and grow. While others were passing out drunk under trees, I was at dance concerts, art shows, and theater performances. This is also how I met my ex-wife. She was an amazing dancer, moved with passion and power. She spoke through movement, and I had open ears. During our relationship I learned a lot about the history of dance and dance companies. Her favorite was Alvin Ailey for every time she mentioned another company like Pilabolous, she mentioned Alvin Ailey 15 times. Though we have now been divorced longer than we were married, my passion for Dance has never wavered. For the last 3 years I have had season tickets to the Dance St. Louis presentations and am completely addicted to So You Think You Can Dance.

I got to see the Alvin Ailey Dance American Dance Theater for the first time a few years ago and finally understood why Angela was so enamoured with the company. Dance St. Louis brought them back this year, and I was fortunate to have front row seats for yesterday's matinee. The piece that affected me the most was "Anointed" which was Choreographed by ex-Ailey dance Christopher Huggins.

Anointed from AlvinAileyAmericanDanceTheater on Vimeo.

While I do not have the words to adequately explain this piece, I will speak through the language I know best, poetry.

Anointed

They
Bestow blessings
Control movements
Evoke emotions through limbs and lungs
You
Fly effortless
Absent wings
Extension resolved into contraction as you engulf him
He
True David
Breathes life through arms and fingers
Saves you from gravity as bodies become one
I
Feel God
Experience Grace
Leave anointed by soul and spirit

I couldn't find an image of the exact moment I am talking about, and it was not in the preview, but here are some shots from the dance that I liked.







If you have never been to a professional dance concert, I encourage you to seek one out and experience a silent emotion that has the power to change lives.

The Not Embarrassed Fanboy

It is completely evident, by now, that I am a bit abnormal. My interests don't seem to be inline with other 30 something males. A glowing example of this is my, relative, obsession with teen dramas. This was probably never as apparent as this Tuesday when I headed down to the Firebird to see a band I had limited interest in just because the lead singer, Taylor Momsen, is none other than Jenny Humphrey from one of my favorite shows Gossip Girl. As it turns out, she put on a helluva show and has a very powerful voice.



Judging by people's reaction when I say I like Gossip Girl, I know this is, apparently, socially unacceptable, but I am left wondering why. To me the fact that I like these teen dramas is about Nature verse Nurture, and what people do not realize is that is not an all-or-nothing proposition. The fact that I love boobs and soft skin is nature. The fact that I have never cheated on a girl is nurture. I was raised by my mother. It should stand to reason that I would have acquired a certain amount of feminine interests, one of them just happens to be teen dramas. Also, I would genuinely prefer to watch a Romantic Comedy than an Action flick. The reality is I am just man enough to admit it, to not be an embarrassed Fanboy.

My obsession with teen dramas started with My So Called Life, which is still probably the best show to ever air on public television. I was an avid fan of Dawson's Creek and Felecity, watched the OC, and now my DVR is set to record One Tree Hill, Gossip Girl, and my favorite of them all Friday Night Lights. One of the things that is great about teen dramas is they have introduced me to a lot of great music. While I'd like to be super hip and trendy, standing on the cutting edge begging the world to follow me, I am not. I like what I like, and I have never been concerned with being the first to discover the "newest" thing because frankly a lot of those new, pretty, things suck. Once the shine of newness has faded the world realizes it made a mistake. Here is a video recap of some of my best discoveries.

Of course My So Called Life, besides being the best show ever, launched the career of Jared Leto. The heartthrob who I actually couldn't stand, dude was always breaking my girl's heart. That, by the way, is a learned behavior. But now he fronts 30 Seconds to Mars. All that started right here:



Probably my best discovery was Death Cab for Cutie on the OC. I had been hearing that name for years, but I honestly thought it was some thrash band or something, until this episode.

Sorry it won't let me embed it. Watch the clip HERE.

The One Tree Hill has been great about bringing new artists on the show and even launching careers of cast members.

I still love the Wreckers.



While I cannot give One Tree Hill credit for introducing me to Kate Voegele, as I had been following her on MySpace for quite sometime, what the show did to launch her career was really cool.

Again, no embedding. Watch HERE.

And my most recent favorite who I actually got to see at Off Broadway and will be playing at the Firebird in April, Wakey! Wakey!

Favorite Track - Felt Not Seen

Well, we finally made it. If you stuck with me through the review of my two solo CDs, the two EKe CDs, and the Whiskey Daydream CD, thanks! I am sure you are as tired of reading about my CDs, as I am of writing about them, but once I start something, I like to finish, and So Much Closer, Felt Not Seen, is a great finish.


This band has really brought me full circle. Whiskey Daydream was so deliberate, like I was obsessed with presenting an Alt-Country / Country-Rock sound, and while I love that genre and think my writing often falls there naturally, it is very limiting. With So Much Closer I am back to being stoked to have great musicians that want to play with me, and whatever happens happens. As a result defining our genre is damn near impossible. On Thursday we played with an awesome band from Nashville called The Compromise. We were chatting with their bass player, Adam, after our set, and he could not categorize it, "I kept thinking, what genre is this...it's good, but what genre." We have the same struggle, and I think we are okay with that.


Every band ends up having a defining member. I think most assume it is the singer, but that is a rarity. I defined EKe version 1, we switched just about every player at one time or another, and we still sounded, about, the same. EKe v2, once Scott Allen joined the band, is a totally different story. If Scott had never left the band, I may be still in EKe, but once he left, to me, it could no longer be called EKe because his presence was the dominant force. The same could be said of Brian Ruby in Whiskey Daydream. Once he left the band, Woody and I continued to play as a duo, but it was no longer Whiskey Daydream, same songs but a different entity had been formed. What is unique about So Much Closer is our defining member is the collective. Our drummer Patrick Enright, our multi-instrumentalist Patrick Swan, our bassist Chris Logan, and I all have very defined voices, and when all are singing it harmony it creates So Much Closer.

What Patrick brings to the kit is the complete opposite of what Woody brought to Whiskey Daydream. In all the bands I have been in I have never played with a drummer that was so calculated. He is never content to play the same beat and is busier than a squirrel preparing for winter. In his absence it would no longer be So Much Closer. The songs can stand on their own, but we would have to change the name because they would not sound the same. The same could be said of Swan. I would have to find someone that could play guitar, keys, and trumpet, plus breakout some of the most amazing harmonies these ears have ever heard, not likely to happen. Logan, well Logan is a rock. He, like me, isn't a schooled musician, but in a bassist I want feel, and that is what he brings. Plus his personality is so hysterical that he makes every event fun.

For these reasons, my favorite track off of Felt Not Seen is "Felt Not Seen." It is the only track in this seven CD series that was co-written. Swan provided the guitar melody, I contributed lyrics and vocals, and the collective developed the structure and defined the dynamics. Enjoy!

Felt Not Seen by So Much Closer by SoMuchCloser

Lyrics:

Man made fingers
Stretch towards heaven
They fold in prayer
Laser lights of lives in transit
Live in Transit

A waterfall of reds and yellows
Christmas’ kissing Easter’s Peep
Forming Halloween’s smile
It jack-o-lantern smile

Just a bridge it was a simple bridge
Taking me home momma taking me
Just a bridge it was a simple bridge
Taking me home
Da-da-dah-dow

Above a birdless midnight sky
Descends at eye sight’s edge
This moment a Trinity
Material, Motion, and Miracle

Material the Son
Born to provide passage
Carrier of souls
Receiver of prayers

Just a bridge it was a simple bridge
Taking me home momma taking me
Just a bridge it was a simple bridge
Taking me home
Da-da-dah-dow

Motion the Great Ghost
Trails of energy felt not seen
Omnipresent chill giver
Breath stealer

Miracle the Father
Provider of Physical Laws
Creator of motion
Creator of material

Just a bridge it was a simple bridge
Taking me home momma taking me
Just a bridge it was a simple bridge
Taking me home
Da-da-dah-dow

Inside Cover:



Back Cover:

Favorite Track - Whiskey Daydream

Whiskey Daydream is very special to me, not just because it represented a genre shift or because it was the first time that I formed a band with friends or the immediate success we had...Whiskey Daydream was deliberate. Previously I would find people willing to play with me, and whatever happened happened, but not Whiskey Daydream.

Throughout EKe I was drawing my influence largely from Edwin McCain, Duncan Sheik, and people I knew, like Rob Woerther. However, towards the end of EKe my influence had shifted to Ryan Adams, Son Volt, and Drive by Truckers. You could hear it in songs like "Monday Morning" and "Restless Sheets," so when Scott left the band in 2005, and it slowly morphed into something that was no longer EKe, I called it quits. A couple months later, when I was ready to start a new project, I went into it knowing I wanted to create an Alt-Country band, and I did.

Whiskey Daydream was formed in November of 2005 and ended in June of 2007. It was short lived but powerful. We were nominated for the Best Americana Band in St. Louis by KDHK and Playback:STL. We got second place in the Battle for the Ark which helped us fund this CD, and played a LOT of shows, going as far north as Michigan, holding residency at Ten Mile House and made a second home at Off Broadway. It featured Corey "Woody" Woodruff on drums, Brian Ruby on leads, and Benjamin Ash on anything we asked him to play (primarily bass).

I knew going into this week that I could not pick one song. I just love this CD too much, so what I have selected are the 2 songs that were really the catalyst for the creation of Whiskey Daydream. The songs that once written made me realize I was operating from a different place, and I needed to embrace it.

"Whiskey Days" Is pretty straight forward Country Rock. We brought in the amazing Scott Schwartz to lay some Pedal Steel, featured my acoustic, and a tasty country-clean lead by Ruby. Brian's fingers spoke country and blues, and his voice is very distinct on this track. The laid-back brushed beat of Woody's drums still makes me smile. I had spent years with super busy drummers, so to work with someone that allowed the song to breathe and grow was so refreshing. And you can never say enough about a solid bass player. Although Benjamin could literally play anything, he was a terrific bass player, just super solid.

Whiskey Days by Whiskey Daydream by SoMuchCloser

Lyrics:

Dirt road, Grandma’s house
Gravel drive and the tall cattails
That’s me on the motorbike
Grandpa waving me home

Those are days when lightning warned of thunder
And rain clouds meant it was time to play
Before these whiskey days

Left my summers in the Hot Springs
Flew north to the dirty city
Skateboard wheels carving fresh asphalt
Remember how the girls were so innocent and pretty

Those are days when lightning warned of thunder
And rain clouds meant it was time to play
Before these whiskey days

Trapped inside 4 walls
And the window is crying
The bottles empty turned over
And I know you’re not coming back this time
All I have left is your picture,
And the edges have faded
Take a step outside
Let the rain kiss my forehead
Turn your picture over
Gonna rely on memory instead

My last offering to you is the other song that made me realize I had moved beyond EKe. While "Whiskey Days" was more Country-Rock, I think "Layover in Louisville" lands in the Alt-Country category. What I love about this song is not the song itself, but the recording. The dynamic shifts are powerful, Brian's lead is probably the most aggressive and eager lead that has ever been on one of my CDs, we worked the feedback like a ghost violin, Benjamin and I using a cheap keyboard and two Pods where able to create one of the best B3 sounds I have heard recorded, and while all this cacophony was developing, Woody was content to lay back and let it flourish rather than over power it. For those of you that know Woody from his time with Alvin Jett and Phat Noiz or The Lucky Old Sons or All Roostered Up, know what an incredibly sick drummer he is, part of that is his ability to hold back and then explode when the moment calls for it. He is kind of like a suicide bomber; he is the quiet neighbor that you would never expect to display that kind of behavior, and then one day...BOOM!

Layover In Louisville by Whiskey Daydream by SoMuchCloser

Layover in Louisville

The dance halls are empty tonight
Like my glass of whiskey
Lay my head on the dusty counter
‘Cause the bartender’s nowhere to be found

On a Layover in Louisville
And I’m 300 miles from somewhere
On a Layover in Louisville
Feels like I’m headed nowhere

The sound of Whiskey River;
Its urgency lifts my traveled head
The Mark burns just a little
And my glass is half empty again

On a Layover in Louisville
And I’m 300 miles from somewhere
On a Layover in Louisville
Feels like I’m headed nowhere

I take my last swallow
Let the Whiskey go down slow
I pour myself into 15D,
And I wake-up home

Under Tray, Whiskey Daydream Logo:



Back of CD: