Everywhere you look.

Greetings,

When I moved to the San Luis Valley in December of 2005 (actually, I moved Tracy here in the summer of 2005 but spent a few more months in California), I expected the music scene to be just a bit limited. At the least, I'd be one of the only drummers in town. Upon arrival, I met my next door neighbor who just so happened to drum for a traveling band back in the day and who still plays around town.

So much for that notion.

As it turns out, there's a lively scene here, and a plethora of artists of all walks of life with a variety of backgrounds, levels of dedication, and an assortment of talent. The following is a story of one such person with a. the varied background b. immense dedication and c. bottomless talent.

One day, I was helping a neighbor (different neighbor than the above) remove weeds from the alley when the conversation turned to careers. Upon learning I'm a percussionist, she put me in touch with a recent expat from Denver who was working on a movie and needed a drummer for a music video shoot. I was given a tune to learn and arrived on scene to what would prove to be an interesting evening, where I played far more tunes than expected with this guy fronting the band while this guy worked a video camera, hosted a large crowd at his self-built home, and then sang/played guitar with us. This began my relationship with Eric, his dogs, and his music.

On the rare occasion I meet such a person, I'm always so very impressed by someone who puts their art before traditional concerns (wealth, fame, status, etc). Artists who can relate their life back into their art, even if it's not their traditional medium, are the most inspiring. Eric, the musician and recording engineer, became a film maker with little to no background in film making. His first endeavor, Everyone But You, clearly an arduous task, caught my attention (and not just because I appear for .2 seconds in the video shoot scene) as a multifaceted story capable of capturing an environment, a life in music, and the twists and turns such an artist takes. To date, I've watched the film nine times and am still captivated by it's story, soundtrack, videography, and meaning. The movie won awards at indie film festivals but there's a lot more to his creations than seeking validation from others.

Eric recently "completed" the film with the making of a video set to an original song so hauntingly beautiful, it stands alone without any need for the visual element of a video. Putting the video into context with the rest of the movie- the rest of his life here in the San Luis Valley- creates a depleted mood and takes the experience to a whole new level. This video is classic Eric ingenuity and creativity, if there's such thing as "classic" Eric.

Check out the video, listen to the words, put it into context, and if you haven't done so already, watch the movie. While you're at it, download some of his tunes off of his site. Better yet, buy his work. You won't be disappointed.

I'm very glad my neighbor put us in touch. I'm perpetually inspired by Eric's dedication to art, his musicianship, and commitment to our community. He has a., b., and c., and so much more.