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New breed of Post-blues
Hailing from Miami, JUke
is a new breed of Post-blues and the brainchild of singer
/ songwriter / harmonica whiz, Eric Garcia, who was dissatisfied
with most dated, non-threatening traditional blues. Eric
felt the need to bring the angst and power back into the
type of music that seemed to lose some of it's relevance
and impact.
Teaming up with guitar phenom and singer, Evan Lamb, was the catapult that made
JUke go and realize Eric's vision. The addition of powerhouse drummer, Brian
Lange, and the endless grooves from bassist, Taylor Byrd, have completed the
unique hybrid that has become JUke.
JUke's songwriting is one of the things that
separate them from the pack. The subject matter and lyrical
content has long been hailed by their fans and only adds
to their legend. Couple that with their performance and musicianship,
and you have a band you can learn to love. |
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We recently had the pleasure of asking Eric a few
questions and getting a little insight into what the band is doing.
Take a look and I hope you get a chance to see or hear them soon.
Tell us a little about what brought you to where
you are today? How you got started, influences etc?
I like where
i'm at today. I feel like i'm still growing as a musician and performer.
I started playing the harmonica in 1989 and I started singing just
about 6 years ago when I started JUKe.
What are you and your band doing currently?
Pretty much we take the gigs we want to take
and we're gonna try and continue breaking into the jam band circuit.
Tell us about your songwriting/recording process and what we can
expect on your latest tunes?
To be honest, these days we're revamping a lot of our old tunes
that we don't really play live. We have enough old material that
can easily fill up a whole set.
What can we expect to see from you in the future?
Man, I dunno. Hopefully festivals. That's where it's at.
Tell us a few things about yourself that may surprise us?
Most of my life I've made my living from teaching tennis to little
kids.
What music are you enjoying currently?
I book bands for a living, so there are a bunch of up and coming
touring bands that I listen to. Black Joe Louis and the Honeybears
is one of them. I wanna get them down here.
If you could go back in time what would you do differently in
your career?
I would have learned how to play the piano as a kid. An early understanding
of music theory would have been nice.
If you could play with any musician in history who would it be?
John Lee Hooker,,, for sure.
Where do you see your career going in the
next five years?
I don't really think too far ahead. I guess
that is both good and bad. If we start doing some runs to europe
and steady start playing festivals, i'll be happy.
Other than being an artist what did you think about doing as a
career when you were a child?
I used to want to be a pilot. I took lessons for a while and everything.
What has been your best experience in the business? And Why?
My first big event. I put on a big show with George Clinton and
Fishbone in San Diego. It was a great night and the music was
amazing. It really showed me that I could do this.
What has been your worst experience in the business? And Why?
That same show!!! My overhead was way too high and the show lost
a ton of money!
What is it you love about what you do?
Quietly standing in the back of the room when I band I brought
to town is playing a packed venue with everyone having a great
time and knowing I am responsible.
What is it you hate about what you do?
Busting my ass to put good shows here with talented bands and then
some crap, flavor of the month band comes to town and packs
a huge room
If you could make a major change in the
business…. What
would you like to see?
I don't know. I actually like the directions
it's going. It's more in the artists hands to tour and push your
product online...it's getting fair,, I think.
I'd prefer to make any contribution musical. I am very good at
my job, but i'd eventually just like to focus on my own music
and not everyone else's.
How do you feel the Internet has changed the business? Positive
and Negative?
Positive....no doubt at all. It's amazing.
Where do you see business and music moving to?
Hopefully things will stay in the band's hands.
But there is a lot of money out there and I'm sure the record companies
will find a way to regulate and profit more off of the artists
and what they do
How can the business side and artists better work together?
Simple . It's the same in any business.
Honesty....if the two sides are straight with each other and
people do what they say they are gonna do, we can grow together.
It's when either side is short sighted or petty that problems
arise.
JUke's first album, " Lungbutter‑the Blues Basement Tapes", is available on iTunes.
The recording of their sophomore
album, " Down Low Cool", is out now!.
, JUke's in-your-face live shows and stories of love, loss and
pain make them the band to see!!! |
