January Tour 2001

Hey,

Okay, first things first: Happy New Year! Second thing: Michigan in January sure is tough traveling. We started off performing at Union Street Station in Traverse City, MI. But, on the way we got into a small accident. While doing 30 miles an hour on an on ramp just outside of Ann Arbor our van slid causing our trailer to come around and carry the van into a full 180 degree spin. We crashed into a huge snow bank in the middle of the on ramp and the highway. Luckily no one was injured. The five of us all walked away from what could have been a much worse situation. Upon reviewing the tires on our rented van it was realized that all four tires were excessively worn. There were no treads worth anything on three of the four tires and the one tire with treads was far from being safe. The next morning we bought four new snow tires and proceeded further north towards Traverse City. I think we might have gone 45miles an hour maximum after that. Even though the new tires were much better, after that experience we were really spooked by the weather conditions. The show at Union Street Station was great. The people at the club took care of us, the crowd was on the smaller side due to the season but those that were there were very supportive. We can't wait to get back up that way during Cherry Festival in July. We hear that's the best time to visit. Hopefully we will be invited.
Next we drove even further north to play in Marquette, MI at Up Front and Company (Click here for photos!) This was an incredible journey. Driving to the Upper Peninsula was amazing. To see the huge waves on the great lakes breaking on the snow covered beaches looked like something from another planet. We had to cross over the Mackinac Bridge which was very scary. There is this story of a car that was swept right over into the lake by the strong undercurrent that blows from below the bridge. You can imagine how that made us feel after our previous driving experience. When we finally got there we had two great nights. Both shows were a blast. The club is great. It's like an oasis. The staff was so kind to us and the house sound men, Steve and Sahl, were true pros. I recommend this venue to any band. You will have a great time playing this club. We are planning a return to this area as well ­ but trust me, it will be in the summer time next time. Michigan has great rock and roll fans.

Click here to see the Eric Stuart Band unplugged photos!

Eric, Mason, Bryan, Phil and Chris.

Hey Everybody,

Thank you so much for being at The Bottom Line with us. Your support helped make this our new New York City home. He had such a blast playing there. The history behind the club is amazing. The crew there took such good care of us. Allen Pepper was so kind to us. We really can't thank him enough for giving us the opportunity to be a headliner the first time in there. We felt good about the whole night. A special thank you to Barry and Wayne for shooting the video that night. Everyone went way out of their way to make this a special evening. Look for the Eric Stuart Band to be performing very soon again at The Bottom Line! Click here for some photos.

Eric, Mason, Bryan, Phil & Chris.

Hey There!

We just did a radio on air acoustic performance/interview on WPDH 101.5 FM in Poughkeepsie. 9:15am is a little early for us (especially when you have to get up at 6:00 to drive there) but we did all right. We played one of our new songs "Revelation" as well as an old favorite from the CD "Lost Innocence" both live and unplugged. I have to admit we sounded pretty good for five guys half asleep and on one cup of coffee. We went there to promote our gig the next night at The Chance Theatre. The show went great. The venue is an old theatre turned into a rock club. It's like the House Of Blues after someone beat the crap out of it. We liked it. We will be back there in June to open up for legendary bass player from the Who, John Entwisle. (I can't wait!)

Well, Wilmington, NC was a weekend full of rock and roll. We started the trip off right with a flat tire. 30 minutes of down time otherwise 12 hours of non-stop driving. First we did our on air acoustic performance/interview on WRQR 104.5 FM. Let me just say that the whole crew there, especially jock Gregg Stepp, went way out of their way for us and made us feel right at home. It is not every major rock station that gives a little air-time to an independent band. These guys are great and we really appreciate the help. We owe them big time and hope to be back in there again in the not too distant future (keep spinning that CD!)
Our next mission was the Rusty Nail. Now, for those of you who were too afraid to come out to the Nail that night you are really wimpy. This place only looks rough from the outside. Plus, coming from Brooklyn, that was hardly a tough neighborhood. We had a great time playing there. Troy Carlisle runs a good club. His priority is the music and the musicians and he took good care of us. They also have a lot of great blues acts in there on a regular basis if you are ever in the mood. We enjoyed playing there and felt a real good local vibe in that room.
Then came Saturday. We played the main stage at Azalea Festival at 2:30 in the afternoon. We were only supposed to play an hour but the crowd liked us so much (and the next band never showed) so they asked us to play longer. That was great, except that is was really hot out there in the sun. I think the whole band almost passed out and at least three of us got sunburned and one of us got sun poisoning. Don't get me wrong, we loved doing the gig it's just that we need to use more sun-block next year! I was also bummed I didn't get to meet the Azalea Queen!
That same night, sunburned and all, we played at Bessie's. This was a great gig. It's a nice size club. The new owners are really starting to make this a real music venue. We played for over 3 hours and had a blast! Everyone who was part of the ESB Wilmington weekend really helped make our trip worth while. The support from the fans, the newspaper coverage and the radio support made Wilmington a place the we will definitely return to. I hope that everyone that heard us got as much from this trip as we got from playing for you. We hope to see you again very soon!

Eric, Bryan, Mason, Phil & Chris

Hey gang,

Last night we played at The Vanderbilt with The Alarm (Check out the photos!). It was a great show. Mike Peters sounds fantastic. Harlan Friedman and WLIR were kind enough to include in their Tri-State Showcase as one of the best local bands. We were very flattered that they picked us. I have to say, this one was a great gig. It's too bad we couldn't play all night (like we usually do!) because we were just getting into it and the crowd was right there with us. We hope to be back there soon.

Talk to you guys after our next gig with The Alarm in two weeks!

Eric, Bryan, Mason, Phil & Chris

Hey,

We played The Chance Theater in Poughkeepsie, NY last night with the Alarm. It was great to share the stage with Mike Peters and the gang again. We are starting to feel like the Chance is one of our new homes. It was nice to see some familiar faces and once again the people behind the scenes did a great job helping out. We will have some photos of that night soon. The only thing that wasn't perfect that night was we didn't have Chris with us. He had family matters to take care of and had to miss this one. Although we can still play great as a four piece he is an essential member of the ESB family and we would like him to be on stage with us as much as possible. In June we will be back at The Chance to play with John Entwistle, don't miss that show (all of us will be there!)

Eric, Bryan, Mason, Phil & Chris

Hello,

We played the original House Of Blues in Cambridge, MA last night and rocked for over 3 hours for a private party for Pulver.com. It was such a nice vibe. We had people dancing and singing along to our songs. Jeff Pulver is known for his great parties and we definitely felt we lived up the reputation. We hope that this is the first of many shows we play for them as well as a beginning of a long and prosperous relationship. (Jeff, you are the only person I know who could get me to sing Mustang Sally!)

P.S. We should have some photos from that night soon!

Eric, Bryan, Mason, Phil & Chris

Hey People,

We played with the legendary John Entwisle(The Who) last night at The Chance Theater in Poughkeepsie, NY. The crowd was great. Now that we have played there a bunch of times and with WPDH's radio support, we really feel like we are building a following in the area. The staff (especially Frank and Rob) have been taking good care of us and we hope to play this venue regularly in a headlining capacity. As for sharing the stage with Entwisle, it was a thrill. I grew up a huge Who fan and was in awe of his bass playing. As for sharing the stage with his equipment, that's another story, I have never seen a larger bass rig in my life. I know families that live in smaller homes.

Eric, Bryan, Mason, Phil & Chris

Hey America,

I just got back from my solo trip to Stockholm, Sweden (The next time the band is coming!) First, let me say that Jeff Pulver (The new Father of Rock And Roll) is an incredible host. Everyone at Pulver.com went so far out of their way for me. I can't say that I have ever spent time with a nicer bunch of people. Stockholm is a beautiful city. It's clean, the people are very nice, (they all speak perfect English) and they love rock and roll. Second, John Cafferty and The Beaver Brown Band were the coolest guys to play with. John and I planned to do one song together. Mid way through the show he told me to come on up for the whole night. I played some guitar, played a little tambourine, and sand about ten songs with the band. (Click here to see some photos!) If you have never seen these guys play you are missing something. John is a fantastic showman. He got that crowd going from the first song. I watched and learned a lot that night. We are planning some shows together in the States with both bands (ESB & JC & BBB). I also want to thank Jonas Pettersson who made my stay in Stockholm a perfectly planned event. I have a feeling that ESB will be working with Jonas in Sweden in the not too distant future. It's good to be back in the USA! I can't wait to get out on the road with the band again!

P.S. 'Crazy Dave' took some great pictures of the show that night - I will have them up on the site soon!

Eric.

July Tour 2001

Hey,
Well we are finally home for a while! What a great three weeks on the road we had. So many great shows, so many great fans, we really had a good time doing our own headlining tour. I can't tell you how satisfying it is to be able to play over three hours of original music almost every night. It gave us a chance to test new material and really gel as a band. Here is a brief run down of our time out on the road:
First we played at Union Street Station in Traverse City, MI for two nights. We had played here earlier in the year (January) and let me tell you, summer is the best time to be there. Cherry Fest was going on and you could get everything in the world made out of cherries. (I even saw a Cherry Hamburger!). The club is a great place to play. David and his staff really know how to take care of a band. Both shows were great. There were a bunch of people that had seen us January there and they brought all their friends. The place was a mad house ­ but in a good way. I wish all the clubs we played had the same good vibe as Union Street.
Next we headed to The Cabbage Shed in Elberta, MI for two nights. This venue is really something different. It is an old Cabbage Shed turned into a restaurant and music club. It is right on the bay and has a beautiful view of the harbor. This was a really cool place. Jim and his staff treated us great. (Jim is a very good folk singer/guitarist as well ­ we even convinced him to play a couple of songs with us one night). The two nights were a lot of fun. The highlight of the stay there though was our celebrity guest one night ­ Bob Seger (who is a Michigan native) saw a newspaper article on us and decided to check out the band. He stopped by and watched our show for three hours. He even danced to our music. I am a huge fan and to know he liked our music enough to hang out all night and listen meant a lot to me. If you are ever in that area, make sure to try the food there ­ it's so good!
After that we played a two hour in store acoustic performance at Borders Books in Traverse City. MI. It is always good to hit the retail chains so that when we leave town our product is still available. It was a nice Sunday afternoon performance. There is nothing like a good cup of coffee and some acoustic music to brighten up you day.
Then we headed up to The U.P. (Upper peninsula for those of you not from Michigan) to do a radio interview on WUPX ­ Northern Michigan University's Radio Station. We did a one hour on air chat with Shaggy. He played a few cuts from our CD and helped promote our upcoming two shows in town. The next day he played 6 cuts of the CD for us as well. It is very nice of a station to give an independent band that kind of airplay. Thank you Shaggy and thank you WUPX!
The next two nights we were at Upfront and Company in Marquette, MI. (Check out some photos from both nights at Upfront) Once again, this was a venue we had played in January and really liked it much better in July! It is really beautiful up there. The first night we were in there we played an acoustic night. It was nice to be able to strip down the songs and play them as they were written. The next night we played full out electric and had a blast. The crowds both nights were great and very supportive. The club has always been kind to us and any ban that can should try to get up there to play a gig.

We then headed south to The City Park Grill in Petosky, MI. Petosky is a very pretty town. The club is in a beautiful old building. The restaurant side served some of the best food I have even eaten. The music side was a like an old pub. Great detail work and old tin ceilings. This was a classy place to play. The crowd was good but the best part of that night was the group of owners all came down to watch our show, which is rare in that club, because they loved our CD so much. Everyone seemed to enjoy the music.

Then it was a long haul down to St.Joseph, MI for Venetian Fest. This was an outdoor concert in extreme heat. I think we all lost about five pounds that afternoon on the stage. We made a lot of new fans that day and even saw some old familiar faces from when we were in the area on some of the national tours. I enjoy playing festivals for one important reason: We can introduce our music to a large amount of people all at once. The load out was a mess and trying to find the people in charge was a little frustrating but we finally got on the road again at 10:30pm for our six hour drive that night.

The next afternoon we played another ourdoor concert, this time at Mahoney's in Uniontown, PA with The Clarks. The Clarks are Pittsburgh biggest band and it was great to be able to share the stage with them. This was another hot day. At least there was a roof over the stage or I might have passed out. This was a rowdy rock and roll crowd and they loved us. I have always had a good expirence playing in PA and this was no different. We did a short one hour set and them hit the road for our night gig at Bobby Dale's in Greensburg, PA. This is a big club. Bobby can hold about 650 people in his venue. The crowd was medium size. There was a huge firework show happening at the same time and the support act brought in about 12 people. It was still a good show but the show could have been promoted better. I think the room is great and the people were into our music. We also had a bunch of our fans drive a long way to come out and see us. We really appreciated that.

We then drove to Boston to play The House Of Blues in Cambridge, MA This was a RevUp Records private party and it was a blast. We had two acts open up for us to get the night started right and then we played for two hours. This was far the most supportive crowd of the whole tour. We had people who knew every work to every song on the CD singing along and jamming to the new tunes. Jeff Pulver threw another great party. I hope we get to do these events once a month they really are a lot of fun.

Then it was home to New York for the final show at The Hard Rock Café, New York, NY. I must say that for a major chain in a major city this club has no clue about how to run a music venue. It's really all about the tourists and the food and the t-shirts and stuff. The fact that they have guitars and other music paraphernalia hanging all over the walls is a joke. This club is not about music and the staff was a bunch of disgruntled workers who got more in the way than did anything to help out. I have never seen a more disorganized venue with a worse sound system then this club. I was hoping that we could have finished the tour on a high note by wrapping it up in our hometown but this just proves to me once again that big business is just that, business. The Eric Stuart Band will stick to the 'real' music venues in New York. I appreciate the fans that came out to see us that night.

Thank you to everyone who came out and supported us on our short July tour. If you like our music, tell your friends and spread the word. It is the fans that make a difference to a band. All the promotion in the world can't get people to stand by a band and love their music. It's about our connection with you the listener.
Thank you again and we hope to see you very soon!

Eric,Bryan,Mason,Phil and Chris.

Hello,
We just played a show at Makor in New York City the other night. This is a great room for those who want to have a listening crowd. The room holds about 200 but feels much more intimate. We played a two-hour acoustic set to a great hometown crowd. The vibe that night was very special and we hope to be able to play this venue often. I highly recommended it to all singer/songwriters. You will enjoy playing here.

I was asked to perform at a charity event for the Long Island Maritime Museum in Sayville, NY. I packed up my guitar and Chris Carter and I did a one-hour acoustic set to a very receptive audience. The food was great, we were right on the water and with the amount of people there, I figure the event was a success for the museum. It was fun to 'wing it' with Chris. We even saw some familiar faces at the event. I guess people are actually checking the concert page on the web site!

Eric,Bryan,Mason,Phil and Chris.

P.S. We are planning to start recording our new CD soon!

More to come soon....