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That’s the way Eric Stracener
looks at his music. An odd statement considering his debut album that
is being released on PopAHolic records, is a collection of heartfelt,
earthy, and guttural songs centered around his voice and the acoustic
guitar. Still somehow this phrase fits. This is no whimpy singer songwriter
guy. Eric grew up in Mobile AL listening to the sounds of Husker Du,
The Meat Puppets, and The Replacements. “I thought I was a rocker,”
Stracener says. “I liked my music to be loud. We used to be
in the kind of bands that weren’t really keen on the subtleties.”
Also a big influence was fellow Mobilian, Will Kimbrough, whose guitar
playing, singing and songwriting are the stuff of legend.
How does one stop a rocker? Simple. Get him married and move him to
another state where he has to sell his electric guitars to fund the
move. That’s what happened and that’s when Eric’s
music began to take a turn. He began focusing more on his songwriting
craft and focusing more on his intricate playing. He started turning
in the old bands for the likes of Richard Thompson, Steve Earle, and
Wilco. Songwriters who could make you hurt, but ones that kept their
edge in the process. Eric has definitely taken a page out of this
book. He possesses the talent to talk about his emotions without coming
across as a whiner. (A rare ability in the singer songwriter world.)
He has successfully kept his rocker roots in tact. He does it with
a gravely low voice and a ferocious finger picking style that sits
somewhere in the middle of Americana, Alt country, and pop. He does
it with songs that speak honestly to the listener.
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How
does one stop a rocker? Simple. Get him married and move him
to another state where he has to sell his electric guitars to
fund the move. |
His debut release, Sockeye, is a marvelous collection of straight
shooting songs hung on the backdrop of acoustic guitar, organ, and
lap steel. A drummer shows up every now and then to keep the record
from being too sleepy. Co-produced by friend and Parasol recording
artist Neilson Hubbard, the record is sparse yet dynamic, atmospheric,
and moving. For fans of American music, rockers included, this record
is worth the listen. |
