Locally World Famous
ASIN: B0000ZQTKU
Editorial Reviews
About the Artist
Eric Thompson was born in 1968. A California native currently living in San Francisco, Eric called 11 cities home in his first 11 school years.
A self-described storyteller who writes songs "because my ADD keeps me from doing anything that requires more focus", Thompson calls his vocation "a noble calling." After his second divorce and years of questionable behavior, he committed himself completely to his creative (and less harmful) impulses. "It was cathartic to finally just give in and surrender to what I've always known I need to be doing." What followed was the highly personal and spontaneous cd "Manic + Organic", released in January 2002,which Thompson considers something of a happy accident. "I had been writing songs, poetry, for years. I played in bands my whole life, but it wasn't a personal thing because I never let it become personal. To me, my songs were my sanctuary & I wasn't about to let the b.s. and politics and idiots intrude on my personal space. So somehow, it was always separate. When shit would hit the fan, I'd hole up with a guitar and sing alone in my room for hours and when I was done somehow everything would be ok. That's how Manic + Organic basically happened. I was living in a one room cabin on the top of a hill on three acres by myself. I sat in a corner for like three days straight when I got up there and didn't know what the hell to do. By the time I was done holing up, I had a record done."
His decision to release it came later, after listening to some of the rough mixes. "For whatever reason, I was never willing, or maybe it just never occurred to me that people would care about my music,and most don't, I mean, you can't worry about whether people buy it or like it or whatever. Being faithful to the creative process simply means that you're willing to let go of it and that's what I did."
The critical response to "Manic + Organic" was overwhelmingly positive. "People seemed to like it, or at least didn't feel like they needed to beat up some struggling, unknown guy, so that was cool." It didn't hurt that "M+O" (as the cd is affectionately referred to by fans) featured some world-class musicianship, either. "Yeah, the story behind that is kinda cool. I had a friend who I had given some mixes to & he called me and said he'd given them to his guitar teacher who turned out to be Pete Grant, and who, as it turned out, had gone to high school with David Nelson, who played with Jerry Garcia and founded the New Riders of the Purple Sage, and is like this total legend. Well, I got this phone call from Pete saying he really liked my stuff and wanted to play on it. I'm like, "Pete Grant wants to play on my record? Uh, ok!!!" So the two joined Eric for a day's work at the studio. "Pete and David came in with like a tractor trailer filled with gear and instruments, and just completely blew everyone away. They were there for the whole day, just playing 4 and 5 tracks of stuff and we're all sitting there going "It's great, but how the fuck are we going to mix this?'" (Laughing) "Seriously, it was the highlight of the entire process."
Following the release of "Manic + Organic" Eric formed a band and hit the road, playing nearly 60 dates over the next year. "I played solo, duo, trio acoustic. We had an electric band, I did open mics, played coffeehouses, clubs, wherever I could. We tried putting together a roadshow and touring more regionally, doing fairs and Indian casinos. We canvassed all of California, got some radio support, played a bunch of great shows and things were going along pretty good then one day something just snapped. My life basically imploded. I was miserable. I was doing what I thought I wanted to do, but realized that the reality of if was much different than I ever imagined." What changed? "What changed for me was the feeling that no one, nobody, really cared about me or my music. And that really bummed me out. And it was hard. I mean, being an artist is hard. But being a prof
Product Description
"Snarling blues of Elvis, raunchy grit of The Stones, Lo-Fi confessional of John Lee Hooker, ease and candor of Willie Nelson meets the storytelling ennui of Leonard Cohen"
Locally World Famous,Eric Thompson,Independent,Country,Country & Western,Pop
Average customer rating: 
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Locally World Famous
Manufacturer: Tree Fort ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD  General
| Country
| Styles
| Music
ASIN: B000CAH1SC Release Date: 2003-11-18 |
Average customer rating: 
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Locally World Famous
Eric Thompson Manufacturer: Independent ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General
| Country
| Styles
| Music
General
| Folk
| Styles
| Music
General
| Country
| Indie Music
| Stores
| Music
ASIN: B0000ZQTKU Release Date: 2003-11-18 |
Tracks:
Album Description
"Snarling blues of Elvis, raunchy grit of The Stones, Lo-Fi confessional of John Lee Hooker, ease and candor of Willie Nelson meets the storytelling ennui of Leonard Cohen"Customer Reviews:
Great Stuff.......2004-01-11
Album Review: