Backing band: The Insubordinates. Stay tuned for their very own MySpace page! Doug Wilkin - lead guitar Mark Perna - bass Art Gazdik - fiddle and mandolin Mark Weakland - percussion
影響
Anybody who stands squarely on the trapdoor of mystery and looks death in the face with a spirit of love and defiance to overthrow fear, despotism, fascism, and who carry with them bountiful hearts and dangerous edges are comrades of mine.
Dylan, Cohen, Joni Mitchell, Johnny Cash, Wayne Shorter, Billie Holliday, Lennon, Kottke, Waits, Randy Newman, Elvis Costello, Doc Watson, Mississippi John Hurt, Mark Knopfler, Emmylou Harris, Woody Guthrie, Ray Charles, Willie Nelson, U2, John Prine, Miles Davis, Bill Evans, Oregon, Yes, Skippy James, Neil Young, not necessarily in that order.
風格近似
Himself. People draw comparisons with qualifiers, for instance: "I hear some Croce influence in there." "You must be a Dylan fan." "In one song you sang deeper than Leonard Cohen." "First time I heard you I thought, 'This must be what it was like to have stumbled onto Prine just before he made it.'"
"Erdie's jovial stage banter and strong voice earned him a warm response, while the bluntness of his material took a little getting used to -- almost like you'd asked a friend some simple questions, and the responses happened to rhyme."
-- Aaron Jentzen, Pittsburgh City Paper
"Many [singer-songwriters] are lost in the crowd of folks who have not mastered their musical instruments, their word-smithing or learned from those who have gone before them.
"Jack Erdie stands apart from that crowd. His song-writing transcends the merely personal to stand apart in a place of common experience that will make his songs relevant and meaningful to most listeners."
-- Tampa Blue, FAME (Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange)
"How I could be living in the same city as someone this good without having ever heard or met him? His songs commanded attention, his vocal-range wide and powerful, his rhythms compelling, and his imagery and command of language as sophisticated as anything I'd ever heard.
" Life-changing stuff."
-- Robert A. Wagner, Calliope Folk Music Newsletter
"His political, social or intensely personal messages bristle with a passion that doesn't quite draw blood. Remnants of his theater background surface in his powerful voice, nuanced delivery and compelling stage sense. Remnants of his rural childhood surface in his songs."
-- John Hayes, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"His music is like a transmission on the midnight radio over cultural barriers and national borders. "
-- Kiyoshi Fujioka, Japanese playwright
Born in West Virginia. Raised on fear, violence, gospel, Elvis, and Johnny Cash. Brother drowned when he was 13. Traded a pellet gun for his first guitar a few months later. Discovered Dylan, the Beatles. Then got turned on to Tom Waits, Leonard Cohen, John Prine, and a bunch of dead blues men. Played solo for twenty-five years, in restaurants and coffee shops. Took an acting detour for twelve years. Woodshedded for three years, crafted songs, strengthened his voice and marketed his tail off. Tail still missing.
Thanks for the add, Jack! Always a pleasure to come to your page and check out those bittersweet sounds. Hope you'll visit and listen to our new tracks when you get a chance! Pete/Tecumseh EQs ("ee cues")
Mark Dignam has been bumping into Paul Luc and Ben Shannon a lot, at Treelady Studios, where they are all working, on their upcoming albums. They admire each others work so much, they decided to put together what promises to be, a mini singer/songwriter festival.. Watch for special guests and a very memorable night at The Rex Theater, 1602 East Carson Street. Pittsburgh, PA 15203. 8pm. $10.
My new single "I Can't Kiss Me" just became available at ITUNES and you can watch the video at YOUTUBE. The full album comes out on Aug 11th! Here's the video!
Now it’s time to negotiate for one of your “top friend” positions. Things we are willing to do may include (but is not limited to):
1. Jackass stunts (Pat got off a perfectly good motorcycle at 50 feet in the air without a parachute)
2. Topless pictures of band members (when Ray is naked, he looks like he’s wearing a wookie costume),
Or, 3. Videos of aeronautical misadventures (Tony almost took out half the band when he landed his plane like Lynard Skynard was onboard).
Hell, we could even be talked into showing you something that looks like a baby bird (on second thought, you may want to pass on that last suggestion.)
