Latest News

7/2/06

Whassup!?!? I know it's been a while since I wrote some news so there's a lot to catch up on. It's been an absolutely crazy year so far and I'm just trying to keep up.

The year started off with an incredible two week tour of Russia and Eastern Europe with Keiko Matsui. It was a really tough journey. Every day a new city and Siberia in the winter is no picnic! Temperatures reached -40 degrees. We traveled partly by airplanes with propellars that looked like they were built in the 60's and the rest of the time by bus. We were caught without visa's in Minsk, Belarus and had to pay a bunch of money to get back on the same plane to get to our next gig. We had fights within the crew and stand off's with scarey Russian dudes. It was quite an adventure that I'm glad I survived.

After that it was off to Japan for two weeks. What a relief after being in Russia. The weather alone was worth the trip. Japan is one of my favorite countries. The people are smart and nice and the food rocks! We did a club tour and the crowds were great.

Recently I started playing with the band El Chicano. They had some hits in the late 60's and 70's like "Tell Her She's Lovely" and "Viva Tirado". It's been great fun playing their music and being a little part of history. Check the tour page for more dates with them.

I've also been performing with Jerry Salas who is the lead singer of El Chicano. He has released a solo album and I'm in his band. He will be receiving a lifetime achievement award at the L.A Music Awards and we will be performing. We will also be appearing on "The Jimmy Kimmel Show" and "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno". I will post those dates when they are confirmed. Check his album out at CDBaby.com.

Other than this I've been writing a lot and I've started working on a new record. I'm taking my time right now but you can check out a new song at my www.MySpace.com/ericbaines. Come be my friend. Thanks for stopping by my page and I'll write more soon.

1/1/2006

Happy New Year, All!!!! It's a new year and there's a new energy in the air for me. I hope everybody made some good resolutions. I don't have any specific ones but I'm definitely feeling a change in my spirit and I'm ready to tackle this year with a new enthusiasm. I'm going to start by recording a whole batch of new songs. I've been writing a lot in the last few months and it's time to get them down. I will let you know how to get your copy when it's done. I hope everybody is doing well and let's grab this year and make it ours.

12/13/05

Happy Holidays!!!! It's been a busy month for me so far. I had the honor of playing a couple shows with singer/songwriter Melissa Manchester. Some of her hits include "Midnight Blue", "Don't Cry Out Loud" and "Through The Eyes Of Love". The band featured some great players. Peter Hume is the guitar player and musical director, the multi-talented Stephan Oberhoff plays keyboards and piano and my good friend John Lewis plays drums and percussion. Melissa was very enjoyable to work with and I had a great time.

I would like to once again thank everyone for coming out to the shows and supporting me and my music. Without you I'd be nothing. I hope to see you at the next big show.

7/19/05

I'd like to start by thanking everybody that has been showing up to my live shows. It is such a hard undertaking to get an original act off the ground and I couldn't do it without those of you dedicated fans, friends, and family members that make it out to the shows. We've had some great fun. Thank you.

I am currently in Chicago on a little tour with Billy Miles and it's hot and muggy. I miss that California weather. So far the tour is going great. If you haven't checked out Billy's music yet I would do so. She's really talented. It's one more show to go then we're off to NJ. I recently had a cool gig with Keiko Matsui outside of Detroit in a place called Mackinac Island. I thought it was a joke when they first told me the schedule but it wasn't. We flew to Detroit in the morning (from Boston- a shout out to all the people that saw us at Sculler's) and then drove 5 hours to the edge of Lake Michigan. We then loaded all of our gear and ourselves into a ferry boat which took us over to the Island. On the Island there are no motorized vehicles allowed so from there we loaded everything into a horse and carriage which took us to the venue. It was like going to back in time. Riding in a horse and carriage through a city that was built in 1817. The Island is beautiful and the gig was fun.

4/17/05

Well, I've knocked another city off my list of cities I want to see. I'm now in Moscow, Russia with a view of Red Square about to perform with an artist that has taken me all over the world, Keiko Matsui. We played two days ago in Kiev, Ukraine and after the show some of the band (drummer Chad Wright and saxophonist Michael Ghegan) went to the coolest bar in Kiev, Club 44, and rocked with the locals. It was another great visit to another incredible city. If you ever have a chance to go don't hesitate. The people are fun and nice and the women are beautiful. Watch your back at the airport, though.

I would like to thank all of you who showed up at McMurphy's in Pasadena on the 30th of March to see my band. It was great to see so many good people. I had such a great time. Thank you also to Todd Sapio and Jeddrah who also played great sets. I hope to do it again soon.

Watch "The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson" on April 25th. I will be performing with another fabulous artist who's been taking me all over the country, Billy MIles. She is an amazing singer/songwriter and the band consists of all my pals. Tune into CBS on April 25th. Check your local listings for times.

In other news, I'm writing more songs and playing them out with my band. The CD is getting a great response and all is well. Look for me soon at Genghis Cohen, McMurphy's and the Brass Elephant (dates will be on the site soon). Thanks for everyone's support and I'll see you at the next gig. You Rock!

 

1/27/05

Greetings from the road. I'm currently in Philadelphia with a really amazing singer/songwriter Billy Miles. We played NYC last night and were really well received. We all had a blast! It's really cold here, though. It's a big difference from last week at the Barbados Jazz Festival where I performed with Keiko Matsui. That show was a lot of fun and was taped for BETJazz. Check your local listings to see when it airs. I would encourage you to check out Billy's new album in stores now. Also look for Keiko's new album to be released in the Spring. It will come with a DVD of us playing live in Tokyo, Japan.

I am going to start performing to support my CD "Reinvention" with my new band in March. The dates aren't confirmed yet but click the tour button in the next couple of weeks and stay tuned. I also have been playing on Monday nights when I'm in town at The Brass Elephant in Monrovia, CA. It's a great night of singer/songwriter's from all over the area. There are some great people at The Brass and it's always a good hang. Well, that's all for now. Peace...out.