Washington, DC's singer/songwriter and bassist, Eric Scott, is pure soulful goodness. He has toured internationally, sharing stages with the likes of B.B. King, Mavis Staples, Aaron Neville, REO Speedwagon, Roger Waters, and Deanna Bogart and you can hear why. There is a unique blend of clarity, kindness, and soul to his voice and phrasing that makes Eric the kind of artist you want to be around, as those qualities translate directly into the kind of person he is.
On his own he performs his own "evolving brand of funky, upbeat, socially aware" music that is, like him, immediately relatable. His songs, woven together by his recognizable signature sound, are diverse and rich, each with the element that make that magical "head nod - foot tap - hand slap" happen as you listen. His musicality is so on point, arrangements so smooth, and Eric's voice is like the cherry on top, crystal clear soul with just enough grit underneath to keep it real.
His latest album, Peace Bomb, comes out at the perfect time when our world needs peace and love more than ever. We had the chance to catch up with Eric to learn more about this phenomenal album, who inspires him, and how the pandemic has personally and professional touched his life.
(Top photo by Shane Gardner)
So Eric, let's start off with your latest album, Peace Bomb. The message and the music is so timely right now. Tell me more about it.
Thanks so much! I wanted to try some new things, so I took my time with this record. I've always wanted to do a soul record with horns, sassy background vocals, strings, and a lot of layers. My love of 70's soul music really guided the recordings, and it ended up being like a throwback soul record with modern sensibilities. I call it Modern Soul. I think this is where my sound has been headed all along.
Peace Bomb, it's a curious juxtaposition. Tell me more about the title track and name of the album.
Although the title track is about the state of the world and how I'd like to drop a Bomb of Peace on everything, it's really an album about love, relationships, and self-discovery.
I love that, and the video is so terrific! You have lots of amazing guest artists on this album, tell me who was involved.
It was a group effort and a labor of love. My producer Jim Ebert really helped me find cohesion with the sound and the songs, and I hired the absolute best people I could to play on it, mix it, engineer it, and master it. Jeff Juliano (Dan and Shay) mixed three tracks, Dave Collins (Soundgarden, Ben Harper, Madonna) mastered it, Sue Hadjopoulos (Cyndi Lauper, Joe Jackson, Simple Minds) played percussion, Chris Kennedy (Peabody Institute) did strings. Some great local players (Buddy Speir, Benjie Porecki, Bruce Swaim, Al Williams, Scott Paddock, Stanley Cooper, Andy Hamburger, Scott Smith, and Glenn Workman) and of course my bandmates Dan Leonard and Deren Blessman.
There are too many people to mention, and I don't want to leave anyone out! But we had a blast making it, and I couldn't be happier with the results. I owe a debt of gratitude and thanks to so many people on this project, including some incredible people who contributed to my crowdfunding campaign. Special thanks to engineer Sean Russell who curated everything and Mark Williams who mixed five tracks.
I love that you involved so many people, especially local musicians. You can tell there is a lot of vibe happening between players on these songs.
Who are some artists in the DMV you're listening to these days?
I recently heard Laura Tsaggaris's single "Lead Me" and I thought it was fantastic. Really well done and I love what she's singing about. Lauren Ruth Ward out of Baltimore is pretty amazing. She's totally unique and her last album Vol. II is pretty killer. She's headed for some huge things I feel. I'm a big fan of Cris Jacobs from Baltimore. I have huge admiration and appreciation for Mark Wenner and The Nighthawks. They've kept the blues alive and been doing it for over 40 years. They've toured the world and they still are kicking butt. Man, you've got to respect that.
There are so many more, I could go on and on!
Who have been the greatest influences on your music?
I'd have to start with my mother honestly. She had the most badass and varied album collection when I was growing up. Everything from Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Elton John, Wes Montgomery, Dave Brubeck, Hall and Oates, ELO, Marvin Gaye, The Temptations, Carole King, The Beatles, The Stones...just everything. There was always different kinds of music playing, and I consumed it all. Although I loved rock, jazz, Motown...I always was drawn to the soul singers. Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, Ronald Isley, Stevie Wonder, Otis Redding, and so many others. And I also loved Karen Carpenter, Freddy Mercury. and Paul McCartney is my hero. I'm a product of all of them. They inspired me so much and they continue to do so. People have pointed out the Marvin Gaye influence in my song "Peace Bomb." It's pretty apparent, and I'm cool with it.
I love that, I can definitely hear some Marvin Gaye in the title track. So more about what moves you, can you tell me a book or song or movie that changed the way you think about things.
How about one of each? The book The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz has been incredibly helpful in my life. Especially the agreement that states "Don't Take Anything Personally." Once you realize that people's lives and viewpoints are a reflection of them and not you...man that's a game changer. The book explains it in much better detail. But the whole book is amazing and so practical. I've probably given my copy to 30 people and then bought another one!
Musically, whenever I listen to "A Change Is Gonna Come" by Sam Cooke, I am immediately transfixed. It literally just stops me in my tracks. The emotion of his voice, the performance, the lyrics, the majestic feel of the music. I hear it all and I can feel and literally see the struggle play out in my mind. Just so powerful. Goosebumps every time.
As for a movie, I feel like every American should be required to watch Twelve Years A Slave. It shook me to the core and enhanced my perspective greatly. Whenever I encounter folks who dismiss discussions of racial equality, first I want to hug them...and then I want to tell them to go watch that movie.
I know the pandemic has been really hard on artists. Tell me about how it has affected your music and your life. What are you doing to take care of yourself these days?
It's been very difficult on a professional and personal level. Personally, my father was diagnosed with Covid-19 in early April. We lost him on May 8th. He was only 74 years old. Not being able to see him, talk to him, or touch him while he was hospitalized was beyond surreal. I only saw him peacefully slip away through a glass window at the very end. I still can't really get my head around it. I did, however, gain a whole new level of respect for caregivers. They fought hard to save him and I could feel how much they cared. I love them for that.
I am so sorry, Eric. I remember you putting on a LiveStream shortly after and it was heartbreaking. I know it's been a hard year for you in so many ways.
Thank you, it really has. Professionally, it's also been a challenge. For me to do my job, I need to have people there and feel their energy. I can only work from home in a very limited capacity. So all of my gigs have been cancelled except a few. It's been hard trying to promote a new album with very few playing opportunities. But it's been tough for so many. We're all adjusting and doing the best we can.
I honestly don't know what the future of live music looks like in the "new normal." Hopefully 2021 will ease back into some form of normalcy.
Photo by Beth Harrison
I really hope so, too. And hope to see you perform live as soon as things are safe and open up again.
Thank you, Eric, for taking the time to connect with DC Music Review and letting us get to know you better. It's been such a pleasure and I'm so grateful for the music and love you put out there.
Thank you so much, that means a lot. It's been fun and thank you to DC Music Review for connecting with me!
To learn more about Eric Scott, please see the following resources:
