T.H.E Interview – Eric Bolton

0
eric bolton interview

Canadian rock singer-songwriter Eric Bolton shared his new single ‘Hello Angels’, out January 28th on all streaming platforms.

We caught up with Eric Bolton to learn more about the single “Hello Angels” came about, and more. Read on!

Aditya – Hey Eric, Glad to have you for the interview. How was 2021 for you?

Eric – Thank you so much for having me, I so appreciate it. 2021 was actually a pretty incredible year, despite its uncertainties and limitations. I had time to dig in creatively. It was by far the most productive year of writing and recording to date. Released four EPs of cover tunes, recorded half of my new original album, dropped a couple singles, made a couple music videos, and still performed a whole bunch in the summer months…usually 5 or 6 shows a week. It was very motivating and has set 2022 to be even more jam packed with music goodness.

Aditya – ‘Hello Angels’ came out last month. What’s your message behind the track?

Eric – I feel like the last few years of my life have been about rediscovering myself and learning to unpack things that had been instilled over time…then ditching most of it to start fresh. A big part of that was this sense of failure or lacking just because I don’t fit or follow the religious upbringing I had. It seems a lot of people go through this. So ‘Hello, Angels’ is really about all the sort of “fallen angels” out there rediscovering their worth and learning to thrive. Ultimately a positive song of stepping into a sense of personal freedom, even if it took a while to get there.

Aditya – What’s your creative process? How do you begin writing songs?

Eric – Usually it’s music first. I feel like most days I come up with a cool music idea and the ones I keep coming back to are ones that also evoke a feeling or make me want to go down a certain road lyrically. I’ll then chase that and write the lyrics to it. Sometimes though it’s lyrics first and I begin hearing a melody for them and build the music around that. Then there’s the golden moments where it all comes at once, but I find that rare. There’s a song on my upcoming album that I think I’ll be calling ‘A Letter’ that was music and lyrics in a beautiful improvisational moment that I just happened to be recording on my phone. So glad that was captured so I could go back to it and bring it to the band to learn.

Aditya – Could you share more info on the production of the track?

Eric – Sure! This song, along with all the songs on the album, was recorded live-off-the-floor for the main body of instruments. I was in the stunning Halo Recording Studio in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada with my friend and producer, Zach Gerber of Skytrack Studios, and a team of brilliant musicians. We had me on guitar, Nathan Bulla on drums, Daniel Walton on second guitar, and Nathan Payne on bass, and we just played until we felt we had a great take. Not only is this song the first lead-up single for the album but it is also the first song we tracked together as a band. I then later myself added some piano, organ, acoustic guitar, and the vocals.

Aditya – Who are your biggest influences and why?

Eric – There really are so many songwriters over the years who have impacted me, and then similarly some inspiring instrumentalists, and then beyond that there are stunning performers as well. For lyrics and emotion I’ve been so hit by guys like The Tallest Man On Earth, Damien Rice, Glen Hansard, Gord Downie, Joni Mitchell, Eddie Vedder. Instrumentalists, guys like Andy McKee, Tommy Emmanuel, John Mayer, and Mateus Asato. Then performers…I have to start with Chris Cornell. Seeing him live changed my life, truly. I’ve never felt so connected to an artist. I’d also include though Eddie Vedder, Jon Foreman, Steven Tyler, Brandi Carlile.

Aditya – I’d like to know more about your rock group ‘Shy Harry’.

Eric – Shy Harry is a long standing rock band of mine. We’ve been together for years and years, mostly playing shows around our local scene…we’ve become one of the bigger bands in our area. So many night of cover tunes and parties around here. It also became my platform for a lot of my writing though, as most of the songs I felt like sharing I’d bring to that band. We’re prepping for more shows and recording this year, but we’ve had a quieter time as a band through the pandemic so I used the time to shift gears and show off some of my writings and stylings that I don’t always feel ‘fit’ the Shy Harry vibe.

Aditya – You also run E-Bolt Music, a music school based in Ontario. Can you tell us more about the school and it’s offerings?

Eric – I do indeed! I launched the music school back in 2010 and have now a great team of teachers with me. We do lessons on a variety of instruments and offer the lessons both online (usually over Zoom) and also in our studio there. We’re expanding the studio again this year. We also this past fall launched a video library of pre-recorded mini lessons.

Aditya – Could you share more info on your upcoming album?

Eric – This album is my first solo album of original works. I’ve released a bunch of music with my band, Shy Harry, but have always kept a lot of other songs and stylings to myself…so this project is a great opportunity for me to show this other side of me. Originally I was just going to do a little EP of a few songs but once the project was started it just kept expanding and will now be a 14 track album (plus maybe a bonus acoustic track). It’s been coming together in a pretty magical way. Since it’s me solo I’ve had the freedom and flexibility to make it with guest artists, in multiple incredible studios, and with some cool creative things like a choir or more instruments than the usual 4-piece Shy Harry experience. So excited to share this album!

Aditya – When did you pick up your instrument, and your journey post that?

Eric – I grew up playing piano, and then trumpet, but wasn’t necessarily glued to them. Then when I was 14 my family moved homes and in the process I was the one to physically carry my brother’s guitar into the house. He never played it so I decided to take it to my room and try it out. Instantly hooked. I then spent my high school career playing as often as I could and quickly started joining high school bands. I was actually going through school doing all science and math with career aspirations in the medical world but after some traveling I found I wasn’t keen on devoting years of life to school but rather wanted to focus on art and community. It quickly became my only focus and soon after I started performing multiple shows a week and launched my music school.

Aditya – Lastly, what’s your favorite cuisine and why?

Eric – Oh I don’t know if you know this, but I LOVE to cook. Outside of music it’s my favourite thing to do. I’m most into Italian foods, I’d say, as I love to make pasta and bread from scratch every week. It’s so relaxing and I love the creative time in the kitchen.

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here