Sunday, March 25, 2012

Eric Lives Here




Eric Lives Here is an unsigned pop rock band from Appleton, WI, who formed at St. Norbert College in De Pere, WI, in 2006, consisting of Mike Thiel as songwriter and singer, Bill Glasheen on bass, and John Menn on drums.

“The band kind of started on a whim,” Thiel said. “I was working on some songs with my guitarist, Chris Schmitz, in my dorm room with the door open and a girl walked past and said, ‘Hey that sounds really good! I’m throwing an event in the dorms on Friday. Would you guys like to play?’ I looked at Chris and we were like, ‘Yeah, I think we can put a band together by then.’”

After that, the band made its first EP, called “Misplaced Mistakes,” and started performing. Eric Lives Here writes its music based off real life experiences.

After college, the band members started to go in different directions, but Thiel decided to continue to pursue music.

“I worked with a lot of musicians in Wisconsin and out-of-state, trying to rekindle that chemistry the band had, but besides a few glimpses of hope, it just wasn’t happening,” Thiel said. 

Thiel met with a friend who was a producer in California in 2011 and had the chance to start again.

“After a few more flights out to California, we eventually created ‘The Night is Young’ album, which we turned around pretty quickly, releasing it in December 2011. Being able to bring the band off of hiatus filled this massive void I’d been feeling for the prior two years,” Thiel said.

“The Night is Young” was a combination of songs written in Los Angeles and previous songs.

“I wrote the lyrics, drummed the songs and sang the songs, while my guitarist/producer Bruce Lawrence created the guitar and bass melodies,” Thiel said. 

“I can’t say I’ve never written from direct experience, but most of my music is written from a culmination of experiences,” Thiel said.  “I also find myself observing other people’s situations and writing about that. It’s really just about living life.”

In the future, the band hopes its music is heard by the public and enjoyed.

“I think for most musicians, the goal is always to get as many people to hear your music as possible,” Thiel said. “Whether that’s signing to a major label, getting on a TV show or playing 365 gigs a year is up to the musician. For me, playing live is a great way to express this music and radio play certainly wouldn’t hurt in today’s market.”

http://www.facebook.com/ericliveshere