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.”

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Eric Lives Here

When and where did your band form?

2006.  St. Norbert College in De Pere, WI.

Who are the members of your band and what do they play?

Mike Thiel –songwriter/vocals, Bill Glasheen – Bass, John Menn – Drums, (We currently alternate guitarists)

Who are some of your influences?

I listen to so much music, it’s hard to choose, but I’d say Incubus, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Darkness and even Daughtry have influenced me in some way. Though I don’t think Eric Lives Here’s music directly reflects any of those bands.

When first starting the band, what were your goals? Did you meet them?

We didn’t really have any immediate goals because the band kind of started on a whim. I was in college working on some songs with my guitarist, Chris Schmitz, in my dorm room with the door wide 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.” He had some friends who played guitar and I had a friend who played drums, and that’s how it started, at that little event with about 30 or 40 people. The show went well and we knew we had something after that, so we made an EP called “Misplaced Mistakes” that summer and started gigging a lot by fall. 

Where have you been able to perform and where would you like to play?

I’ve performed at a lot of different venues in Wisconsin, but some of the most memorable have probably been The Rave in Milwaukee, my two Summerfest appearances in Milwaukee and my favorite out-of-state gig was probably at The Rock Nightclub in Minnesota. 

Places I would like to play? Um, the Staples Center!!

How do you get the inspiration for the music you write?

I can’t say I’ve never written from direct experience, but most of my music is written from a culmination of experiences. I might write about feelings I had yesterday, I might write about feelings I had two years ago and in some cases, I’ll combine them. I also find myself observing other people’s situations and writing about that. It’s really just about living life. There’s plenty to write about if you just stop and look around.  

After the hiatus, what did it feel like to start up the band again? 

Well, first of all, the hiatus lasted a lot longer than I thought it would. Everyone was just going in new directions, not so much musically, but just going different directions in life. We were all from different areas –  including one of the guys was from Illinois and one was from Minnesota – and we were centralized at one location in college, but it got more challenging to keep the band together after we had all graduated.

Everyone started taking different roads, but knew I wanted to keep pursuing music in a serious manner, so 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.

It wasn’t until I connected with a friend/producer/guitarist in California in 2011 that I knew the band had a chance to run strong again. And 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.

What is the story behind your recent album? / How did you come about your recording process?

“The Night is Young” was recorded with just two people. I wrote the lyrics, drummed the songs and sang the songs, while my guitarist/producer Bruce Lawrence created the guitar and bass melodies. Most of the songs were written in Los Angeles, but some I had been working on prior to that – some on and off for years.

What expectations did you have after the release of your album, “The Night is Young?”

I went in with a pretty open mind. I hadn’t released any new material in about five years prior to this album and a lot has changed in the music industry since then.

I released the single “Night is Young” in June 2011 and found out just how hard it was to to promote one song – that wasn’t on radio, that wasn’t on a TV show, that wasn’t in the public eye whatsoever. Even comparing it to my EP release in 2006, the groundwork for releasing a song has changed so much with technology.

In a sense, this project was like starting over but then as word gets out, you start to see old fans coming back and paying attention again. There’s also been a variety of new fans jumping on the bandwagon since ELH  has a revised, updated sound, so that gives me a sense of relief.

I heard you tried out for American Idol, what was it like and what did you learn?

All I can say is that it’s a lot longer of a process than it looks like. And getting to the level I got to, I learned a lot about reality TV.

What are your future goals?

I think for most musicians, the goal is always to get as many people to hear your music as possible. 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. My goal is just to have people hear it – and hopefully enjoy it.