Eric Blackmer
These are my songs, recorded and produced by me. Not your average empty pop songs. The style and genre vary widely including Folk, Rock, Jazz, Classical, Traditional & Modern. If it sounds good, it is good!
Tell me about your history? How did you get where you are now?
Music has been important in my life from the beginning. My father, David Blackmer, founder of dbx, introduced me to Harry Belafonte and Dave Brubeck at a young age. And of course I loved the Beatles, Dylan and Hendrix in High School when I rock and rolled with 'SimonPure' (David Frank, Clarice Taylor, David James and Tom Bruneau), then in 'Velocette' with Dennis Roach, Maury Falkoff,and Tom Parmenter. I eventually got sick of smoky bars and loud rock, I acquired an acoustic guitar, put on medium gauge strings and really learned how to play. I worked for a time with 'Art Attack' who backed up Slap Happy at the Charles Playhouse for 6 months. At UMass Boston, I formed a dulcimer-guitar duo with Lucy Joan Sollogub. Calling ourselves 'Coleus and the Unicorn' we played folk music on the streets, at coffee house and weddings, mostly around Boston and Cambridge, but also in Holland and elsewhere. Marriage and children led us in separate directions but Lucys influence has stayed with me and always will.
I worked for years selling audio equipment EU Wurlitzer, LaSalle Music, Daddys, Guitar Center, I also have been building recording studios with my brother Michael and my nephew, Miguel aka Virtuoso.
Fast forward to 1995 My children had grown up enough not to be in my lap every time I tried to play. I moved from Mid-coast Maine to Peterborough, NH to work with my Father at Earthworks Audio selling microphones. I hooked up with Marybeth Hallinan and Chaz Beaulieu and together we formed 'Full Cold Moon'. This association broadened my musical repertoire to include many Celtic tunes, especially OCarolan, and Febonio, traditional fiddle tunes, and a wide and eclectic variety of instrumental and vocal music. We produced a CD called 'Two Hot Dates'. MB is a great songwriter and singer and her work inspired me to develop my own singer songwriter chops. (http://cdbaby.com/cd/marybethhallinan)
Then in 2007 I went through a severe personal crisis. Everything, they say, happens for a reason. Emotional trauma, separation and therapy led to a kind of re-birth. When I came out the other side of my crisis I had started writing songs again and, thanks to my friend Bruce Boege (Limin Music), I was recording them.
And the music didnt stop coming. I have most of the material and am well into production of my second CD: How I Survived the 00s (the naughties).
Please buy my CD! http://cdbaby.com/cd/ericblackmer
Thank You!
Eric Blackmer
PS. I still build studios with Blackmer Sound (http://www.BlackmerSound.com)
Have you performed live in front of an audience? Any special memories?
Yes, Around New England.
Your musical influences
Beatles, Dave Brubeck, Little Feat, Kinks, The Who, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Draco, Robby Rosa, Calle 13, Daddy Yankee, Juanes, Mana, Bartok, Beathoven, Mozart, O'Carolan, John Renborn, Virtuoso.
What equipment do you use?
Taylor K10, Fender Strat, Mango Flamenco guitar, Earthworks microphones, Mackie Onyx with firewire, MacBook, CuBase Studio. My ears! My soul! My emotions and my fingers.
