I'm always on the hunt for new tunes. But at the same time, I'm forever frustrated when I buy a CD (I still prefer the real thing to digital downloads) only to find that one or two songs are good but the rest are fillers.
Meet Eric Peters. We just met him a few months ago ourselves (both figuratively and literally). I've read about Eric occasionally over the past few years. He's part of the
Square Peg Alliance, which is essentially a group of independent singer/songwriters who support each other's music. We've loved the music of other Square Pegs for years now, but for whatever reason, I was nervous to take a chance on Eric. Must be that fear of buying a turkey.
Earlier this summer, I found one of his older CD's on clearance and the cheapskate in me whispered, "Go for it." What a great decision that was. His songwriting is flat out excellent, some of the best I've ever heard. And, as is generally the case with gifted musicians, he somehow gets even better with each new release.
We've since bought 3 more of his CDs. And we caught 2 of his shows over the summer (see photos below - Eric's in the white shirt.) And we decided to become a "patron saint" and donate a few extra bucks to help him produce his latest CD
Chrome. (As a thank-you from Eric, all the patron saints are listed in the liner notes. Pretty sweet, eh?)
To give you a sampling of his songwriting genius...
From the CD Scarce, the song "Radiate" feels like it was written with me in mind:
As I grow up, I want to smile at doubt
Look back here at where it all came out
I learned what it was all about
It was clear as day
His newest CD Chrome was just released last week. The song "Reality Came Crashing Down" talks about his dream to become a famous musician, only to have reality hit hard. One of the verses stands out to me - perhaps as advice I'll someday give Sam & Eva:
Son, don't waste your words tuned to a whim
Cast out your net and slowly drag it back in
Your catch may be small and your belly may burn
But live for the language that speaks few words
Live for the language of love
Tonight the chorus of that same song is speaking to me, as I'm swallowing the reality of a missed opportunity. The chorus says:
Our dreams don't mean that much
If we can't find ourselves
In the dust that shapes the ground
When reality comes crashing downHighly recommended might be an understatement. You can read more about Eric on his
website. Be sure to check out these posts where you can listen to full versions of 2 songs:
Eva loves to play with Sam's Tonka truck, which of course has given Sam a renewed interest in it. It was Sam's big gift for his 1st birthday. Hard to believe that Eva turns 1 in a week!
Having fun with Mom just before bed.
I can't believe how big he's getting.
Here's a preview of his Halloween costume. We're not much on store costumes so Michele used her creativeness and came up with a train engineer. Sam + trains = Heaven. Don't let his serious face fool you - he loves this costume and wants to wear it all the time!
What a happy little girl.
