It’s a little known (and those who do know hardly remember) fact that I played in a band for a long time. Junior year of high school through sophomore year of college, I was jamming in ska bands. We opened for lots of huge groups, went on some ill-fated tours, and sometimes I found myself filling in on saxophone for some of my favorite bands. There was a point where we had songs topping the MP3.com charts above groups like the RX Bandits and The Mighty Mighty Bosstones.

You know, I could name drop forever, but really, who cares. It was a really fun time in my life.

The silly picture you see above features four of the guys I played in a ska band with. Their new band, Team Hudson, is a really dancy-pop-punk project that has some serious potential. Feels a lot like Hit The Lights mixed with electro-beat sensibilities of Baumer.

We took a lot of fun pictures, but I have to admit, we were all incredibly drunk. In fact, I’m not even sure how I managed to put the lights up and take them down without burning myself or setting something/someone on fire.

Without these crazy guys, I wouldn’t have started taking photos in the first place. It’s because of them an entire chain of events occured that led to me going on tour with signed bands and working with some of my favorite artists.

I’m looking forward to their songs being released online. Til then, give my old ska band a listen. It really isn’t that bad, and I’m still proud of what we managed to accomplish in our short time playing ska.

You know, I really can’t even to begin to address how talented Josh Hofer is. I love this dude. So I’m encouraging people to vote for him in a Ceer!us Apparel sponsorship contest.

I met Josh while on tour with Just Surrender, Tourmaline, and Socratic. The show at The Brewery in North Carolina was one of the major highlights of the tour. Not just because a ton of kids came out, not just because I learned how to take a shower outside of a tour van underneath a hose, but because I met this guy. We talk pretty much everyday, and a majority of our IMs consist of making fun of each other, even after not seeing one another for a solid 2 years.

There’s a reason why major recording artists like Fall Out Boy (above), New Found Glory, and +44, featuring Mark (at the top) and Travis of Blink182, trust a guy like Josh. The same reason why you should vote for him to be sponsored by Ceer!us Apparel, a pretty sweet clothing line that works with all kinds of artists, like Across Five Aprils and Love & Reverie.

I know, Ceer!us have a horribly ugly website, but they make some sweet clothes. Take the time to vote for Josh following this link. It’s just one click, nothing to fill out, and you’re helping out a talented dude score some free threads.

VOTE FOR JOSH HOFER @ CEER!US APPAREL
http://ceerius.com/survey/survey.php?s_id=15

Future FAQ:

Q. But Eric, why are you helping out another photographer?
A. Cause he’s awesome.

Q. Won’t highlighting another music photographer take away from YOUR work?
A. Nope. He’s a total n00b.

Good luck Josh!

I’ve never really had a real birthday party before. I mean, I had a bunch when I was a little kid. The usual deal. Chuck-E-Cheese, Sports World, rollerskating, etc. But once you hit a certain age, your parents stop taking you and your friends to fancy, exotic places like Bowcraft, and start substituting Dunkin Donuts munchkins or cupcakes for your class. Then, that starts to disappear, and birthdays slowly become just like any other day, with the exception of the occasional awesome present.

When I turned 21, I had a serious throw down at my buddy Joel’s apartment near Philadelphia on his b’day, October 24th, with plans to party late into the next day. On the way to partying on the 25th, the car broke down, and we spent my 21st birthday at a Pep Boys. The night before was at least awesome though.

This year, living in a city on my own, I decided to do things differently, especially since I was hitting the big, scary two-five.

Lots of my friends came in for some serious partying from all over. I spent the greater part of Friday getting things ready and spending time with my girlfriend, who surprised me by making some amazing monster cupcakes with my roommate Tess.

They were insanely delicious. More photos soon.

When the night hit on Saturday, lots of great friends from home and college, a few new ones from Philadelphia, my rockin’ roommates, and my lovely girlfriend all came out to dress up in costumes, eat lots of snacks, and drink all of my Arbor Mist. The original plan was to bar hop around Old City, but as more people poured into the apartment, everyone was just way too comfortable. And that was just fine with me.

I was heavily dedicated to my costume as Thorny from Super Troopers. So much so that my roommate and I downed half a bottle of maple syrup, just to see who was, in the almighty words of Thorny, “all that is man.” The answer? My roommate. Man that stuff was gross.

The Halloween costume contest was won, hands down, by my friends Darlene and Cristina. They dressed as Naomi Campbell (Cristina on the right) beating up her executive assistant (Darlene on the left) with her cell phone. We captured an action shot, and Darlene had a fabulous black eye painted on. Good job guys!

A lot of my friends were telling me that this is the golden birthday and therefore, the golden year, since I turned 25 on the 25th. So, here is to making this an amazing year. I already know I’ll be finished with my MFA and my second book, so lets see what else can get added to that list.

Life is good.

Here’s to another good year.

Want to see more? Take a look at the Flickr account, and prepare to smile.

Fields in Iowa, the sunset in Kentucky, the sunset in Louisiana…

You know, a lot of my friends have given me flack for never leaving the country (note: I have been to Canada, but apparently that doesn’t count). It’s not that I don’t want to leave the states for a few days and see new and exotic places, like, you know, Botswana, but I always felt you should completely know YOUR country before leaving to explore someone else’s.

What’s this have to do with tour photography?

Well, I finally uploaded all of my tour images to Flickr, thus making them insanely easy to view. You can check out the Strange Distress Calls Tour, Aim For Your Hearts Tour, Intensity In-Ten-Cities Tour, Sleep-In-You Tour, and Over & Out Tour, all on my Flickr page.

Man that was a lot of links.

These galleries feature time on the road with bands like Cute Is What We Aim For, David Melillo, Farewell, Foster, Just Surrender, Sleepaway, Socratic, Tourmaline,  The Transit War, Upper  Class Trash, and more. Artists from labels like Drive Thru, Fueled By Ramen, Atlantic, and Universal. Fun times, good music.

That being said, I’ve successfully seen every single state within the continental USA while on these tours. I feel like people get so accustomed to city life or, such as with my hometown friends, living in New Jersey, they forget that the rest of our country is absolutely breathtaking. So before you plan that wild trip to Italy or Botswana, think about hopping on an Amtrak train, and visiting middle America. No sense in seeing other countries if you don’t even know your own.

*insert obligatory patriotic country music here and/or theme from Team America*

Today my uncle and aunt surprised me with a lovely visit and breakfast at the Reading Terminal Market, and when they asked me how long I’d been in Philly, I was shocked when I said six months. That’s half a year! Back in junior high, if you were dating someone for six months, you were practically married. And while I’m not necessarily married to this city yet, I’m definitely having one amazing relationship with it.

I moved here for graduate school back in January, terrified about leaving my beloved garden state. I found myself stuck with two strange roommates who burned everything they cooked and ate everything I bought (after burning it). I discovered I was being ripped off for rent and that the neighborhood I lived in wasn’t the best, so I packed up my things and moved out. The semester was taking a toll on me, it was snowy, cold, and I had to walk almost 12 blocks to the train and about a mile to school once I got to Glenside. I considered leaving.

I moved to Rittenhouse Square. It was insanely expensive, but there was a Rita’s near by. Suddenly I lost my New Jersey lingo and start calling Italian Ice “Water Ice”. I still firmly believe that it is Italian Ice, however I don’t want to argue with the Rita’s people anymore. I discovered the overpriced joys of Walnut St and explored Old City. I found historical homes galore, stumbled across sweet side streets with oil burning streetlights, and found my favorite place to write, a cafe called Last Drop.

I landed an awesome job in an office filled with wonderful people, who suddenly made this city feel less lonely. Rather then awkward conversation with my introverted roommate, I was surrounded by people who shared my interests. Music, movies, a passion for mosaics involving video games… things just got better. I had people to go out to get drinks with and at the same time, teach me how to work in a professional environment. I even learned with a 401k was.

I moved into Center City, and found myself living with two wonderful people. Jordan, who is an amazingly talented artist, and Tess, his fun-loving, cursing-while-playing-Mario-Kart-64 girlfriend. We spend all day surrounded by two kittens, a bunny, and a beta fish that gets neglected.

I met some talented writers in the city, some excellent artists, and a handful of bands. I got to hang out with two of my close New Jersey friends, Saray and Tim, who moved to Philadelphia while I was still back home. I spent time with my pal from Kean, Eric Hoover, who up and left this past month (you jerk!), but never-the-less, got to bond with a great friend who I missed out on during my undergrad.

In terms of my creative side, during my time here I went on tour with some awesome bands, Forever The Sickest Kids (Universal / Motown), Farewell (Epitaph), and my BFFs, Upper Class Trash (School Night Records). I starred in a sweet music video for a band called Silverstein. I also finished my novel, which is being edited right now. I’ve already started on a second one.

My dream girl and I took the leap and decided to make what we have work. And it’s working. Living in a city with an endless amount of things to do definitely makes it easier when she comes down for weekend visits too.

I also have an XBox 360 and a Nintendo Wii. This doesn’t seem like such a big deal for some, but for someone who grew up collecting aluminum cans around his neighborhood so he could save up and buy crappy budget title SNES games, being able to own such small luxuries is a HUGE deal.

With a year of graduate school finished, a tour, a music video, an amazing girlfriend, a sweet living situation, a fun job, a bunny, two kittens, a beta fish, video games, awesome friends from home and new ones from here, I’m loving this city that has become my home.

Here’s to six more months.

Man, I really wasn’t expecting Dunkin Donuts to pick up chubby Hitler as their new mascot. And offering munchkins 10 for 99 cents! Saw this in NYC this past weekend.

Edit: I’ve been informed by my pal Christina that this is a cartoon of the old Dunkin Donuts mascot Fred The Baker, portrayed by the actor Micheal Vale, who died in 2005. Awesome, nothing like getting served 99 cent munchkins by a cartoon zombie donut man.

So a couple of bloggers are playing a little game based on meme, a concept that Tim made me read about on Wikipedia, cause my brain to ache a little, but interesting never the less. My pal Mark over at The Poverty Jet Set and of Cheap Dates fame sent a tag my way, so it’s time to play along!

Rules:
1. We have to post these rules before we give you the facts.
2. Players start with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
3. People who are tagged write their own blog post about their eight things and include these rules.
4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged and that they should read your blog.

Eight things about Eric, randomly selected:

1. The first album I ever purchased with my own money was 311’s self titled album. It was 1995. I was twelve. I still listen to that album and band, but now it’s on my iTunes, and not on a CD.
2. The first girl I ever kissed (I was 15) is now a lesbian. It wasn’t my fault.
3. It is impossible for me to watch When Harry Met Sally without bursting into tears when Billy Crystal comes running back to Meg Ryan on New Year’s Eve. It’s the best romantic comedy of all time, and if you disagree, I’d like to hear you name one that’s better.
4. I met my gorgeous girlfriend on a tour with a band called Foster. They were telling girls that I was the keyboard player. She loves me anyway.
5. I’m deathly afraid of airplanes and have never left the continent, although I’ve been to 48 states and seen most of Canada. My first international trip will be to the motherland… Ireland.
6. I have severe OCD when it comes to locking doors and things being in alphabetical order. I’ve been known to alphabetize DVD collections… at parties… for people I don’t even know.
7. I’ve moved three times since February. My first roommates were creepy and one slept on the living room floor on a bare mattress. My second roommate was awesome, but didn’t like me all that much for some reason. My current roommates are two amazing people and I’m glad I’ll be with them for an entire year.
8. I have a superpower. I can grow the sweetest mutton chops in the world in less then three weeks. I use that power for the good of mankind, and will also be using it all week, as I grow my beard out to celebrate the release of 300.

Alright! Here are some sweet blogs to check out
MonsterPlastic / Dovate / Swedehart / Nicole Rork / Alex Bussey / Apartment 2024 / Anthony Clark / Brian Richardi

So tour was an absolutely blast. I spent a week on the road with some amazing people. I’d like to thank the dudes in Upper Class Trash for throwing me in their van for a week, and the guys in Farewell and Forever The Sickest Kids for welcoming me onto the tour, and treating me like I’d been there the entire time. You can catch the UCT guys on tour the rest of the summer with bands like The Mile After, Rediscover, and Time & Distance.

I’d tell you who the Farewell and FTSK guys will be touring with, but I’d actually get in trouble with it. Let’s just say, I can’t wait to see them playing in front of sold out crowds and on arena tours. Good luck boys, make me proud.

Farewell’s album comes out on September 25th via Epitaph Records, and features photography from the ever talented Josh Hofer. Make sure you buy it the day it hits stores. I know I will.

This weekend I’m heading out to Pittsburgh to star in Silverstein’s music video for the single for their new record, which hits stores via Victory Records on July 3rd. The band will be robbing a bank, and I play the inside man on the heist. I’m incredibly excited, as this video is going to be on MTV, Fuse, and just about every major music video outlet in the world.

It’s being film by the guys over at Endeavor Media, who are responsible for Bayside’s amazing video for Duality, and some other favorites of mine. like Lovedrug’s video for Spiders or Tokyo Rose’s video for Spectacle.

Tour photos are coming shortly, as well as two sets of Suicide Girl photos. If you catch me on AIM, say hi. I have an eight hour train ride out to Pittsburgh tomorrow, and the same coming back at like midnight on Sunday. Note: I have to be in work at 9am that morning.

Life is exciting. See you in another week.

“Over the years we made some friends
While on the road with the touring bands
Good nights we’ve had, some were the best
So raise your glass without protest…”
- The Planet Smashers “Raise Your Glass”

Well, off I go. See you all in a week. Expect lots of photos and tons of stories, a lot of which probably won’t be suitable for posting on here. *wink*

And don’t forget to check out the bands.

Forever The Sickest Kids
Universal Records
http://www.myspace.com/foreverthesickestkids

Upper Class Trash
School Night Records
http://www.myspace.com/upperclasstrashwpb

Farewell
Epitaph
http://www.myspace.com/farewell

If you caught me on a normal day, meandering down the street, my hair a total mess, face unshaven, jeans worn for their 6th day in a row, you might mistake me for some loveless loser who has simply given up. I don’t pull off that dirty-indie-hipster look very well. And even on my good days, when I have a presentation to make at school and I get all dolled up, one might mistake me for some arrogant prick that doesn’t acknowledge the smiles and flirtations of girls passing by, trying to look cute in their summer dresses.

The fact is, I’m the exact opposite.

I have someone special, but she lives far away. 237 miles away, to be exact. I never look my best on a normal day, because who do I have to impress? I don’t acknowledge saucy winks at bars or by those chicks with huge sunglasses and overpriced Coach bags on Walnut St, because ladies, save your swoons, this boy is spoken for.

I met a heartbreakingly beautiful girl while on tour with Foster two years ago. They were playing a show in Albany, NY at a little hole-in-the-wall type venue called the New Age Cabaret, with Hand of Hope Records‘ artist By Autumn’s End. I remember this band distinctly, because they had a massive jug of Gatorade filled with pee sitting outside their tour van and porn scattered all over their van’s dashboard. Such a romantic setting.

I sat at the merch table for most of the show, laughing at the various anti-drinking propoganga that God-fearing Christians had brought to the show, and decided to pass out to the kids and bands. Jim, the drummer of Foster, especially loved the comic.

While I sat at the merch table, laughing at the comic strip and thinking about how sauced I would get later that night, I found I couldn’t take my eyes off this one punk rock girl, with her dark brown eyes and long chestnut hair that danced over her face, that had come over to the merch table. Small talk was made and she walked off with her friend, and I had sighed to myself, hoping maybe I’d get to talk to her later.

After the show, the promoter and his friends invited us out on the town. We explored downtown Albany and passed by pimps with flashy automobiles, nightclubs, and bars. Jeff, the guitarist of Foster, and I walked by the legendary Palace Theater, where a Whitesnake concert was just getting out.

Finally we all settled on this place that had a live swing band playing and had a fairly young crowd. The promoter and his friends, which included my brown eyed girl, were ready to party. In just an hour, everyone was drunk on music, dancing, and alcohol. We found ourselves at various tables, talking to different people, sharing tour stories and rock and roll adventures. The promoter, Russell, danced on one of the tables, and people stuffed dollar bills into his tight, punk rock jeans.

The brown eyed girl asked me to dance, I sat at the table with my Smirnoff Ice, too nervous to say yes. She danced with Brian, who was incredibly intoxicated, and I watched, cursing my cowardice. I took a photo of them dancing, an image that did her zero justice. Through out the night the guys in Foster kept lying to various girls, telling them I was their keyboard player, in order to get them to talk to me. I’d laugh awkwardly and return to my drinks.

After we all stumbled drunkenly to a nearby pizza place, I nervously asked my brown eyed girl for her AIM name, or a myspace, that way “I could, uh, you know, send um… pictures, from the uh… show and… stuff…” to her. She smiled and I carefully typed her screen name into my phone.

The band hopped in the tour van where we sat for a few hours, playing old school Nintendo games on Tom’s Dreamcast (he was the undisputed champion of Tetris), waiting to sober up before going to the next show.

I kept losing at Tetris. My mind was somewhere else and my heart was a flutter. I couldn’t wait to get home and talk to her. It’d be another two weeks and ten states before that would happen.

But it was the best thing that ever happened to me. The dudes in Foster have since snagged real jobs, long term girlfriends, and still record and play out occasionally, but don’t really tour. They’re still great friends of mine, and Jeff recently hung out with me and The Junior Varsity.

People often ask, why? She lives in upstate New York. That’s 237 miles away. How can you possibly make that work? I know a lot of people can’t understand this, and truthfully, I feel sorry for them. Because they don’t know what it’s like to adore someone this much. Sure, what we have can be complicated and sometimes a bit undefined, but that’s okay with me.

The fact is, I’d rather be with this girl once a month then anyone else every single day of the year.

Can’t wait to see you this weekend. I’ve missed you.

So I’m going on tour with the band
She said “stay for the summer” but she don’t understand
That the radio plays what they want you to hear
and I want them to play you your love song this year
Something Corporate

So I’m hitting the road for a week in June. I’m really excited. It’s officially been an entire year since I’ve last been on the road with a band, that being the Sleepaway / Believe In You tour (which also featured Zolof The Rock & Roll Destroyer, The Transit War, and River City High on select dates).

Click on the tour image to check out the full poster. The Over & Out Tour. How exciting!

I had a lot of amazing tour opportunities through the year, many of which I had to turn down due to college and having a real job, some I still think about, because they would have been absolutely amazing. But oh well. Such is life.

I’ll be spending a week on the road with my good friends Upper Class Trash (School Night Records) and two other great groups, Farewell and Forever The Sickest Kids. Farewell just signed to Epitaph, home to bands like Bad Religion and Motion City Soundtrack, and FTSK just inked a deal with Universal / Motown. I first heard of Farewell when the insanely talented Josh Hofer did their press photos way back when. Go check him out at Corrupted Lens.

So I’m psyched, it should be a fun week full of little rock and roll adventures. The tour spans the entire month of June and covers most of the east coast and mid-west, however I’ll just be on some of it. Grad school and work, sorry kids.

6.19.07 – The Troc – Philadelphia, PA
6.20.07 – Washington Ave – Washington, NJ
6.21.07 – American Legion – Manchester, NH
6.22.07 – Toquet Teen Center – Westport, CT
6.23.07 – The Dungeon – Watertown, NY
6.24.07 – Funk N’ Waffles – Syracuse, NY
6.25.07 - Jaggard UMC - Altoona, PA

These three bands will be seriously breaking out this year, and I’m thrilled to be there at the beginning. Friends and family often ask why I hit the road with smaller, often just-signed bands. When you’re someone who really believes in the power of music, who lives with the mentality that rock and roll can save the world, it really is a powerful thing watching your little secrets suddenly become mainstream successes.

Friends from New Jersey, I hope to see you when I’m in our lovely homestate. And new friends in Philly, you’re all invited to the party I’m going to have on the 19th at my apartment, which is literally a few doors down from The Troc.

Listen on Myspace: Upper Class Trash / Forever The Sickest Kids / Farewell