The opening lyrics to Let it Echo, from the new release “Wake up” by singer and songwriter Eric Keyes, bring to light a powerful and radically honest album that challenges the listener to wake up and take a deeper look at the world around them.

Walk into almost any major area in any big city where people are gathered and take a look around. Do the people seem alive? I have been inside churches, schools, banks, malls and grocery stores, and most of the time people seem like zombies”, recalls Keyes.
“I remember one time at the bank, I used the teller’s name and she looked up at me and said, ‘Do I know you?’ I said to her ‘your name, it’s on your nametag’. It amazes me how people watch TV, read the paper, listen to the radio and pretty much believe whatever they are told. I think Jim Morrison reveals it best when he said, ‘is anybody awake? Do you people know you are alive?’”
The release of Wake Up feels a lot like an Epiphany for Eric Keyes.
“In writing this record I totally reinvented myself,” says Eric. “After spending the last 2 years writing and creating music I decided to sit down and listen to all of my favorite albums from when I was a kid to the present. It was a major awakening for me.

Produced by Jimi Tunnell (Carly Simon, Robin Gibb, C&C Music Factory, Laurie Anderson, Steps Ahead) and mixed by Scott Noll (George Clinton & P-Funk), Wake up is Keyes first solo album. The CD was recorded in Texas at Buffalo Sound during the spring and fall of 2003. Eric spent the year recording a bunch of songs, 12 of which will be included on the CD.

Wake up” takes the listener through an aural “jungle of sound”, utilizing African Drums, Latin percussion and extremely hypnotic grooves that invite the listener in. The lyrics are clever and thought provoking, sung from the heart and offering solutions rather than the incessant whining and complaining of many songs written today.
“I wanted to use rhythm in a big way on this album”, says Keyes. “Rhythm is what wakes people up and draws them to the stage. This is such an integral part of my music and I am very fortunate to live in a town with so many great musicians. What better to wake up to, than the big boom of an African tribal drum or the pulse of a Latin groove? I purposely chose to work with drummer, Greg Beck on this CD because of his deep understanding of African percussion, hard-hitting style and signature “tribal groove”. I also am very excited to have drummer/percussionist Raul Valdes on the album and who will join us on the tour.”

The album features Eric’s friend Aloke Dutta on two tracks playing tabla. “Having Aloke involved in the recording was such a blast. The tabla is one of my favorite instruments and I am such a fan of what he has done for the instrument in the music community. His solo recordings as well as his work with Tool are simply amazing. When he flew in to record we set up a solo tabla concert here in my hometown. It was amazing to see hundreds of people to come from all over to see the concert. His playing is incredibly poetic and magical. A sense of community around this record was integral to me in the recording process and it is why I carefully chose the musicians.”

Mikel Combs from Baltimore played bass on the record and brings an awesome lyrical backbone to the songs. The fretless bass on “Love Rules” is amazing. Jimi Tunnel masterfully rounded out the programming, keyboards, additional guitar and background vocals on the record.

“All of these wonderful, diverse musicians helped me create the sound I was looking for. Working with a singer of Jimi’s caliber was a life changing experience,” says Keyes. “He pushed my voice into places I did not know was possible. He has such a vision and cache of musical experience it really brought out the best in me.

thank you.
Eric

Favorite Singers
1. Bobby Hatfield
2. Jimi Tunnell
3. Justin Furstenfeld
4. Brian Wilson
5. Paul McCartney
6. Sting

Favorite Guitarist
1. Clint Strong
2. Ted Greene
3. Chet Atkins
4. Yngwie Malmsteen
5. Alan Holdsworth
6. Manuel Barrueco

Favorite Musicians
1. J.S Bach
2. Duke Ellington
3. Ravi Shankar
4. John Coltrane

Favorite Solo
1. Sonny Rollins solo on “Waiting on a Friend”
from the Rolling Stones album Tattoo You.
Favorite Albums
1. Miles Davis “Kind of Blue”
2. U2 “The Joshua Tree
3. Depeche Mode “Violater”
4. Blue October “History for Sale”
5. Sting “Nothing Like The Sun”
6. Rolling Stones “Sympathy for the Devil”

Favorite Songs
1. Sound of Silence “Simon and Garfunkel
2. Sympathy for the Devil “Rolling Stones”
3. Hey Jude “Paul McCartney”
4. Imagine “John Lennon”
5. Purple Rain “Prince”

Favorite Artist
1. Salvador Dali
2. Doug Auld
3. Hieronymous Bosch
4. Aaron Pendland

Favorite Movies
1. Sirens
2. Braveheart
3. What Dreams may Come
4. One who flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest
5. Dangerous Liasons
6. Bowling for Columbine
7. Me myself and Irene

Favorite Comedians
1. Jeff Redding
2. Redd Foxx
3. Chris Rock
4. Luwanda Page
5. Margaret Cho

Favorite Books
1. The function of the Orgasm by Wilhelm Reich
2. The Art of War by Sun Tzu
3. As a Man Thinketh by James Allen
4. Walden by Henry David Thoreau
5. The Gospel of Thomas –Marvin Meyer

Favorite Foods
1. Blue Fin Toro Sashimi
2. Anything prepared by Master sushi chef Kei Nagano