Eric Openshaw Band
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Eric Openshaw Band

Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States | SELF

Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States | SELF
Band Alternative Rock

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This band has not uploaded any videos
This band has not uploaded any videos

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Press


"July 6th, 2009"

I thought I was going to be original when I wrote "the music of The Eric Openshaw Band proves comparable to the Goo Goo Dolls..."

But no. The band's bio beat me to it. Well, in so many words.

But where I fail at innovation, The EOB succeeds, with their moody ballads paying tribute to an era where mainstream rock was dipping its toes into untested waters. The EOB's uniqueness lies in their music's unexpected jazz flourishes, and vocals that resound as slow, punk-ish wails. And with that, they've put their own polish on a genre that's been hovering near death since Layne Staley bit the big one (respect, brother).

Eric Openshaw, the "creative and business end of the band," started getting his moody groove on in grade school. It was around 2005 when he started playing the local coffee shop circuit.

"Originally, I was playing coffee shops like Sugarhouse Coffee and Alchemy Coffee, but I quickly realized that, while I enjoyed playing for tips, it just wasn't my niche," says Openshaw in an e-mail interview. "So I reinvented what I was doing, recorded an album, and here I am today."

You can hear Openshaw's "reinvention" on The EOB's full-length album "This Stage," available on every outlet from iTunes to Positively 4th Street to Slowtrain. But now, more on Openshaw and his band, his cartoon fetish, and his relation to -- The Osmonds?

I heard you were related to the Osmonds...any truth to that? Ha! Yes, actually. I'm their distant cousin. I also inherited the Osmond organ that was with the family when they immigrated here from back east.

What's the perfect "alternative rocker" outfit to wear onstage? I am a total jeans, T-shirt, and chucks guy. I will admit that I do break out the occasional button up shirt and tie like the photo when I want to feel nice.

Where did you grow up, and how did it influence your music, if at all? I grew up right here in Salt Lake City. Utah is very musically oriented, surprisingly. But my main inspiration and musical knowledge comes from listening to thousands of hours of music outside of here. My iPod has over 1,100 artists and over 13,600 songs on it.

Your bio says the band "shines new light on alternative music." How so? I like to think that most alternative music these days is really limited to being black and white in its spectrum of styles. They are either loud, fast and don't have much to say, or they are quiet, slow and touching. I thought to myself, "Why not combine those styles a bit?" In the end I like to add chord structures that are more typical in jazz, and lyrics that are often satirical and facetious.

What are some of your accomplishments? Since we are a relatively new band, most of our accomplishments have been local like television and radio appearances here and there. Our biggest accomplishment thus far has been the release of our album "This Stage." Our next goal is just to get it out there as much as possible.

If you could meet anyone of your idols, who would it be? I'd meet Brian Eno. He's one of the best musicians and writers I've ever heard. He's responsible for so much of the music that is popular today. I'd simply ask him how he's gotten so successful as a musician, a writer and a businessman.

What don't our readers know about you, Eric? I'm an avid '80s cartoon fan. I was way into "Transformers" and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles." I am a huge dork when it came to the late-'80s and early- to mid-'90s.

Which local venues do you think are perfect for your kind of music? Our personal favorite places around here have been Liquid Joe's and Club Allure. We do prefer all-ages venues as much as possible because there is no limitation of who can come and see us.

What are you working on now? I'm working on getting my own studio together so I can start getting some new tracks recorded to release.

What do you have planned for the future? We're currently starting to do some shows that are outside of Utah. As much as I enjoy the Salt Lake scene I'm really excited to get out of here and get our name out.

Last words? We want everyone to know that we love anyone who supports us, and anyone who supports local music in general. If you support local music, and our music, you are the reason we are still playing music. Your support means more to us than you'll ever know.
-Amanda Chamberlain - In Utah This Week


"June 30th, 2009"

Someone call an ambulance, this poor boy is bleeding out. From start to finish, "This Stage," reads like a diary, with hearts being broken, mended, and broken again. Frontman Eric Openshaw uses his raspy tenor as a weapon, shooting sharp darts at his (mostly female) oppressors. Drummer Thomas Sienko and bassist Rob Alvord give the singer/songwriter tunes additional feeling, whether it is straightforward rock ("Glamour"), blues ("Realizations of a Twisted Mind") or country swagger ("I Don't Think So"). Openshaw also shows that he's not afraid of going solo, as he emotes solo-style on the nearly seven-minute closer "Lullaby."
-Spencer Sutherland - In Utah This Week


"May 27th, 2009"

Eric Openshaw Band is particularly worth checking out. The band incorporates elements of country-dance, funk, jazz, blues and rock into its music; particularly noteworthy is the funky "Seattle", featuring some good, clean, funky, low-distortion guitar and a VERY stellar bass solo by Rob Alvord. A rock-solid cover of Chuck Berry’s "Johnny B. Goode" was also particularly entertaining. This band brings to mind the Red Hot Chili Peppers without the California attitude, and is definitely worth the price of admission to any show.
-Mark Hammond - The Local Landing


"May 6th, 2009"

Fresh-faced Eric Openshaw slings the Strat over his shoulder on the inside of his CD cover like a younger John Mayer, and his songwriting is reminiscent of the singer/would-be comedian with loose rock rhythms and a modicum of jazz and funk. Just swap Mayer's Georgia drawl with a Utah inflection-a charming delivery that adds to the album's appeal. This disc is one of the most polished and assured local debuts in quite a while. And he adds some intensity in his singing that has been lacking in Mayer's recent efforts.

The arrangements are a bit spare-just a three-piece guitar-bass-drums outfit, which doesn't leave Openshaw much room to solo. But Openshaw's voice is the main instrument on the recording. The selections almost sound like demos, with little or no effects added to the guitar, but it doesn't really need any. His guitar playing, especially on "An Arsenal of Words and Fear," is influenced without being derivative. On "Lullaby" he really gets to stretch his vocal capabilities out on a ballad, and it's an impressively emotive result for his amount of time on the local music circuit.
-Brian Staker - Salt Lake City Weekly


"June 3rd, 2009"

I know who I want to marry now: Eric Openshaw! He is such a dreamboat, and his music is so creative and original—definitely God’s gift to music and the world. Ever since I received his album, I have longingly stared at the beautiful, seductive glamour shot of him posing next to the dryers at the laundromat. I tell you what, he can wash my drawers any day of the week—he is going to need to because every time I listen to his playfully romantic acoustic pop I get so excited that I can hardly keep from fainting with excitement. I just hope that I hook up with him before my mom hears his music and becomes hopelessly seduced too. Bogus!
-Jon Robertson - Slug Magazine


Discography

This Stage - 2009

Photos

Bio

The Eric Openshaw Band's tremendous undertaking is to give the Utah music scene a shot of new life and vivacity. With catchy riffs and hooks, The Eric Openshaw Band, fronted by imaginative vocalist/guitarist Eric Openshaw, plays a blend of alternative rock and pop, with its defining roots in blues and jazz. While the Eric Openshaw Band has been compared to a harder edged John Mayer or Goo Goo Dolls, the band continues to have an evolving sound that shines a new light on alternative rock.

When Eric Openshaw, having played music since he was just entering elementary when he began taking piano lessons, found himself without a band in the summer of 2005 in Salt Lake City, he had a desperate craving to continue his passion of writing and performing music. He first started playing open mics at coffee houses and restaurants, utilizing just an acoustic guitar and a developing sound that gained him local attention. But, Eric grew tired of coffee shops, saying "There are too many places out there for me to play to be singing my heart out at a coffee shop." Eric immediately enlisted the help of his friend Alanso Sarinana, a skilled drummer and percussionist to back him up at concerts. With a backing band, Eric began to be more and more inspired, and has since written a plethora of songs, all with different themes and different textures that define what Eric is trying to convey to his fans. In the process, The Eric Openshaw Band has managed to gain an enormous list of venues they have played, and entertained, including: Sugarhouse Coffee in Salt Lake, The Avalon Theater (an all ages venue), Liquid Joe's (a local bar), and Wired and Unplugged (a coffee shop in Snohomish, WA). The Eric Openshaw Band has also made appearances on the radio and television on KXRK (96.3 FM) in Salt Lake City, KVTI (90.9 FM) in Tacoma, and Park City TV and has had the opportunity, and privilege to share the stage with national touring acts, Facing New York and Bitter:Sweet. In addition to the playing experience the Eric Openshaw Band has in and around Utah, the band has released several singles such as Something Like That and Seattle.

Together, the band has recently finished their debut album with a release date of March 31, 2009. The album, titled This Stage, pays homage to Eric's evolution as songwriter and as a person. The Album takes you on a journey through his mentality, his emotion, and this stage of his life, hence the album title. He states, "If you were to listen to this album, beginning to end, you would have insight into a simple musician and a simple person trying to understand himself and the world around him."

Here's what the press has to say about the Eric Openshaw Band

"The [Eric Openshaw Band]'s uniqueness lies in their music's unexpected jazz flourishes, and vocals that resound as slow, punk-ish wails."
Amanda Chamberlain, In Utah This Week (Jul 06, 2007)

"From start to finish, "This Stage," reads like a diary, with hearts being broken, mended, and broken again." Spencer Sutherland, In Utah This Week (Jun 30, 2009)
"[This Stage] is one of the most polished and assured [Utah] local debuts in quite a while." Brian Staker, Salt Lake City Weekly (May 06, 2009)

"[The Eric Openshaw Band] is definitely worth the price of admission to any show."
Mark Hammond, thelocallanding.net (May 27, 2009)

"creative and original [...] playfully romantic acoustic pop"
Jon Robertson, Slug Magazine (Jun 03, 2007)

The album's instant recognition by its elaborate cover design, and its intricate weaving of song styles and moods, makes it an album that stands out within a genre that can often become limited.

The Eric Openshaw Band, born under the creativity of Eric Openshaw, points alternative music in a new direction where musical ideas are taken from a multitude of genres and influences, and pieced together with accuracy and precision. While the bands' accomplishments are many, they know that they are just at the beginning of where this musical road wants to take them.

Booking Contact:
Eric Openshaw
ericopenshawband@gmail.com
(801) 205-8080

Band Members