Music
Press
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Discography
Borders, Battles and Beers
One hundred years ago, Poncho Villa and Emiliano Zapata were new world Robin Hoods; bullet belts and rifles replaced quivers of bows, sombreros replaced feathered hats, their merry men were a cast of thousands fighting for freedom. Half legend, half machismo, and all revolutionary, their lives and memories continue to influence people across borders.
American Inmigrante
Before the Great Recession, as many as 1000 immigrants per day were crossing their northern border in search of opportunity and a seeking a better life in the United States. Many never made it. This album depicts the trials, the tribulations, and the deaths in the desert of immigrants going north. My Senora of Sonora, Panal Sucio and Devils Highway were recorded in Spanish. Violin, cello, trumpet, flutes and accordions accompany Erics acoustic work.
Without Borders
Devils Highway (Camino del Diablo) by Luis Alberto Urrea inspired Hollands first album, released in 2004. The best selling novel tells the story of 26 Mexican immigrants crossing the border near Ajo. Through searing heat and unforgiving terrain, they walked. Only 12 made it.
As this reality was becoming hard to ignore, Andy Hersey, a cowboy-horseshoer-balladeer was performing weekly in Tempe. His signature song, Caballero Blanco, as well as the work of Roger Clyne influenced the Spanglish lyrics.
Amnesty
This spring, Eric will release Amnesty (Without Borders IV), a compilation of songs documenting the immigrant experience and celebrating reforms like the Dream Act, a small step in the right direction down a long road.
Photos
Bio
In another lifetime, Eric Holland made his living as a full time tennis pro, plying his trade in swanky resorts. He traveled, from Asia to Spain to the Caribbean, never settling for long, absorbing different cultures and languages. The diversity he encountered left an impression. So did the racism and discrimination he witnessed that didnt seem to respect border or boundaries.
When his playing days ended, Eric returned to his native Arizona. Soon, he earned a masters degree in Bilingual Education. He spent the next decade teaching English as a Second Language, instructing and mentoring students more comfortable speaking their native Hindi, Mandarin or Spanish than English. There was always a guitar in his classroom. Music was always at the core of his teaching; the universal language tore down walls. A child reluctant to speak in class had no problem learning Hey Jude.
Hollands life was interrupted when he lost a house to a wildfire in Central Arizona. He decided to seek a rebirth in Mexico. He now lives and performs full time in San Carlos, Sonora.
Never far from his mind are his ESL students that inspired his poetry and the trials of the immigrants in the Southwest that inform his music.
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