We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Eric Hancock a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Eric, appreciate you joining us today. It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.
I moved to Houston with the band I was in at 21 years old. I did this because my dream was to make it as a musician, and Houston presented a better opportunity for that than where I was in Springfield Missouri.
I didn’t know anyone in Houston, and I moved away from everyone and everything I knew! That was hard, especially living so far away from my folks. We got close, but never got the big record deal. My band also signed with a manager who turned out to be a crook, and he basically broke up our band so he could get a higher % of the money, by managing the lead singer only. I played in several other bands after that, and continued to write and record music until I was about 40 years old.
After not playing at all for over ten years, I started The Reverb Cartel with Greg Sherman, and we’ve been going strong for over 5 years now. The lineup including Greg, Matthew Day and Robbie Espinor for the last 2 years is the best it has ever been!
The first part of my story might lead you to think I would be bitter about the way things turned out, but not at all! I would do it all over again, because playing music is what I love – it is self-fulfilling. Also, I went after my dream – and I did what I wanted to. Didn’t make much money at it, but again – playing music is a rare joy and a true privilege.
Eric, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
The Reverb Cartel – Classic Rock Review is a band that plays cool cover songs, mostly from the 70’s, but some 80’s, 90’s and more mixed in.
Lots of danceable, classic rock songs from Tom Petty, Stevie Wonder, Bill Withers, Motown, Pink Floyd, David Bowie, Chris Stapleton, Elton John, Stone Temple Pilots, The Blues Brothers, The Clash, ZZ Top, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Bob Marley, The Commodores, Brooks and Dunn and many more!
We are proud of the work and effort we put into the music – we rehearse weekly and are always adding new songs. We even take requests! (must be submitted two weeks in advance:)
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
For me, music can be one of the most powerful things in the world! When we are “in the groove”, there is nothing else besides the music we are making right then and there! The energy created and the feelings/mood/emotions just cannot be replicated without LIVE MUSIC!
The ultimate reward for musicians is when all that translates to the audience – and they feel it too! When you can convey what you are feeling to the audience, and they feel it too – that’s all there is. Mission Accomplished!
Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?
Most of my career has been playing original music. In fact, I used to look down my nose at cover bands, because they didn’t write the music. Not any more!
When you play cover songs, you might be playing a guitar part that someone put countless hours into perfecting – so you better get it right! We play songs by Santana, The Police, AC/DC, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Pink Floyd – those bands have GREAT guitar players, with completely different styles.
You’re exposed to many different styles of playing when you do a variety of songs, so you really have to be good – or you better get good!
Contact Info:
- Website: thereverbcartel.com
- Instagram: The Reverb Cartel
- Facebook: The Reverb Cartel
- Youtube: The Reverb Cartel