The Eric Krasno Band will join us Live From Studio A during the Global Village to play a few songs in advance of the show that night at Woodland's Tavern!
Krasno, the co-founder of Soulive and Lettuce is out on the road with his brand new solo release Blood From A Stone and we're looking forward to his stop at WCBE!
Tune in for live music, conversation and a chance to win tickets to the show!
It's all waiting for you on 90.5FM Columbus, 106.3FM Newark and on line at www.wcbe.org!
via RVA Mag
Eric Krasno has spent nearly 20 years in the music business and has since built up quite the resume. He's spent most of his career in jam/funk bands, playing guitar and co-founding the likes of jam band Lettuce and jazz/funk trio Soulive.
He's also gone behind the scenes to work as a songwriter and producer for Norah Jones, 50 Cent, Talib Kweli and other major musicians. He's even won a few Grammys and this summer, Krasno released his breakout solo album, Blood From A Stone, where he sings for the very first time.
We caught up with the Brooklyn-based musician ahead of his show at The Broadberry on Tuesday to discuss his latest endeavor, going solo, and touring as a lead vocalist as opposed to a guitarist in a band.
"It was pretty exciting, I've been singing mostly background, I've been writing songs for a long time so I would record my voice in the studio demoing songs for people and working with other artists so it was fun to start singing," said Krasno. "It's also really cool to get my songs out there and get it to a point where people are recognizing the songs, there's a certain rush to that that I really dig."
Initially, the majority of the tracks on Blood From A Stone, which dropped in July, were meant for other musicians to sing them.
"We were writing for Aaron Neville's album and I was also writing for Tedeschi Trucks so some of them are outtakes from those sessions," he said. "A lot of times we just do writing sessions and then figure out later who they're for."
The more he got into the process however, it turned out those songs were destined for Krasno.
"Some of these I just gravitated toward as far as singing and playing them," he said.
Blood From A Stone has a very bluesey, soulful vibe that is a drastic change from his loose and laid back jam and funk sound that has marked his career. It's heavily steeped in classic rock and R&B influences and hits on just about every genre, but it makes for a deep, passionate and eclectic record.
He recorded most the album at the end of 2012 in Portland, Maine in his friend and writing partner's studio, Dave Gutter of Rustic Overtones.
"He seemed like the right cohort for this album, he's a really great lyricist and song writer," he said.
Originally, the duo recorded what they thought then were going to be demos in Gutter's barn in Maine and it turned out to be the heart of the album.
"We ended up getting really creative in there partly because we weren't in an expensive studio where we were on the clock, we were just kind of having fun so we got to experiment with the sound," he said.
The ten-track album draws on many personal experiences for Krasno with emotional standout tracks such as "Torture" and "Jezebel".
"There's a lot of break up songs on there, there was definitely a relationship ending at that time for both myself and Dave," Krasno said. "The whole 'Blood From A Stone' concept was it wasn't really expected that I would make a record, that I would sing. Originally, I was going to have other singers sing on the record."
But once he started writing, Krasno said he felt a connection with the songs and wanted to let his voice he heard.
"Like getting blood from a stone, I didn't expect it so that was the idea," he said. "Once I started to own that idea, it felt right."
Krasno has several guest musicians featured on the album including Alecia Chakour on "Wicked This Way" and Derek Trucks, award-winning guitarist of Derek Trucks Band, appears on the track "Curse Lifter," a psychedelic instrumental song that gives off a '70s feel.
"We've been friends since 1999, our first Soulive tour that we did was with the Derek Trucks Band, I've written a lot of songs for his records and I was in his band for a while so it just made sense," said Krasno of the collaboration. "When I wrote that song I was kind of thinking about Santana and the Allman Brothers, that Latin-Rock early 70s vibe."
A 70s vibe indeed creeps into this album especially on "Waiting on Your Love". Krasno said that Jimi Hendrix, Muddy Waters, were also influential in the writing process.
"We were definitely trying to take it to a psychedelic place, but also make it kind of modern," he said.
Krasno has released an instrumental solo album, but this will his breakout album performing nearly all of the vocals and all of the songs. He kicks off his tour in Richmond which will take him all over the country until November.
"We're doing a bunch in the Southeast, Raleigh, Durham, Ashville, North Carolina, then we go toward Chicago and Ohio and loop back around to DC and back up to the northeast," he said.
As far as being on the road, the multi-talented musician said it's been a bit of an adjustment switching gears from guitarist, which he's spent the bulk of his career playing, to lead vocalist.
"I'm working on it a bit, it's a progression just like it was in the early days of playing guitar, everyday a little bit better. I keep getting stronger with it, its been a great experience."
And although he's built a steadfast and wide fanbase from Lettuce and Soulive, Krasno said the fans have had a positive response to his new music especially at the live shows.
"People have been really into it, people like it. The response has really great," he said.
Now that he's been a producer, songwriter, guitarist, and singer, you'd think that Krasno's heart would belong to one over the other, but he said he likes them all.
"I like all of it for different reasons, now it's just working toward creating a balance so I can do it all," he said. "I think that's been my blessing and my curse is that I love different styles of music and all the aspects of making it from recording it to performing it so I like to do it all. If I can tour for eights months a year then spend the rest of the time writing and recording than I'm a happy man."
With a new solo album and new tour, you'd think that would more than enough to keep a musician busy, but not for Krasno. He's got a few other tricks up his sleeve.
"I'm already working on the next album, I've been working with a guy named Allen Stone on the new record, and we have a Soulive record in the works with the producer of Pretty Lights that will come out next year."
You can catch Eric Krasno and his band at The Broadberry tomorrow, Tues. Oct. 18 along with Marco Benevento. Doors open at 7pm, tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door.
Words by Amy David
Looking forward to joining Iamavl next week for Skill Sets and the Echo Sessions. Echo Sessions will be streamed live at IamAvl.com and there will be limited tickets available for the Skill Sets workshop.
Echo Sessions: A Live Streamed In Studio Concert hosted by IamAVL
LIVE at 8pm Monday Oct 24th at IamAVL.com
Skill Sets: A Master Class Workshop hosted by IamAVL at Echo Mountain Recording Studios
Starts at 5pm, Tuesday October 25th
Limited seating available.
via News Observer
by Craig D. Lindsey
Guitarist Eric Krasno and pianist Marco Benevento have a lot in common. They’re both alumni from the Berklee College of Music. (Krasno only attended one semester before transferring to Hampshire College, where he studied with jazz great Yusef Lateef.) They both have their own independent record labels. They both have associations with the Grateful Dead. (Krasno has been touring and performing with Dead bassist Phil Lesh, while Benevento is part of a tribute band called Joe Russo’s Almost Dead). In fact, they have so much in common, it’s surprising that they haven’t performed together more often.
But Krasno and Benevento are currently on tour together, making a stop in downtown Raleigh on Wednesday. During a joint phone call, where Krasno is speaking from a mountain in Mill Valley, Calif. (“There’s a hawk flying above me right now – it’s pretty amazing!”) while Benevento is in Brooklyn, they talk about what took them so long to join forces.
“It made sense,” says the Connecticut-born, Brooklyn-based Krasno, 40. “I’ve also known Marco for . . . almost 20 years or something? So, we’ve been friends a long time.” Krasno also recalls being at one of the first shows for The Benevento/Russo Duo, an indie-rock group formed by Benevento and Joe Russo, and eventually becoming a regular fan. “I used to kind of jump onstage and try to make it a trio every once in a while.”
Benevento and Krasno enjoy collaborating – not just with themselves, but with others. Both men are members of several bands. Along with Joe Russo’s Almost Dead and The Benevento/Russo Duo, Benevento is also a member of the rock/funk/jazz quartet Garage A Trois; drummer Bobby Previte’s jazz/rock ensemble The Coalition of the Willing; and Bustle in Your Hedgerow, which reinterprets Led Zeppelin music. As for Krasno, he’s a founding member of the soul/funk groups Soulive and Lettuce (which was here, sans Krasno, last Friday).
And since they’ve been associated with artists in the jam-band genre (while Krasno has toured with Lesh, Benevento has toured with Phish’s Trey Anastasio and Mike Gordon), people have lumped them into that genre as well.
“I just think we ended up where we ended up,” says Krasno. “I think it’s gone beyond musical genre and it’s more just a style of, like, we go out and we tour and we work together and we kind of collaborate with a lot of different people. So, I think, musically, I wouldn’t say that we sound like a jam band. I don’t even know what a jam band is anymore?”
“I think ‘jam band’ can be kind of misleading to our individual projects,” adds the New Jersey-born, Woodstock-based Benevento, 39. “I think when people hear ‘jam band,’ they think of, like, long guitar solos and a night of two hours of music. Usually, the band will play five or six songs and really jam out every song. But we don’t do that. Like, I’m playing maybe 20 songs in a two-hour night, and there’s a lot of focus on songwriting, arranging and things like that versus jamming. It’s not to say I don’t like it at all. I do like it a lot. I like jamming and interacting and doing longer jams. But I agree with Kras – we just sort of wound up there because the people that like our music are also in jam bands and stuff.”
Nevertheless, both men continue to do their thing, performing together and promoting the solo albums they dropped earlier this year. (Benevento released “The Story of Fred Short” in April, while Krasno came with “Blood from a Stone” in July.) And although they say they don’t exactly fit into the jam-band mold, Benevento and Krasno assures audiences they’ll be jammin’ regardless.
Fresh off the release of their Blood From A Stone album, the Eric Krasno Band brought their fall tour to the famed Terrapin Crossroads in San Rafael, CA last night. The venue is perhaps most well known for its proprietor, Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh. It just so happened that Lesh was on hand for the performance, and sat in for a four song run at the end of Krasno’s first set.
Eric Krasno has been a frequent contributor to Phil Lesh & Friends shows of late, and the guitarist has embraced the Grateful Dead catalog with a passion. Lesh first emerged for “Ramble On Rose,” and aided in “I Second That Emotion.” Krasno’s band and Lesh then let loose on a great rendition of “Scarlet Begonias” into “Fire On The Mountain.”
Check out a video of “Scarlet Begonias > Fire On The Mountain” below, courtesy of Keith Zacharski.
The show of course featured a number of great original music from Krasno’s career, including choice cuts from his recent Blood From A Stone album. The show ended with a rocking encore of “Manic Depression,” sending fans home happy!
Setlist: Eric Krasno Band at Terrapin Crossroads, San Rafael, CA – 10/8/16
Set One: 76, Jezebel, Please Ya, Move Over, Curse Lifter, Ramble On Rose, I Second That Emotion, Scarlet Begonias > Fire On The Mountain
Set Two: Get Back, Torture, On The Rise, Memphis Train, Blood From A Stone, Love Is Strong, Unconditional Love
Encore: Manic Depression
via The Biss List
By Staff Writer Arya Jha
I caught up with Eric Krasno as he was walking into the Marigny section of New Orleans, on his last day in town before he departed for his West Coast Tour.
Read on as he discusses his shows at Brick and Mortar on 10/7 and Terrapin Crossroads on 10/8 &10/9, as well as his experiences playing with Phil Lesh, Eric Krasno Band’s future sounds, and plenty more!
BISS List (BL): Congratulations on your July release of Blood From A Stone, and Eric Krasno Band tour!
Eric Krasno (EK): Thank you, yea I am looking forward to bringing the band out west, it's going to be great.
BL: You already have such a widespread fanbase, who know your work very well. How is the reaction of your live audience been to the new music of Eric Krasno Band?
EK: Oh it’s been great! You know, because, this album is a little bit of a departure from Lettuce and Soulive. The people who follow close enough, know the other stuff I’ve done, they’ve heard some of the stuff I’ve done with artists like Aaron Neville, more of my songwriting side. This album kind of showcases a little bit of it all, you know, it’s like people get down, and groove with us, but it’s more about the songs, it’s more about the guitar playing. I’m really excited because the band has kind of taken the songs to new places, because I have such a killer band. And it’s a big band, well it’s fairly big, its like 6 of us. So it’s a really big sound and people have been really diggin it. As the album has kind of gotten out there to more people, people are starting to know the music more, and know more of the songs, which is cool, so yea its exciting!
BL: The music community has been keen to notice the debut of strong, vintage sounding, Kraz-Vocals on this project! Along with your lyrical partner Dave Gutter, many of these songs on Blood From A Stone were initially written for other people. To what extent did you alter these previously written tunes to match the sound and message of Eric Krasno Band? Were you able to adapt these lyrics to your own project easily?
EK: Well you know, this album is kind of a collection of the stuff that I thought translated well to me and my band. So, I would say the reason these songs ended up on my record, is because they kind of were close to my heart, not to sound too corny. These songs were the ones that I was like ‘Oh, I Wanna Keep That One!’ And then what’s happened since then, cause you know I wrote a bunch of these songs and then did a short little tour a couple years ago before the album was released, so I got to try out playing this stuff live, and that kind of helped me pick the right songs that translated live, and that I wanted to sing live. Now that the band is together I’m writing stuff that really fits the style of the band. So now the next phase of stuff is I think even better! You know it’s cool because I’ve been in bands for so long, my other bands, so it’s just fresh. It feels really good to be out there doing a new thing, with new energy, that’s been really cool.
BL: Have you had to prepare differently for touring as a vocalist? Can you touch base on how the incorporation of lyrics might have affected your sound as a guitarist in terms of Eric Krasno Band?
EK: Oh yea, definitely. Also for me, I’ve always sang background and sang here and there, but to sing all night, every night it’s a task. It's not just your fingers, it’s your whole body. You can’t party quite as much, you gotta kind of pick your moments to hang out, and you also have to pick your moments for when to talk! The first tour we did, the second show we did, I actually lost my voice. I got it back, I just didn’t talk all day, I drank tea and honey, and got it back. It was also kind of a little bit of a scare, man, I gotta be careful here, gotta make sure my health is on point, gotta be careful to not get sick.
I would say that it has affected my guitar playing, in a good way. I’m playing more lyrically, and choosing my notes more carefully maybe. I’m also just playing the guitar parts to showcase the song more. We definitely jam out and get weird and stuff, but in a different way I would say. It’s kind of a more mature approach. It’s been good for the guitar playing side of me.
BL: Blood from a Stone is cohesive, yet each track has its own persona. The influence of psychedelic rock, soul and funk are obvious. The most surprising part for me was the calm, airy and chill vibe that Blood From A Stone creates for the listener. What do you think influenced that aspect?
EK: You know, I've always been the guy that likes the ballads on the records. I always gravitate towards the 6/8 tracks, it's just what I like. Those were the songs that I gravitated towards, I dunno, it was the mood that I was in. It's very much what I like. Live, I would say, we definitely add a lot more energy to the songs. When you see the live show, it's not quite as slow & chill as the album. Also, the stuff I've been writing for the next record, partly because when we do go on tour, I’m like I need more up tempo songs for the live show thing. Blood From A Stone showcases more of the sensitive side, more of the songwriting side.
BL: Tell me about your band. Who are you touring with, how did you choose them, were they involved in the album as well?
EK: Sorry hold on, I’m walking by this band playing in the street (laughs) totally in New Orleans right now! Okay so, the band is killer. Eric Kalb is on drums, who used to play with John Scofield and played with Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings for a long time. The bass player also played with Sharon Jones & played with Charles Bradley, his name is Alex Chakour. Danny Mayer and Mary Corso- Danny actually played in Alan Evans Trio, he’s kind of all over the northeast Jam and Funk scene, he just really got it. He really knows how to expand on the material, and then Mary is just an incredible vocalist, super soulful. That’s a whole element to the show that isn’t on the album. She sings lead on a few tracks every night, and every night everyone's like “Oh My God! She’s amazing!” So thats kind of the secret weapon to the band. Mary sang background on the very last song (of the record), “When the Day Comes”. The record actually, I played a lot of the stuff myself, and I had the drummer and bass player from the London Souls do a lot of it, and they’re obviously busy with their band.
Its a badass lineup. Another one of the band members is DeShawn Alexander, he’s another one that’s a little superstar, he’s like 23 or 24. I heard him at Berklee, I went up to do a music seminar at the Berklee College of Music in Boston, and he came up and sat in with me because the teachers were like, “You’ve gotta hear this kid, he’s amazing and he knows all your music!” He had been in, well, they had a Lettuce/Soulive Ensemble where the kids learned all that music. So he knew all these songs of mine, and he plays good, and he sings great, he was the choir director of his church, and he plays the organ. So now I’m bringing him around to all these festivals, and he’s just having a blast. Everywhere we go, it’s the same thing, people are like “He’s Amazing!” So it’s been really fun, watching them all kind of not only be a part of it, but add their own flavor to the music.
BL: The Bay Area shows you have include a two night at Terrapin Crossroads with special guest Phil Lesh. You’ve been developing a relationship with the Dead community for along time now, and Phil Lesh for years. You’ve even been influencing Phil Lesh to have your own funk brothers, from Soulive to the Shady Horns, join in on Dead collaborations. How have you felt about combining the Royal Family with the Grateful Dead family?
EK: It’s literally what I’ve - I’ve never thought it would happen, but it’s what I always hoped would happen. You know when I was a kid that was some of the first shows I went to, the first music I experienced. My older brother was a Deadhead so would bring me around to Dead shows when I was a kid, I used to collect the tapes, I was a little Deadhead. It was some of the first things I learned on the guitar. So it’s huge for me. Then there were many years where I kind of went away from that, I was more funk and jazz and soul, I went that route. When Phil called me to start playing with him, I was super honored, and it was kind of a gateway, to come full circle and start listening to that music again. To be honest, when I got really deep into songwriting in the last 10 years, I had been kind of referring back to that. When I went to learn all of those songs for Phil, I realized what an incredible catalogue they music had, and what incredible writers they are. So I’ve been super inspired by that, and being around Phil. Then Phil has me singing a lot with him, he’s been pushing me in that realm which has been great. It’s been full circle, and in the last year, he said, let's get some of your guys, and I said ‘Let's Do It!’
Watching Alan and Neal, they weren’t really Deadheads at all, but I would always kinda sneak certain stuff on in the van, it wasn’t really their thing. I think now they are having the same experience, going through the catalogue and learning the music, sayin’ “Oh Man, there is some great music here!” They’re even having a blast with it. This last time we had the Shady Horns with Phil and he just loves them SO much. They’re vibe is so great. It’s a blessing, for sure.
BL: How do you feel about playing your own music at Terrapin Crossroads, rather than the songs of the Grateful Dead? Will Phil be collaborating on EKB tracks?
EK: I mean, that was like, I’ve been dreaming of that. Not only did he invite me, but then he called me and actually asked me if he could play. I was like ‘Are you kidding me?’ I think we might get him on one or two EKB tracks, and then do some of his music too.
BL: You recently got to play Jerry Garcia’s Tiger guitar in Central Park, and additionally received the Paul Reed Smith to work with at a run of Phil shows in Brooklyn. Has the incorporation of tone, timber and pedals changed your perception of how you might play in the future? Will we be seeing more of these configurations and techniques in future Eric Krasno shows?
EK: Definitely. It has just all been more ingredients thrown into the pot, into the gumbo, not to be too New Orleans. I’m just trying to incorporate more and more vocabulary and more sound into what I’m doing. Being able to play Tiger was another bucket list checked off. Now I’ve been playing with John Mayer’s guitar. It’s inspired me to expand my pallet of sounds, I guess. I’ve been doing a lot of experimenting with guitars and pedals, and the only downside, is that my tech and I have a lot more stuff to carry around. I’ve maybe gone a little too far. It’s fun, it’s really fun.
BL: You are no stranger to Bay Area. We absolutely love you out here, and truly look forward to your three Bay Area shows. Welcome Back Krasno!
EK: I’m really looking forward to it! The show at Brick and Mortar is also with the Jazz Mafia guys opening and hopefully sitting in a little bit too!
Soulful guitarist Eric Krasno has released a fresh new music video from his debut solo record, Blood From A Stone. The video features the song “Curse Lifter”, the lone instrumental track from Krasno’s album, and it features his good friend, the inimitable Derek Trucks, on guitar.
Krasno had this to say about the new video: “I’m excited to share this psychedelic video for ‘Curse Lifter.’ The animation takes you through an abstract journey that I thought fit well with the track. I was excited to have Derek Trucks join me on this tune. He is close friend and one of my absolute favorite guitar players.”The animation only helps bring this exciting track to life, matching its guitar-soaked tones to psychedelic imagery.
Kraz is currently preparing to hit the road on a lengthy fall tour with his Eric Krasno Band, where he’ll play a number of dates with Doyle Bramhall II, The London Souls, and keyboard virtuoso Marco Benevento. “I’m really looking forward to the fall tour with EKB,” said Krasno. “The band is gelling right now and the new songs are really expanding as we play more and more shows. Being on the road with Marco Benevento’s band will be a blast! We are old friends, so I see a lot of cool collaborations happening.”
It should be an exciting couple of months for Krasno, so don’t miss him and his band on the road this fall! You can see Krasno’s tour schedule below, and be sure to visit his website for more information.
Eric Krasno Band Tour Dates
October 7 – San Francisco, CA – Brick & Mortar
October 8 – San Rafael, CA – Terrapin Crossroads ##
October 9 – San Rafael, CA – Terrapin Crossroads ##
October 18 – Richmond, VA – The Broadberry *
October 19 – Raleigh, NC – Lincoln Theatre *
October 20 – Atlanta, GA – Terminal West *
October 21 – Asheville, NC – New Mountain *
October 22 – Charleston, SC – Pour House *
October 27 – Cincinnati, OH – Live from the Ludlow
October 28 – Columbus, OH – Woodlands Tavern
October 29 – Chicago, IL – Martyrs **
November 1 – Annapolis, MD – Rams Head ^
November 2 – Washington, DC – Hamilton ^
November 3 – Asbury Park, NJ – Stone Pony
November 4 – Ardmore, PA – Ardmore Music Hall ^
November 5 – Hartford, CT – Arch Street Tavern
November 18 – Austin, TX – Antone’s +
November 19 – Austin, TX – Antone’s +
November 20 – Houston, TX – Warehouse Live +
## w/ Phil Lesh
*with Marco Benevento
**with The London Souls
^with Doyle Bramhall II
+with Dumpstaphunk
Brand new track I wrote & recorded with Griz & Basstracks out now 🔥
