Eric was born and raised in the small town of North Bend just outside Seattle, Washington. His father was a naturally gifted musician who would play the family upright piano daily as well as the harmonica and accordion. Soaking this in, Eric followed suit. Listening to his parents old records and copying what he heard, he found he could listen to something and recreate it with his voice and the piano. He spent countless hours trying to sound exactly like John Lennon, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Don Henley, Brian Wilson, Billy Joel, Ray Charles and many others.
His best friend Jake also came from a very musical family. They all sang and played instruments and Jake's father was a professional touring guitarist. In Elementary school, Eric and Jake (along with the family band) played several talent shows to great enthusiasm. In High School while living in Montana, Eric was active in choir performing several solos where he played the piano and sang with the entire choir backing him. For a short time, he even played keys and sang in a country band called 5Acre formed with friends. Upon graduation, he wrote and sang a song for the ceremony with a fellow classmate. These early experiences performing for crowds put a bug in Eric that would never go away.
Out of High School, he attended a fire fighting school, but ended up joining the military upon graduation. He spent four years in the service as a Navy medic attached to a Marine Corps Unit in Camp Pendleton, California. Upon completion of his service, he moved back to his hometown of Seattle where he started work as an independent landscaper. It was at this time that he started to rekindle his musical ambitions and more importantly, write his own songs. Sparked by a new relationship as well as a new found freedom as a civilian, Eric began to find his own musical style.
After living together in downtown Seattle for a year, Eric and his girlfriend Naomi (a jewelry buyer for Barneys New York) decided to move to New York City. Upon arrival, Eric attended random college courses in Queens using his military benefits. About a year in to the move, the relationship dissolved. Naomi stayed in the East Village of Manhattan and Eric moved across the river to Brooklyn. Struggling to find his place and purpose in the city, he started looking for musical opportunities. After putting out a Craigslist ad looking for bandmates, he met a highly intelligent and musically gifted bass player named Seth Klugman.
The two rehearsed Eric's songs together in Seth's East Village apartment while looking for the rest of their band. One day while working at his retail job in Union Square, a co-worker mentioned to him that there was a drummer in another department who was attending NYU's Jazz program. Eric introduced himself and shared what he and Seth were up to. The next rehearsal, Rick sat in and the fit was seamless. Rick Martinez was now their drummer. The deal was sweetened by the addition of Ricks NYU classmate Jason Evans on guitar. The band was now complete.
"Rovnik" as they called themselves improved quickly and within a month started playing small circuit gigs around Manhattan and Brooklyn. Over a three year period, they recorded Eric's earliest material and played many historic NYC venues including: The Bitter End, Arlene's Grocery, Sullivan Hall, Cafe Wha, Shrine, The Delancey, Spike Hill, Kenny's Castaway, RockWood Music Hall, Fontana's, and many more. Eric wrote much of his extensive catalog during these years, finding great result in writing a song and watching it come to life thru the band.
After almost 3 years, members began to go separate ways. Eric and Rick continued playing duo shows together. After working some difficult dead end day jobs including a year with a moving company, Eric left the city after almost 7 years and headed for Nashville, TN. While working for the State of Tennessee Health Department, he began recording his first solo EP entitled Hot Times. Upon completion of the EP, he relocated to Montana where he and Rick debuted the album with a show and party. The attention drawn from the show quickly lead to a series of opportunities throughout the Flathead Valley, an area made up of several towns in the Northwest corner of Montana.
Eric soon became a fixture in the local music scene, playing solo as well as occasional duo shows with Rick. Over a four year period, he released three albums and several singles. With a growing local fan base, his solo career has continued in an upward trajectory with shows ranging from solo and duo gigs to tours and ticketed full band concert venues.