|
From
the road to the stage, a smile on just one face….it feels like home…..
Music
has shaped Eric’s life since the day he was born. As a cranky infant he was
soothed to sleep by the early
90s sounds of Country Music Television. As he learned to walk his first steps
were to the cassette player where
his personal favorites were The Allman Brothers and Stevie Ray Vaughan.
Childhood piano lessons soon turned into
Blues jams and before long he picked up his first fender Stratocaster. There was
no looking back…..
After
sitting in with some of the finest performers in his Pennsylvania hometown,
Eric's passion for the Blues enabled him
to soon share the stage with many nationally known artists including Bob
Margolin, Debbie Davies, James Armstrong,
Steve Guyger, Kenny Neal, Chris Beard, Tommy Castro, Joe Kubek, Bnois King,
Solomon Burke, Ronnie Baker Brooks and Hubert Sumlin.
With
a feeling and natural ability that could not be explained for someone so young,
Eric delivered a Freddie-BB-Albert King
influenced performance with an intensity and skill that belied his youth.
The
Eric Steckel Band's debut CD, "A Few Degrees Warmer", was recorded
live in April 2002 when Eric was a mere
11 years old. A Few Degrees quickly became a CD Baby Top Blues Seller and the
record continues to delight Blues Guitar fans across the globe.
In
November of 2003 the "ESB" appeared at the Sarasota Blues Festival
where Eric’s powerful set and cameo
appearances became the talk of the day. Before the night was over Eric was
introduced by John Mayall
as the youngest person ever on stage with the Bluesbreakers.
Eric
left a lasting impression on Mayall and in the Summer of 2004, Eric appeared in
Sweden,
Norway
and Denmark as a special guest with John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers during
their Scandinavian Tour.
In early 2005 Eric traveled to Los Angeles where he joined Mayall for session
work on the Bluesbreaker's "Road Dogs" record.
The
ESB developed their own faithful following through years of club gigs and
festival appearances
including opening sets in support of Marcia Ball, Tommy Castro, Shemekia
Copeland and B.B. King.
The
band released a studio record titled "High Action" in 2004 and
traveled to Holland and
Belgium in 2005 for a 10 concert tour promoted by Rounder-Europe and King Bee
Music.
After
relocating to Jacksonville, Florida, Eric was introduced to Duane Trucks who
joined the band in
late 2005 on drums. Music fans may immediately recognize Duane as Derek's
younger brother and the nephew of Butch Trucks.
In
celebration of Duane's arrival, the ESB released their third record,
"Havana". Deeply rooted in the Blues,
this live recording recalled the sound of the 60s and 70s Blues Rock era.
In
support of the European release of "Live at Havana" through
Rounder-Europe, the ESB returned to Holland in 2006
where they had the honor to open for Johnny Winter at The Paradiso in Amsterdam
and appeared at the Tegelen Blues Rock Festival.
The
Summer of 2007 marked another milestone for Eric as the band played several
prominent American music
festivals and earned rave reviews and new fans during tours in Holland, Germany,
Belgium and Italy, including
a prime time performance at the legendary Pistoia Blues Festival where he opened
in prime time for John Mayall and Gregg Allman.
Eric
greeted 2008 by emerging from the recording studio with a host of new songs and an
all new record titled “Feels Like Home”. Supported by solid session
performances from Duane Trucks on Drums
and Mike Esposito on Bass Guitar, “Feels Like Home” marks another stunning
achievement for Eric as the
one-time teen Blues phenom is now a matured guitarist who combines his
Bluesy feel with eclectic influences
and modern songwriting. “Feels Like Home” is on sale beginning March
2008.
In
support of “Feels Like Home” Eric has teamed up with one of his original
influences and early
mentor Craig Thatcher to develop a new road band, “Eric Steckel and CTB”.
The
Craig Thatcher Band has a well-earned reputation for blending classic rock and
blues with a
joy of playing that’s up front and bold. With their own worldwide recognition
and a slew of music awards
the CTB is recognized by many as one of the best bands on the East Coast.
Eric
Steckel and CTB is a must-see-live performing band.
A
smile on just one face, it feels like home………
Eric
has performed live on-air on WDIY and WLVR in Bethlehem, PA and has been
featured in
The Allentown (PA) Morning Call, The Doylestown (PA) Intelligencer, The
Philadelphia Inquirer,
The (NY) Times-Herald Record, Music Head Magazine, The Warren (NJ) Reporter
Forum, Guitar World Magazine,
The Easton (PA) Express, The Bridgewater (NJ) Courier Times, The Sarasota (FL)
Herald-Tribune,
the Lancaster (PA) Sunday News and The Florida Times Union. International press
includes 2005 features
in the Haagshe Courant, De Telegraaph and a 2007 MusikMaker (NL) feature.
Eric
was also featured in a 2002 Comcast CN8 TV News Extra and in 2003 he has
appeared on
NBC 10 in Philadelphia, Comcast CN8, Fox Philadelphia and SNN6 in Sarasota. In
2005 Eric was featured on Reuters TV.
Click
Here For Review of "Eric Steckel & CTB" by Rick Grant
Click Here For Italian Press From Summer 2007 Tour
Click Here For Dutch MusikMaker 2007 Article
Click Here For New Hampshire Hippo July 2006 Article
Click Here For New
Hampshire Union Leader July 2006 Article
Click Here For Florida Times-Union April 2005 Article
Click Here For Sarasota Herald-Tribune November 2004 Article
Click Here For Lancaster Sunday News July 2005 Article
|