The Composer

So many musicians I know can cite a certain recording that did it for us. We all seem to remember specific songs or artists that represent a shift toward a deeper commitment to music. For Eric, that record was Ramsey Lewis’s “The In Crowd.” Musicians also seem to have defining moments, harsh forks in the road of life. For Eric, getting kicked out of practice rooms at university for playing jazz was a turning point. And, we musicians all seem to have mentors and teachers who have sometimes appeared out of nowhere to inspire us to follow our hearts. For Eric, it was Mike Post who reassured him as a young man navigating the Los Angeles tv music scene that “there’s nothing you can write that I can’t fix,” and jazz pianist and teacher John Elliot who gave Eric a plan for developing jazz piano skills.

After these experiences, Eric was off and running. He knew how to find the help he needed and when deeper orchestration skills became important, he found a teacher in composer/music director Albert Harris. Being in the company of skilled session musicians such as Larry Muhoberac, Eric observed and absorbed and found himself working alongside professionals in many different capacities. As technology developed, Eric learned the new equipment. He composed, orchestrated, recorded, performed, accompanied, acted, and sequenced; and he did all of these things in different styles!

Yet, it seems to me that his eyes light up the most when he speaks of composing. There is fire and conviction when he talks about works of art and performing his own pieces just as he has heard them in his head. Simply put, Eric has a deep appreciation for a well-written piece of music regardless of the idiom. I heard it in his voice when he described the Rockford Files theme. Consider this: He’s spent years as a sideman backing master songwriter, Neil Sedaka whose tunes he describes as having many surprising complexities.

So don’t be fooled by the genre for which he’s currently marketed. New Age is sometimes considered by musicians to be background filler played by massage therapists to help clients relax. Certainly Eric’s music is pleasant and peaceful, but it deserves your wakeful attentiveness. Do yourself a favor and head over to ericbikales.com and buy a copy of the aptly titled, “Follow Your Heart.” I’m particularly enjoying “Maybe Yes Maybe No” and “Clockwork,” as I make my hour-long commutes to various workplaces. Listening to Eric’s piano playing makes the middle Tennessee scenery more poignant, and keeps me musically engaged and less stressed while navigating our continuously more crowded roads. And if you have Sirius radio you can find Eric on “The Spa.”