Eric Himan Reviews “the Lovely Bones”

Yesterday, while roaming through the $1 video rentals of the local RedBox attached to Walgreen’s, “The Lovely Bones” movie caught my eye. I remember seeing previews for it but never had a chance to see it while it was in the theaters. Heard so many great things about the book and the trailer looked great with its visual effects/great cast. I was excited to see it so I rented it.

Started the movie turning to my other half to say, “Why wasn’t this movie bigger?” meaning Academy Awards/big profits. By the end of this film, I had all the answers to this question. Though it has Mark Wahlberg, who can make or break a movie just by being in it for some people, Rachel Weisz (who is great), and Stanley Tucci (Devil Wears Prada/Julie and Julia), it was super slow and got progressively sadder as the film went on. Without spoiling it for anyone, I have to say Susan Sarandon’s character (even her appearance in this film at all) surprised me. She was the crazy grandmother character and the comedic relief.

The visual effects were great but without a more direct relationship to the plot, they fell flat. When I spoke to some friends today about their thoughts on it, I received a lot of the same opinions.

Next movie to review (the movie I am half-watching right now while typing this):
Astro Boy. So far it has been cute. Not so sure I can stand Nicholas Cage’s voice in it much longer though.

Side Note: Excited to play 3 new Good Villains songs on Tulsa’s rock radio interview show, The Phil and Brent Show, on KMOD (97.5)! Check it out if you can! Doing three songs: Must Be Nice, Name, and Just Like Me!

Also performed with Eric and the Adams outside at the Enviro-Expo in Tulsa for Earth Day. Had a lot of fun with Jimmy and Angel but got a nasty sunburn. Thanks, Earth Day!:)ha.

Night!
~Eric

Good (villains) Review In The Urban Tulsa Weekly!

Need to blog today so I don’t REALLY ruin my good willed blogging streak.

Had my post-college roommate stay with us on her way to Santa Barbara. So fun to see old friends:).

Going to go watch The Lovely Bones after a pork stir-fry and fried rice dinner I just made mmmmmmm.:)

OH, and here is an article that was written about my new music project, Good Villains, upcoming gig this weekend. It was taken from this week’s Urban Tulsa Weekly by Gary Hizer. Very excited to play these 6 new original songs with this new band. Have a great night (and check two of them out at: www.myspace.com/goodvillains)!
~Eric

“Next Big Thing

In case you haven’t heard, there’s another new band in town that will be making its live debut this weekend at Flytrap Event Center on Saturday night, April 24. Good Villains is the new project featuring Adam Tichenor, Ted Scott and Todd Shaver, all formerly of Congress of a Crow.

Even though Good Villains might include the core of Congress, don’t expect more of the same. I got a sneak preview a couple of weeks ago, and this lineup is stellar. The grooves are heavy, but instead of defaulting into reggae and world beat rhythms, the current music relies on funk and blues and has a more soulful, organic feel to it. Think early Van Halen influenced rock riffs and prog-rock progressions with a funk-inspired undertone. Drummer Aaron Baker holds down the backbeat with Shaver to keep things rock solid, but the wild-card and secret to this line-up is vocalist Eric Himan.

Yes, I know. On paper, this doesn’t seem like it would work. Himan’s background is strictly in pop, both with his solo career and band time with Eric & the Adams. Himan’s range and soulful delivery, however, are what polish the rough edges of the band’s sound and give it a cross-demographic appeal.

The ABoT award nominations are coming in just a couple of weeks, and I fully expect this band to be Tulsa’s next big thing. If Good Villains doesn’t get nominated for and win “Best New Act” this year, it’s only because the band is debuting so close to the voting that not enough people are aware of the band yet.

If you aren’t in at Norman Music Festival on Saturday evening, this will definitely be the show to see. Headliner Fair to Midland is a local favorite and always puts on an eclectic and engaging show, but this is one of the strongest hard rock lineups we’ve seen in months.

Nothing More has been the buzz band in town during its past few visits and My Solstice is also on the bill, using the night to release the first single, “Will.Want.Need.” from its forthcoming album, which comes out in June. Young act Epifade rounds out the bill as the evening’s opener, so it’s a full night of music, but Good Villains might very well steal the show.

Trust me, you don’t want to miss this one. Doors open at 7pm for the 8pm show and tickets are $12 in advance or $15 at the door.”

Good (villains) Practice!

Had a fun practice tonight with the guys from Good Villains. Music was the reason we all came together to begin with but as time goes on (we have been playing together since last October) it is fun to get to know the people behind the instruments. Been playing a bit of conga and piano at practice for the intro to some songs. Curious to see how that grows.

Business as usual day: gym, bank, post office, computer work, and getting gigs. Tomorrow should be similar with both practices (Good Villains and Eric and the Adams back to back). Going to go watch my favorite shows right now:
Nurse Jackie and United States of Tara on Showtime! Love this DVR thing (new to me as of a few weeks).

Have some leftover cake and Sprite. Going to go have myself a PAR-Tay.:)

Hope everyone is doing well!

~Eric

A Bbq Fit For Some Good Villains!

I never know how to start blogs without it sounding Dear Diary-ish, BUT here goes:

Dear Diary (ish),

Today, I am happy to say my house is dusted, laundry done, floors swept and mopped, all organized, yard is mowed, and to-do list for the week is written. I feel the best motivator to get all this done is invite a bunch of people over that have never been to your house before. I did just that a week or so ago, when the band that I have been rehearsing and singing with, Good Villains, wanted to have a BBQ the weekend before our first show (this Saturday at The Flytrap in Tulsa opening for the band, Fair To Midland: the FB event is: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=377980313609&ref=ts). Ry and I got the house all together and went to the store to get all the BBQ fixings. Although it did rain today, making a BBQ, more of a cooking term than a social setting, we had a lot of fun. Ry even baked this cake after coming home from work at 3am (how can you not love that??!). Here it is:

This band is something I am very excited about. This spring, I have mixed my acoustic gigs all over the US with my regional shows with Eric and the Adams while rehearsing during my time home with this new band. In it, I am first and foremost, the singer, a role I have yet to have taken on. I typically play guitar in the backing bands and with the Adams but this is my first time out-front with just a microphone. Besides the fact that the four other members (Erin Nelson on drums, Ted Scott on guitar, Adam Tichenor on guitar, and Todd Shaver on bass) all teach the instrument they are amazing on, being just the singer made it a challenge I couldn’t resist. As of right now, our set list includes all originals (we don’t have any covers) that kick-ass. You can hear two of the ones we recorded (with the help of our guitarist, Adam) at: www.myspace.com/goodvillains. I am excited and nervous for the show which can only mean that it is going to be awesome. Having the guys over (and Shonda!:) was a lot of fun and nice to talk without a list of songs to go over in front of us. I made Ry’s mom’s pasta salad (my favorite) while Ry cooked the burgers and hot dogs. We had an assortment of chips, condiments, buns, soda (hard to resist the orange soda, I have to tell ya), followed by the cake.

Ended the night with a trip over to Target with Ry, one thing we like to do on a rainy day. Bought “Cirque De Freak: The Vampire’s Assistant” (which we watched and I really liked), tried to memorize a recipe from Rocco Dispirito’s book, and left with an Icee in hand. I even almost forgot to do this blog and rushed in before I was heading to bed. So now….I will go get my toothbrush and then head to bed. Tomorrow is going to be a VERY productive day thanks to my motivational speaker-of-mind, Kelly Cutrone. Think my next book to read is Chelsea Handler (Lately)’s “Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang” when I borrow it from my sista tomorrow. Can’t wait. Then Good Villians practice. We have this Saturday’s show AND we are on KMOD (Tulsa’s rock radio station!) for “The Phil and Brent Show” this Friday at 8am with three of our new songs. Will have to get up at 4am to be able to sing these balls-out songs!!

Night, public diary and see you tomorrow!
~Eric

ps. I can’t wait to see the “A Nightmare on Elm Street”’s remake on April 30th. Was a big fan of it (and highly frightened of it) growing up. Hope they do a good job with it!

To St. John’s University And Back! Ps. Kelly Cutrone Rocks!

Here i am sitting in the Chicago Midway airport on my way back home. I said I was going to blog every day and here i am doing so. Wonder if watching Julie and Julia brought this on or my guilt for being consistent with it a long time ago and letting life carry me away. Regardless, here I am again writing out my life on my website. Always fun to read old entries and see where life has taken me.

Last night, I performed at St. John’s University up near St. Cloud in Minnesota. After my great run-in with Derek Webb (see last entry), I was having a good day. My flights were smooth and I actually read most of Kelly Cutrone’s, “If You Have To Cry, Go Outside”. She is the star of Bravo’s “Kell on Earth” and that is how I heard about her PR firm and her reputation for being a “ballbuster” in the fashion industry. Her book, which I finished on today’s flight is awesome. She is half-New Yorker-tell-it-like-it-is and half spiritual being. I have always been a bit shy when it comes to my opinions (think it was pushed on me at a young age that it was not a good thing to be opinionated) but after reading this book, I think as long as I remain honest with others and myself, I don’t have to be afraid of pissing off the right people or botching a future opportunity. I’m letting that go:).

Anyway, Jon, the president of PRISM-People Represented in Sexual Minorities- at the college picked me up for my PrideFest performance at the college that night. I flew into Minneapolis and we drove the hour and half to Collegeville, MN (thanks, Jon!). We talked about Lady Gaga (both not fans of that Telephone video) and the history of this great PRISM organization at a Catholic college up in MN. When I showed up, I got a tour of the campus (4,000 students go there) and loved the size and laid back quality of the place. I had plenty of questions for my tour guide about a catholic college having an LGBT group on campus. He said the college was liberal and although his attitude and those that I met early in the day confirmed that, I was still skeptical. I knew the show that night would give me the answers that I was seeking.
?I caught up with Jon and his friend, Andy (who drove me back to the airport. Thanks, Andy!) for dinner at the dining commons. OMG, I think it has been 10 years since I actually sat down and ate at a dining commons since my Penn State days. To be quite honest, I miss it. All the food laid out for you based on what style of food you want: Italian/Fried Food, Salads, meat and potatoes, asian cuisine. MMMMmmmm. I think I overate because of it. That night, I entered the Pub, a beer-serving, wood-finished bar on campus. The size was perfect for events like myself; not too small, but not too big that a decent sized crowd could not be dwarfed by it. I was told that an acoustic band was opening for me…in drag. I was a bit curious to see how this would all play out. I walked in and met members of the band, Mister (all male and not in drag), as they were sound checking. They had a southern-rock style to them that I really enjoyed and heard they had quite a following in the area. I soundchecked, with the help of the band, and waited till showtime. When they took the stage, just as it was advertised, they all took the stage in dresses. A very downplayed type of drag I’ve seen in my life that almost mirrored the few times I had caught shows on MTV of Kurt Cobain of Nirvana and Shannon Hoon of Blind Melon wearing dresses. They just rocked it out as if they were wearing sweats. They had a nice crowd out that enjoyed the gesture.

I have to say I was a bit nervous when I saw that I was following a rock band comprised of four, electric and in full-dress. I was told that they were an acoustic guitar group and when I heard the first distorted sounds of the electric guitar and the banging of the drums, I knew what I was in for. Unless you are the giant headliner and the crowd came specifically for you, it is tough to follow a full band with an acoustic guitar and a microphone. When I took the stage, I immediately jumped into a cover song with both feet. I thought that would help at least keep the dancing crowd, well, dancing. It worked. I weaved in my songs amongst songs that I thought they would know (I was at least 10 years older than the majority of my audience); a little Lady Gaga, some Rihanna, Michael Jackson (surprised it went over well), and Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing”. You would have thought Journey took the stage that night to perform based on their reaction from the first lyrics of the song. They knew every word and sang it louder than I did. I have a feeling the show, “Glee”, had some impact on this. It ended up being a great show with me instructing them at the end during “Billie Jean”, that they form a giant circle and have one person at a time freestyle ala Soul Train. They were in position fast and it was really fun to perform and get to watch them go for it. I performed “Protest Song” somewhere in the middle of the set and was glad that it was received well and that they paid attention to the words. Very cool audience and I even think I made some friends out of the gig.

Now I am back on the plane (since I started writing this, I stopped, got on the plane, and opened up my computer at 30,000 feet in the air. We are on the way to St. Louis before taking off again for Tulsa, OK. I’ve never been such a homesick person in my life until moving to Tulsa. I end up missing my people, my doggie, and my cozy home. Good thing I have these little adventures or I would probably go crazy,ha.

I’m going to end this journal entry with a quote out of Kelly’s book (page 185). I loved that she said the first part and then added the second without deleting the first.

“I’m asking you to start the church of you. I want you to refuse to pray or play at place that won’t let you speak or where your gender has no power. Or, fine, if you really have to go to these places, go with the intention of transforming them.”

Talk to you tomorrow!
?~Eric

Bumping Into Music:)

I swear, I need to start committing to blogging more. I have been terrible this year so far at updating my blog SOOOO whether anyone reads this or I feel I don’t have much to say, I am going to blog.

Sometimes I do have something fun to blog about. Last night, I met Angel out at Cain’s Ballroom to see one of her favorite artists, Jennifer Knapp. I had heard of Jennifer and seen one of her videos on TV a lloooonnng time ago, but this was my first show to see her (I think we have a friend in common-Steven Delopolous). She was a huge staple in the Christian music scene a while back and let music for 8 years to live in Australia. I got there a bit late and everyone was seated so it was a bit strange to make my way through the crowd unnoticed. I found Angel and Heather in the back and watched the second act, Derek Webb. I have to admit, I love the women….singer/songwriters. Even though I, myself, am a male singer/songwriter, it is harder for me to appreciate men the same way in this kind of music. Derek, though, was great. I really thought his songs were well written and performed. There were many surprises in his choice of chords that made it fun to listen to him. He did a great song called, “God’s Hometown”. You could hear a pin drop while he played it. Then, two of the Hanson brothers came out of nowhere and helped him with the chorus of his last song, Elvis Costello’s “Peace Love and Understanding”.

After his set, Jennifer Knapp got onstage and I could she had the audience before she ever got up there. I have never seen her play live and I was even more interested after she said this week in the media that she is gay. I was curious as to how this affects an artist with such a heavy Christian music background. When she finished her third song, she said something about “the elephant in the room”. It didn’t cross my mind that she actually would address it in her show. She never quite said the big, “I’m gay..or here/queer stuff” but we all knew what she was referring to. I was proud to see the audience applaud her and after she spoke of this, I could tell she wasn’t as tense. I ended up leaving through her set to get back home. It was very cool to watch Angel witness these moments for Jennifer. It reminded me of how I felt watching Ani DiFranco years ago. I always felt like she understood my story without ever knowing me. What a great feeling. Angel tried to meet Jennifer and give her a CD but as things usually go, once the show is over, it gets kind of chaotic. I know she was disappointed and I told her that I felt it…an Eric and the Adams CD would get to her in some way.

Well, flash forward to this morning, when I arrived at the airport, guitar and suitcase in hand. I was headed off to my flight to Minneapolis to play an hour outside at St. John’s University. When I walked up to the escalator, so did Derek Webb. I recognized him right away and told him how great the show was the night before. He was very down to earth, approachable, and a real nice guy. we talked for a bit and as we walked up to the ticket counter, I offered him my “Resonate” CD and told him how Angel wanted to give the Eric and the Adams CD to Jennifer but couldn’t the night before. He said he would definitely give it her. AWESOME!! Love when stuff like that happens. I even spoke with him a bit at the gate before his plane left. He had a few book suggestions (Chris Anderson’s “A Long Tail” and “Free”). Going to pick them up next week.

Now I am in my hotel room about to head over to the Dining Commons (been forever since I’ve been in one of those,ha). Hope they have pasta (I’m in the mood for it!). Thanks to my tour guide, Jon, for running me around too.

~Eric

Touring The Big Ok This Weekend!

What an awesome, nice day in Oklahoma!!! Gets me so excited to have the band play outside this Thursday at The Hunt Club in Tulsa (next to the Marquee on the new patio!). I performed outside in San Diego for my show at Bourbon Street last week (thanks for everyone who came out to my solo acoustic shows!) and it was so cool to look up with my guitar in hand and see the moon and stars. Check out the video:

This week, the Adams and I are playing in our hometown of Tulsa, OK and then swinging over to OKC for a Friday night show at Belle Isle Brewery in OKC, and then for our first big show in Stillwater, OK at Willie’s Saloon. If the weather stays like this, I am going to be very excited! For more details, check out the FB page on these gigs: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=100264116680255&ref=mf.

Time to mail off my newsletter for April (which you can join right on the site!) and then it is off to practices tonight. Hope we can practice outside!

Be good!
~Eric

ps. If you haven’t gotten the new Eric and the Adams, Angel made this to say pick one up soon!!:)