A Conversation with Eric Devries

What initially sparked your interest in pursuing a career in the arts for those who may not be familiar with your background?

That spark must’ve been ignited when I was around four or five singing out loud with the radio. I just loved singing. It was a little later that I literally figured out the band-concept through the Beatles. They’d split up by then but I became aware of their albums and I thought that must be the coollest thing to make music with your friends. Again a little later I convinced some of my friends to pick up an instrument and formed a band. I guess we were 12 or 13. It didn’t sound like much for we couldn’t play but we had a band at least.

Can you tell us about the inspiration behind your latest single?

The latest single is called ‘Shadow of a Man’ and it’s about watching yourself from a distance messing up bad and not being able to stop it. Staring in the mirror and wondering what you were thinking. I originally wrote it as a ballad but it got really heavy. Now it’s more up-tempo and it makes it kinda tonque-in-cheek singing that I usually remember faces and not recognizing my own.

What themes or emotions are explored in this song?

It’s a break-up song more or less..  knowing you’re screwing up but not being able to stop yourself selfdestructing. Well it’s about human frailty and we’ve all been there right? We’ve all broken up, or messed up or we have done things we’re not particularly proud of. I tend to write out of experiences and love is always a subject that remains mysterious and elusive.

How does this single fit into the larger narrative of your music career or your upcoming projects?

It fits in with my career in a sense that it’s mainly acoustic and real close as to what I’ve been doing live. We recorded it live, lead vocals included by the way. I have always loved acoustic instruments. Back in the day when acoustic guitars were out of fashion around here it was frowned upon when I played an acoustic in the band. It was a novelty here in the early nine-ties. It’s got a great groove even though we don’t have drums or percussion. When I played in Matthews Southern Comfort we toured without a drummer and it makes life on the road a lot easier. In that sense the previous album and the new one are more alike. More folk than rock and this one more leaning towards Bluegrass.

Could you describe the creative process behind this single, from concept to production?

As I said, I had the song written as a ballad before but when I was gathering songs and ideas for this upcoming new album (‘Traveler’s Heart’ release september ’24) I wanted something more light and up-tempo. So I re-wrote it and came up with a slightly different chord-progression that seemed to fit and it all fell together. We rehearsed it once and then went straight into recording. Producer Janos Koolen wanted to play the banjo specifically, he could have picked any instrument but this felt natural. We played it two or three times and just picked the best version.

What can listeners expect to experience or feel when they listen to this track?

I am hoping it brings a smile to their faces, as, like I said, it’s also a little tongue-in-cheek as well as it’s relatable. It’s the opening track of the new album ‘Traveler’s Heart’ and it introduces the instruments and it sets the pace and colour of the album.

Are there any interesting stories or anecdotes from the recording or writing of this song that you’d like to share?

As I said before, it was a whole other kind of song before I took the lyrics and re-wrote the whole thing. I felt straightaway it was gonna be the opener of the album. The way we come in with those chords twice and then straight into the first line, it felt like we were taking off when we first played it together.

As an artist, can you identify three key traits that define you?

Persistance, honesty and selfdeprecation. How’s that? I think you need to be persistent to want to be a singer-songwriter or a musician even. It’s a lonely job at times. And it’s easier playing in a Tribute band as is the current fashion rather than playing your own songs. But that’s art for you. It ain’t easy. And you need to have a sense of humour too. And I like to think I’m a ‘what-you-see-is-what-you-get’ kinda guy. It’s just me singing my songs. No theatrics. And I try to be honest in my writing. And succeeding at times.

What can we anticipate in terms of your upcoming projects?

I have no clue whatsoever just yet. This new album was completed only three years after the release of ‘Song & Dance Man’ from 2021. I usually take much longer than that. It’s only because of the reception of that album and the joy of performing with these great musicians that I felt the need to make this album. Producer Janos Koolen is one of Hollands finest players, guitar or mandolin or banjo or whatever really. And the same goes for Lucas Beukers on bass and Joost van Es on violin. They’re great Bluegrassplayers but can play anything really. So for now I’m just trying to get this show on the road. And the tour starts in september around the release of the new album. 

Where can our readers find additional information about you and your work?

Well there’s the website of course. (www.ericdevries.info ) and the socials and streaming platforms. These days everything is accessible on the net isn’t it? I remember the days of word of mouth, people talking about this great band they’d seen or an album they heard somewhere and you had to really go out and look and find out for yourself. I am hoping people will take the time to really listen and maybe even take the time to listen to something new, something they haven’t heard before. Every new album I made is different from the one I made before that. You’d think you’d know all about me if you listened to all five in a row but maybe there’s more to a human being that just his music?