From California to Texas, San Francisco to Boston and points in between, Eric's roots-based pop is tinged with country and Americana influences and aspires only to entertain and occasionally impress. Recently relocated to the great Pacific Northwest, this Bay Area native is currently planning on rebuilding his studio in hopes of one day completing his 3rd solo project. In the meantime, check out a couple of the (we'd like to say "new" but let's go with "unreleased") demo tracks and take another listen to "Manic + Organic"--it's not half bad! Thanks for your support!

Bio

From California to Texas, Boston to London and points in between, Eric's roots-based pop is tinged with country and Americana influences. Currently living near San Francisco, Eric's involvement in the local music scene dates back to high school. In addition to music, Eric writes original poetry, fiction and has recently begun working on a screenplay.

Eric's debut release "Manic + Organic" (2001) enjoyed warm critical response ("Reminiscent of Nashville-Skyline-era Dylan" --IndieCrit). His follow-up cd, "Locally World Famous" (2003) hints broadly at a variety of influences but stays grounded in the "cosmic country" genre -- infused with exceptional storytelling and musicality that one critic has described as "Leonard Cohen meets Lyle Lovett."

Eric is working diligently on GRAND, his third collection of original music, which he hopes to release later this year.

Press

MANIC + ORGANIC is an impressive debut. It is obvious that Thompson has been waiting all his life to do this project, and it is just as obvious that he was ready. I'm sure we'll be hearing more from him in the future. Echoes of New Riders of the Purple Sage and Nashville Skyline-era Dylan without sounding precisely like either. And speaking of Dylan, "The Ballad of Pierre and Mademoiselle Revisited" manages to capture the mysterious atmosphere of some of his better work without sounding like a slavish imitation. Similarly, "It's a Guy Thing" could be a song that Lyle Lovett never recorded, but should. -Music Reviewer.com, April 2003 (edited)

Subtle and sleepy, gentle and resonant, Eric Thompson's shimmering take on country-rock takes Nashville's emotive vocal style, throws in a pedal steel and rootsy rock riffs, and turns out the dusty, feel-good Manic + Organic. Whether on the shuffling rock anthem "Get Back to It" or the humorous, old-school country of "It's a Guy Thing," Thompson's band uses simple arrangements to evoke a true down-home feeling. The songwriting--patterned by Gram Parsons, the Allman Brothers, Johnny Cash, and Willie Nelson--shows his potential to one day make a really spectacular record. ~ Charles Spano, All Music Guide (edited)

Thompson provides a solid album that die-hard country fans should put some time into. This isn't your average million-dollar CMTV project, and believe you me, that's enough of a good thing for me. -- Kevin White, Splendid eZine (edited)

Gram Parsons called it Cosmic American Music, a term that reflected the paisley aesthetic of the late 60s. But this curious little sub-genre has managed to morph itself into various incarnations since then, from the 70s peaceful, easy California Country, to too-slick 1980s country pop, to the alt-country boom of the 90s, which was a couple of hit records from—as a friend of mine recently put it in reference to Wilco’s debut, A.M.—saving pop music. Eric Thompson is a California-bred roots artists who on Locally World Famous’s best songs corrals the best of his home state’s sound to evoke The Mavericks or Los Lobos. “Gone, Gone, Gone” could probably be the album’s hit single. It’s a buoyant song with a great rhythm, and its elliptical lyrics careen through images of loneliness, self-reflection, and even politics. The best of what Thompson does comes together in this song, with its country instrumentation, energetic pace, and blithe sensibility. Locally World Famous is a solid, if occasionally uneven, entry into its thankfully long-lived genre, of which Eric Thompson is a skilled purveyor. -Delusions of Adequacy (edited) 3/29/04

Locally World Famous kicks off with "Gone, Gone, Gone" where Thompson's voice embodies the evocative twang of the late great Hank Williams. Some of the most enjoyable moments on this album revolve around Thompson's fluid, seemingly endlessly malleable vocals and how they adjust perfectly to fit each song's mood. A million miles away from the cookie cutter approach of today's formulaic pop bands, Eric Thompson's Locally World Famous is a joyous reminder that it's still possible to find music that doesn't sound like it came from a can. -Ink19, October 2003 (edited)