ERIC GALES TO RELEASE MIDDLE
OF THE ROAD GLOBALLY
VIA PROVOGUE / MASCOT LABEL
GROUP ON FEBRUARY 24
“How Eric Gales isn’t the
hugest name in rock guitar is a total mystery” Dave Navarro
“One of the best, if not the
best guitar player in the world” Joe Bonamassa
“This guy could be the best
player on Earth” Mark
Tremonti
“He is absolutely
incredible” Carlos
Santana
“I feel the most free I’ve
ever been in life, even more so than when I was a kid…you gotta help
yourself man, once you can
help yourself you can genuinely help someone else.”
“When I say the world will
hear about it, you’ll see what I mean when you hear the record. This
record is going to take me
everywhere that I’ve never been, and everywhere I’ve ever wanted to go.”
New
York, NY --- Provogue / Mascot Label Group will release Eric Gales new studio
album Middle Of The Road on February 24.
Memphis-born Gales shares, “Unfortunately you have to go through some things to
be free. Now, I feel the most free I’ve ever been in life, even more so
than when I was a kid. You gotta help yourself man, once you can help
yourself you can genuinely help someone else.” The title, “Middle of the
Road,” is the running theme throughout the record. He offers, “It’s
about being fully focussed and centred in the middle of the road. If you’re on
the wrong side and in the gravel you’re not too good and if you’re on the
median strip that’s not too good either, so being in the middle of the road is
the best place to be.”
The
release is Eric Gales fourth album on Provogue/Mascot label Group (Joe
Bonamassa, Beth Hart, Black Stone Cherry, Warren Haynes, The Robert Cray Band,
Robben Ford, Eric Johnson, The Kenny Wayne Shepherd Band) after Transformation (2011), Relentless (2010)
and The Psychedelic Underground (2007) and it sees him at
his most expressive yet; it is a deeply personal and reflective record that
echoes where he is in his life right now and he opens himself up and allows
himself the chance to really flourish.
It’s
well documented that Gales was a child prodigy and heralded as the second
coming of Jimi Hendrix when he released his debut album The Eric Gales Band in
1991 as a 16 year-old on Elektra Records. It was the first of 10 albums on a
major label through a blistering career. He has released 14 studio albums in
total ahead of Middle of the Road and a host of other
collaborations, one of which led him to work with producer Fabrizio Grossi
(Alice Cooper, Joe Bonamassa, Billy F. Gibbons, Ice T, Leslie West, Slash,
Walter Trout, Steve Lukather, Steve Vai, Paul Stanley, Supersonic Blues
Machine).
Talking
about working with Eric, Grossi offers; “I’ve been a fan of Eric since i first
worked with him 15 years ago on a project with George Clinton & the P.Funk.
His tone and his playing was wicked. Personally and musically Eric grew into a
‘monster’ , a really good one and he’s set on a path of huge success with a
‘taking no prisoners’ type of attitude! I know a very few musicians with such a
musicality and Eric is right there a head of the bunch. I hope fans will dig.
There’s lots of love, tears, sweat and “truth” in this record, which is what
classics are made of. As far what I think about him: Eric is simply Miles Davis
and Jimi Hendrix’ love child, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it.”
Recorded
in several locations; Room A Studio and Fab’s Lab in North Hollywood as well as
Cuz Studio and Sound in Cleveland, MS and ‘Cotton Row Studios in Memphis, TN.
With Aaron Haggerty (drums), Dylan Wiggins (B3 Organ), LaDonna Gales (All
backing vocals), Maxwell ‘Wizard’ Drummey (Mellotron on Repetition) and Eric
Gales providing all lead vocals, guitar and bass. It’s a beautiful snapshot of
life right here, right now. “I played bass on the entire record, it was
beautiful” he beams. “I’m a bass player at heart so Fabrizio was like ‘bro you
need to be playing the bass’. It was something that was very natural for me to
too, I loved it.”
Recent
years have seen an array of musicians singing the praises of Eric Gales. Dave
Navarro (Jane’s Addiction – Red Hot Chili Peppers) exclaimed that “How Eric
Gales isn’t the hugest name in rock guitar is a total mystery”, modern blues
icon Joe Bonamassa said he is “One of the best, if not the best guitar player
in the world”, whilst Mark Tremonti (Alter Bridge) said in a Classic Rock
Magazine interview (Oct 2016) that “me and Myles [Kennedy] were on the bus
looking up clips and we ran into some Eric Gales clips and we were just like
‘this guy could be the best player on Earth.’”
Talking
about the accolades he is starting to receive he humbly adds;” It’s absolutely
great, I’m grateful to see the recognition for the work that God has allowed me
to continue to progress with. It’s beautiful to see the recognition to be
finally coming and in the proper way, unlike times where I was engaged into
heavy addiction, where it wasn’t such good publicity, but to see it be changed
around, it’s a great turn of events.”
This
refers to the time he spent in jail serving at the Shelby County
Correction Center in 2009 for possession of drugs and a weapon. Elaborating he
adds; “While I was in there all the officers and guards were like, ‘bro you
know this isn’t where you’re supposed to be. When you get out of here, go take
the world by the horns and ride it all the way out.’ It took a couple of years
after but, I’m here.” Whilst he was incarcerated he was able to play shows, for
the Mayor, the city and festivals, his own versio of Johnny Cash Walk
the Line.
This
is where Middle of the Road finds the rebirth of Eric
Gales. A new album that has seen him more free than he’s ever been and on
the biographic songs you take this journey with him. Along the way he brings in
not only a host of guest and collaborators, but also those closest to him:
Lauryn Hill, Gary Clark Jr, Eugene Gales, LaDonna Gales, Lance Lopez, Raphael
Saadiq and Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram.
Much
of the album is achingly heart on its sleeve and “Change in Me [The Rebirth]”is
one of those moments, it’s about a new change in life. “I changed up some
things in life and decided to go a new route”. “I wrote Carry Yourself with
Raphael Saadiq and strangely enough, as I sit here looking at her that song is
about LaDonna actually. It’s about how we met and how we grew to get to know
each other through life and how she’s always carried herself. It has always
been something I’m fascinated with. The only cover is the mesmerising
interpretation of “Boogie Man” featuring Gary Clark Jr is something
to behold. “I’m a fan of Freddie King anyway and I like that song. I just
enjoyed the original version and I just put a little twist on it and music
wise.” “Basically”, Gales adds, “The Boogie Man is about, so
watch out cos there’s a bad guy on the way and you know, I’m coming! I
think me and Gary did a really good job on that song.” “I shot the rhythm of
“Been So Long” over to Lauryn Hill and she was like ‘that’s
hot’”. And now begins the start of another beautiful collaboration. “I said I
had an idea of what I wanted the song to be about, like it’s been so long since
I’ve given myself a proper chance which goes back to “Middle of the Road” which
is the reoccurring theme.” Continuing the rebirth is “Help
Yourself,” features 16 year-old guitar sensation Christone ‘Kingsfish’
Ingram. “I’ve Been Deceived” has a multi-layered
meaning to it. “Personally, I was talking about how I was deceived by
addiction” he confesses and on “Repetition,” he goes back to the very beginning
and where it started by collaborating with his ‘mentor’ and older brother
Eugene Gales.
