Spotlight: Eric Devries
Eric, your newest single ‘Shadow of a Man’ is an upbeat track that lyrically delves into the struggles of losing yourself. Can you share the inspiration behind this track and any particular experiences that shaped its creation?
To my shame, I must confess I got into a fight with my best friend at the time, our drummer, because I had an argument with our bass player, my girlfriend at the time, and he, my best mate, jumped in. The next thing I knew, we were almost at it. I remember thinking: “Whoa, this ain’t me!” That was when I was in my teens, and I’m glad to say I learned a thing or two along the way. Or at least I hope I did. But I imagine it happens in all variations in relationships as well, where we find ourselves saying things we don’t mean to say. The chorus is kind of tongue-in-cheek, saying I usually remember faces, it’s names I can’t recall. But this shadow of a man I’m facing, I don’t recognise at all. Bob Dylan sang ‘I Threw It All Away,’ so I guess we’ve all been there, right? (I was a fool, I treated her so cruel, I threw it all away. Get it?)
It seems to be important for you to properly credit your band and collaborators. Why do you feel that this is an important thing to do as an artist?
It’s been years since I have played with the same band doing my own songs. In the nineties, I had my own band, but since I started as a recording artist (in 2004), I’ve hardly had the opportunity to tour with a band. My 2021 release ‘Song & Dance Man’ got us so much attention that I was able to properly tour and hold a band together.
Producer and multi-instrumentalist Janos Koolen brought in Lucas Beukers on upright bass, and we both knew and played with violinist Joost van Es before, and the whole thing fell together. The new album ‘Traveler’s Heart’ is a direct result of the joy of playing live together as a band. It inspired me to write a whole new batch of songs. I think it’s only fair to give credit where it’s due.
Collaboration is a big part of music today. Are there any artists you’ve recently worked with or plan to work with on future projects?
When I first went solo in 2004, it wasn’t long before a friend suggested we work together as four singer-songwriters and take turns singing lead and playing any instrument we’d like or would fit the song. We called ourselves Songwriters United. That was a lot of fun, especially because we all wanted to play the drums.
Iain Matthews asked me to be a part of Matthews Southern Comfort in 2017. He wanted to record new material, so we all wrote and made some pretty good albums too. We toured in the UK a few times. I remember listening to the radio as a kid and hearing the song ‘Woodstock’. Now I got to sing it with him and the new stuff as well, and that was pretty inspiring. I am honoured to have him sing on the new album. For the time being, we’re all involved in new solo projects. I am obviously busy with the ‘Traveler’s Heart’ release, and we have a tour lined up starting in September. And we’re hitting the theatres in ’25.
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