Eric Keyes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Eric Keyes (born April 8, 1969 in Houston, Texas) is a guitarist and singer based in Denton, TX. He is well known as a performer as well as for his proficiency on guitar. In 1995 after graduating from the University of North Texas he founded the electric rock band Riddle Me This. The band released 3 albums starting with the humorously titled debut album "Merkin Wig" (a reference to pubic wigs) released in 1995. The band stayed the course when the media conglomerate "Time Warner" challenged the band's trademark application claiming a "likelihood of confusion" with their batman movies. The case considered ridiculous by many, never the less cast the band into the national spotlight. They found support from Kurt Loder and MTV as well as the story was picked up by the Associated Press and the media throughout the US.
The band followed up "Merkin Wig" with the aptly titled album "Trademark" in 1998. In 2000 the band released what many consider to be their best album "Eden" which featured a song written by Eric titled "Im a Cow" originally penned as a vehicle to make an ex-girlfriend laugh. The song was marketed on the internet by using clever animation produced by Portland, Oregon based animator Aaron Pendland([1]) The album also featured stunning renditions of the song "Godzilla" by Blue Oyster Cult and "Eye in the Sky" by The Alan Parsons Project.
At one point the bands website [2] was one of the most popular sites on the internet due to the clever animation file and subsequently spearheaded the "indie movement" and guerrilla marketing on the web. Eric has since released his first solo album "Wake Up" produced by versatile New York based musician and former "Steps Ahead" guitarist Jimi Tunnel([3]) The 2004 release featured a renewed emphasis on songwriting with a strong "tribal groove" and also featured guest artist "Aloke Dutta" on tabla ([4])
Eric's versatile guitar style is influenced by Allan Holdsworth who he has recorded with as well as Clint Strong, Ted Greene, Al Di Meola, Neal Schon and Yngwie Malmsteen.
