Producer / Artist profile

Eric Drew Feldman

Eric Drew Feldman - an ode

Indulge me. I did speak to Eric and recorded our short and friendly chat, but rather than recount it all word for word I'm going to just sketch it out for you. Cos EDF's been involved in so many of my favourite albums and projects that I need to get a little overexcited. Oh come on, how often does an inanimate digital periodical get to call the shots? Well? Thought so.



Intro:

Eric was in and around our Leroy Street complex for large chunks of the summer of 2006. He was in town because he was involved in the recording of Charlotte Hatherley's second album, the follow up to Grey Will Fade.

He produced the first one, you see, and was involved on this one too. He may have helped record it, he may have played bass and keyboards on it. Or maybe he may have just hung out and helped make the tea. Either way I suspect it doesn't matter - it will have been touched by the hand of Feldman and thus made marvellous. For the record Ben Hillier was mixing the album in our Neve VR Room and all were joyous with the results.













Now, for several weeks I'd been a hearing a rumour that 'somebody in one of the bands' had been in the Magic Band. (Captain Beefheart's, you ask? Is there another?) This was obviously ridiculously ace news because Captain Beefheart was ridiculously ace. Anyhoo, I half heard this rumour, half ignored it, and did nothing. And all the while a quite small American with a pretty crazy beard came and went through the office and studios and local boozers day after day and I failed to bat any of my eyelashes. Shameful. Shocking.



Events:

But one day I spotted the afore-described gent sitting up in our office at Leroy Street and thought I'd pop over and say hello and see if he was okay and how he was getting on. I introduced myself as [name deleted] and he replied with Eric. (Something in the back of my mind tapped on the windowpane of my memory, but I failed to turn around).

As advertised, I asked him how he was doing and he said pretty good. He was just checking his flight details back to the US. Oh, I said, heading back to do anything in particular? Yeah, he said, I'm going on tour as part of Frank Black's band. (It was at this point I tried to remain very, very still as my brain did a couple of cartwheels. Frank Black. FRANK BLACK. Gah!) Lord, I said, expressing my recognition of what an utterly marvellous thing to have on your To Do list this was, whilst simultaneously trying to calculate how much luggage Eric would have brought over to the UK and the likelihood of me stowing away in it (I'm only a magazine, you know, and a virtual one at that, so I don't take up much space). He's brilliant, I then added, trying hard not to grin like a gorm. I saw The Pixies at Sheffield City Hall in 199-something, I went on, - it's in my Top Two gigs of all time. I fell silent and tried not to stare. Or to brutally grab his mobile and scroll through to F. I just about succeeded.

Anyway, Eric of course agreed that Frank was indeed good and then added that he was going to be producing Mr Black's next album. Because he'd produced a couple of his records before, he added. Oh, really? I replied. Which ones? (I know them all; I had them ready and listed in my mind to tick off). His first two solo ones, he replied (Frank Black and the tremendous 2-disc Teenager of the Year.) Oh, he said, and the last Pixies album tooÉ There was then a moments pause during which I imagine my eyes glazed over somewhat. (Trompe Le Fecking Monde! I thought). Righty ho, I may of said.

After that we talked of the other things this unassuming and effortlessly friendly fellow had got up to and it went a little like this (in no particular order):


Bass/keyboard player in Captain Beefheart And The Magic Band for 7 years...played with and produced PJ Harvey... all the previously mentioned Pixies/Frank Black stuff...produced One Of The Most Underrated Albums In Existence That, Had It Been Released Today Would Have Given Arcade Fire A Bit Of An Embarrassing Wake Up Call, 'In A Bar, Under The Sea' by dEUS... the Charlotte Hatherley stuff we've talked about...He was in Pere Ubu too for a while... and he did other bits and bobs with people I'm ashamed to say I don't know but can't imagine are anything other than fuggin tremendous, namely, Custard, Tripping Daisy and Snakefinger...he also produced some Polyphomic Spree, OKgo and Sparklehorse

If you want a slightly out of date discography head to here:

www.northernbrewer.com/rakewell/edf.html


or else check out his Myspace spot (see below).



Postscript:

Anyway, safe to say it was a delightful fifteen minutes spent in the company of a delightful fellow who's been intrinsically involved in the creation of some of my most favourite and delightful records ever. And, no doubt, a fair few of my someday soon new favourites too...

And then, too soon, we said farewell and the next day he caught a plane to share a stage with the man who wrote Debaser, Wave of Mutilation, Vamos, I've Been Tired, Monkey Gone To Heaven, Hey, Caribou, Here Comes Your Man, Headache, etc, etc, etc, et-bleedin-cetera. Methinks that's got to be a good job to have.

Happy landings, Mr Feldman.

www.myspace.com/ericdrewfeldman


© Milc@Miloco 2006