Blood From A Stone Out Now

Eric Krasno has officially released his second solo album, Blood From A Stone, via his own label, Feel Music / Round Hill. The record, which features appearances by Derek Trucks, as well as members of Soulive, Lettuce and The London Souls, reveals a previously unknown and utterly compelling side of Krasno's artistry, as he both literally and metaphorically finds his voice.

Eric Krasno Takes His Music In New Directions On 'Blood From A Stone' [Live For Live Music Review]

Grammy-award winning guitarist Eric Krasno (Soulive/Lettuce) has unveiled a tremendous solo offering in Blood From a Stone, a significant departure from the sound that fans have come to know over his nearly two decades making music. Released on his own Feel Music Group imprint, the new record finds Krasno exploring various blends of pop-song craftsmanship dipped in bluesy psychedelia, thundering drums, and an analog vibe that courses through its vintage veins. Most surprisingly, it is not Krasno's legendary guitar prowess that takes center stage, but instead his voice; Krasno sings lead on nearly every song on the record, and the results are downright staggering. 

As one-third of NYC jazz-hop legends Soulive, a founding member of funk behemoth Lettuce, an in-demand studio producer (Krasno has produced records for everyone from Aaron Neville to The London Souls to Nigel Hall), celebrated hip-hop producer (Fyre Dept. with Adam Deitch), and also logging time as touring bassist with Tedeschi Trucks Band, the soft-spoken guitarist has been in the game for what seems like forever. More recently, he has become a sought-after writer for a diverse and eclectic group of recording artists. After holing up in Portland, Maine with Dave Gutter (Rustic Overtones) for a long songwriting session, Kraz found himself penning material he soon imagined sung in his own voice. 

"I've been writing songs with vocals for other people for a while. With these songs, we initially wrote them thinking others would sing them, so when I was in the studio with different artists, sometimes I'd introduce one of the tracks and they'd record it, but it wouldn't necessarily work out. Eventually, I realized it was because I'd written these songs for myself," said Krasno. 

Ryan Zoidis (Lettuce's Shady Horns, and also a member of Rustic Overtones) configured a minimalist assortment of vintage gear and set up a barn studio space, while Gutter and Krasno hammered out the material. Within a short time, a story arc of love, loss and redemption was developed, as both men were picking up the pieces at the end of relationships. The duo began to shape the vision and sound of the forthcoming album, a tight and calculated assortment of pop songs rich in lyric, melody, with sugary choruses and a strong emotional quotient. The sessions were initially intended to be demos, though it became apparent early on that this session was destined for Blood From a Stone. 

Krasno: "The recording process was fun because we really thought we were just doing writing sessions. There was no pressure. We set up a studio where the Rustic Overtones [Gutter and Ryan Zoidis’ former band] are based up in Maine and brought in a bunch of gear. I contributed some guitars, amps and mics, while Ryan pieced together a tape machine and basically built a studio for this session. Chris St. Hilaire and Stu Mahan from The London Souls came up and helped out putting down the initial tracks. It was great because we were writing the songs and recording at the same time. The band would be putting down parts, while Dave was writing a bridge in the other room. It was like we were in a little song factory for those few days. We came out of that sessions with maybe a dozen songs and the tracks sounded killer. I have to say that Ryan Zoidis and Jon Roods, also in Rustic Overtones, did a great job recording everything. We used minimal gear, but it was done right and that is mostly what you hear on the record." 

It's plain to hear from the opener (and first single) "Waiting On Your Love" that Kraz is serious about this singing business. Where he has been hiding this mojo is beyond me, as his confident swagger is light years beyond the rare glimpses of vocals we have heard from him over the years. Much like his emotive guitar playing, Krasno's voice is a classy instrument wealthy in tone and conviction. The big and greasy first salvo harkens back to the colors and textures found on Lenny Kravitz's masterful Circus, a record that itself marries the contemporary and vintage with style and grace. Throw in a tidbit of late-70's fuzz-box guitar-rock, a smidgen of Tame Impala, and a healthy pour of the bluesman's burden, and you have Blood From A Stone's sonic DNA. 

“It’s Kind of a Journey”: A Fairfield Mirror Conversation with Eric Krasno

via The Fairfield Mirror

For Grammy award winning musician and producer Eric Krasno, vocals have never been the forte of his musical brilliance. With over 20 years invested in the art, Krasno has finally taken the microphone and broken new ground with his newest solo record, “Blood From A Stone.”

“I had never learned or taken a lesson or done any official singing,” said Krasno. “I have done it for fun and written a ton of songs but I had never been a lead singer in a band.”

In preparation for this new feat, Krasno enlisted the help of the Rustic Overtones’ Dave Gutter for a storytelling arc that managed to balance the darker and lighter fringes of musicianship. “I had kind of had been putting concepts together and I kind of had an idea of what the record would be but when he [Gutter] and I got together, is where that concept took shape.”

“It’s kind of a journey,” added Krasno.

Each lyrical composition is complimented with R&B-influenced hooks and melodies that emphasize the bluesy upbringing of Krasno. “Jezebel” and “Please Ya” evoke passion through the means of lost love and desperation while “Unconditional Love” and “Natalie” harken a past that fills Krasno with the soul to provide his music with a tenacious backbone.

Krasno even enlisted the help of Tedeschi Trucks Band guitar virtuoso Derek Trucks on “Curse Lifter,” which dances with the spirit of blues as Trucks blisters his way through the tune. Blues seems to be a recurring theme for Krasno in “Blood From A Stone” as he attempts to bring his prime musician influence back to the forefront.

“I always came up listening to psychedelic blues rock and all that stuff and it always kind of seeped into my other projects,” said Krasno. “But with this album, I really wanted to show those roots.”

This exploration of roots led Krasno heading down to New Orleans with his crew and a couple of drones to film the music video for “Waiting on Your Love,” which blends the scenic atmosphere of the rustic Big Easy with psychedelic tinges that play with the visual senses of the viewer.

“It was a cool exploration in taking color and matching it to music while getting super psychedelic all the while” said Krasno.

This journey will be taken on the road in the Northeast until July 15 to showcase Krasno’s newest effort while blending in a variety of material that spans his whole career. Krasno chose the Northeast because of his roots in New England, born in Connecticut and residing in New York City.

“There’s a lot of different places to play and musicians that are close enough and like in one weekend, you can play Vermont, Boston, Albany, Connecticut and New York City,” said Krasno about playing in the Northeast. “You can get around easy as a touring musician whereas the West Coast, you got to make huge, huge drives to make it city to city.”

After the summer sun fades away and his touring ventures with both his solo band and Soulive come to a close, Krasno will head back into the studio to resume producing records for various artists such as Son Little, The Motet and Allen Stone, a career that has earned him two Grammy wins. Krasno has previously produced records for prominent musicians such as Dave Matthews Band, Norah Jones and even Justin Timberlake.

“Well, I now start to plan out my time so that in the winter, I can try to go somewhere warm to produce a record and during the summer, I like to tour because it’s the festival season and all of that going on,” said Krasno.

Krasno also plans to pursue a new Soulive album, which is aimed to release some time in 2017.

This sort of chaotic balancing act has been a focus for Krasno as he attempts to establish himself and budding musicians in order to preserve the legacy of music that has been left to him. Krasno even toys with the notion of getting into music education.

“I go through different waves of excitement. Right now, I’m really excited about music. There are a lot of new artists that I really love,” said Krasno. “The hard part is navigating to find the good stuff.”

Eric Krasno Finds His Voice On Solo Debut (Highway 81 Revisited)

via Highway 81 Revisited

Two-time Grammy winner Eric Krasno still considers himself fortunate for his ability to play guitar a quarter century after he shattered his left elbow in a fall during a basketball game his freshman year of high school.

The mishap in his Connecticut hometown was an awakening, a musical turning point that makes the co-founder of jazz-funk bands Soulive and Lettuce, who has toured with Tedeschi Trucks Band — as a  bassist, no less —  grateful to this day to be doing what he’s doing.

“I rolled over this guy’s back. I was going in for a full-court lay-up, running all the way down the court,” recalled Krasno, 39, whose introduction to guitar was on bass, in his older brother’s high school garage band.

Right-handed, Krasno, based in Brooklyn since 1999, relies on his left hand to be his fretboard operator.

“The guy went underneath me,” continued Krasno, who took up the violin around the age of 4.

“When I went down, I crushed my elbow. My humerus was stuck out of my skin. It basically crushed my elbow. They weren’t sure if I’d ever use my hand or arm.

“I couldn’t move my fingers. I forced myself to play guitar, slowly but surely. My theory was it dramatically helped my movement. I forced my fingers to move. I definitely have full motion now. I definitely still have pain from it. I realized, the thought of not playing guitar … I dreaded it. So, I got more serious about it. If there was a possibility of not doing it, I’d be distraught. ”

Krasno, a prolific songwriter and record producer who has worked in the production of albums for Norah Jones, Tedeschi Trucks, 50 Cent and Aaron Neville, has  played it safe on the basketball court ever since.

He laughingly recalled enforcing a “no-contact” rule during pickup games with musician friends back in college — first, at the Berklee College of Music and, then, at Hampshire College in Massachusetts.

Musically, the improvisational guitarist whose performances have been historically instrumental, hasn’t exactly taken the same conservative path.

Except, that is, for when it comes to his voice.

He’s literally always kept his voice in the background, lending backing vocals for artists he’s worked with, such as Tedeschi and Trucks.

For the first time in his career, Krasno has stepped to the microphone in the role of vocal frontman for his own Eric Krasno Band.

His r&b-based solo album, “Blood from a Stone,” is due to be released this week, coinciding with a tour with his solo project’s touring six-piece band.

The band played Saturday at Boulder, Colorado’s Fox Theatre, performing with Dumpstaphunk. The tour returns to the east coast for a July 7 record release show at Brooklyn Bowl — Krasno’s home court. That’s where Krasno is the de facto house musician and where Soulive has hosted its annual “Bowlive,” a two-week, 10-night residency that welcomes a changing list of big-name collaborators.

Krasno also has dates for Soulive, which once opened for the Rolling Stones, penciled in for Sept. 14-15 at the Amphitheater at Coney Island during which the band will sit in for a two-night run with Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh and an all-star Phil Lesh & Friends lineup that will include saxophonist Karl Denson, keyboardist-violinist Jason Crosby and singer-songwriter Jackie Greene.

“I love it. He’s such a creative person,” Krasno said of performing with Lesh. “There’s nobody that sounds like him. He wants to stretch out the music. I’ve known Jackie for a long time. I’ve played a lot with Jason Crosby.”

During a recent interview with Highway 81 Revisited, Krasno spoke of no immediate commitments for Lettuce tour dates.

“We definitely have plans to do as much as possible. We’ll be out there for a while” he said of the solo band, which will tour the south in October.

“I got to the point where I wanted to do my own thing,” Krasno explained of his lead vocal evolution. “You work with a lot of people. I’ve been out on the road doing instrumental music. I wanted to eventually combine this together (with vocals). I wanted to get out in front and perform.

“I also started working with (writing partner) Dave Gutter (of Maine-based, rock-jazz-funk band Rustic Overtones), and we started writing a lot of songs together. He definitely pushed me to be a lead singer. He said, ‘Man, you sound good singing these songs.’

“I was kind of figuring out my vocal technique as it was happening. A lot of it was experimental. I like how it came out. It’s been an interesting journey. It’s a great experience to just play around.”

Krasno’s vocals on “Blood from a Stone” exude a certain Jimi Hendrix/Lenny Kravitz-like flavor, which makes sense  considering Krasno grew up listening to an eclectic mix of Hendrix, Led Zeppelin, Grateful Dead and hip-hop acts like the Beastie Boys.

“Some of the initial ideas that would eventually wind up on the album were written thinking others would sing them,” Krasno said of his writing sessions with collaborator Gutter. “But when they were introduced to different artists, it wouldn’t necessarily work out. Eventually, I realized some of the songs we’d been writing were more personal and would be better suited for me to sing.”

Long-time friend Derek Trucks and his wife Susan Tedeschi turned to Krasno back in 2013 to become the bassist for their Tedeschi Trucks Band after the departure from the band of Oteil Burbridge, former bassist of the Allman Brothers and current bass man of Dead & Company.

Krasno, who has  his own recording label — Feel Music Group — and Trucks had known each other for decades  — since Soulive opened during its first national tour with the Derek Trucks Band back in the 1990s.

Bass being the instrument Krasno played in a band, it seemed natural to jump aboard.

“He’s one of my favorite current guitar players for sure,” Krasno said of Trucks. “I did some songwriting for the first two (Tedeschi Trucks) albums.

“On tour, I realized how insane their schedule was. I was a placeholder while they found a permanent replacement. I needed a lot of things I had to get to.”

Tedeschi Trucks eventually hired Tim Lefebvre, the last bassist to record with David Bowie, to be their permanent bass player.

But Krasno and Trucks continue to collaborate.

Trucks makes a guest appearance on Krasno’s solo album for the track “Curse Lifter,” an instrumental described as an Allman Brothers-Santana crossover.

“People like to work with Kraz because he brings a lot to the table,” Trucks told the Wall Street Journal last year. “He’s a really good, deep listener, and he hears music both rhythmically and harmonically and as both a producer and a musician. There are not many people who can check all those boxes.”

A Huffington Post Conversation with Eric Krasno

Mike Ragogna: Eric, you’re mostly known as a Grammy-award winning artist who produces, composes and plays innovative guitar. However, your new album Blood From A Stone features your vocals for the first time. How do you think you did? Which vocals are you most proud of?

Eric Krasno: I really love how the vocals turned out. My main goal was to deliver the songs with as much honesty and conviction as I could. I think the vocals on “When The Day Comes” were my strongest. I recorded this one toward the end of the album process after I’d been working on my singing a bit more. I’m no Stevie Wonder, but I think we put together some great vocal performances. I’m excited to record the next album now and get even deeper into the vocal side of my work.

MR: Was this collection of songs created specifically for this album or are any of them songs you and co-writer David Gutter stockpiled from other writing adventures?

EK: Most of the time we were just recording and writing without an exact purpose. Sometimes after the song was done we’d say, “This one would be great for Susan [Tedeschi] or imagine Aaron Neville singing this!” In certain cases that actually happened. We’d also have moments like, “Oh yeah, this one is for your record [EK]” 

MR: How do you and David write together?

EK: It’s slightly different every time. Sometimes I send him an instrumental with a melody, maybe with a hook idea and he’ll write verse ideas and send it back. If we’re in the same place we’ll sit with a guitar and play each other ideas until something sticks. 

MR: What was the recording process like? 

EK: The recording process was fun because we really thought we were just doing writing sessions. There was no pressure. We set up a studio where the Rustic Overtones [Gutter and Ryan Zoidis’ former band] are based up in Maine and brought in a bunch of gear. I contributed some guitars, amps and mics, while Ryan pieced together a tape machine and basically built a studio for this session. Chris St. Hilaire and Stu Mahan from The London Souls came up and helped out putting down the initial tracks. It was great because we were writing the songs and recording at the same time. The band would be putting down parts, while Dave was writing a bridge in the other room. It was like we were in a little song factory for those few days. We came out of that sessions with maybe a dozen songs and the tracks sounded killer. I have to say that Ryan Zoidis and Jon Roods, also in Rustic Overtones, did a great job recording everything. We used minimal gear, but it was done right and that is mostly what you hear on the record.

MR: Do you feel there is a conceptual theme linking the material on Blood From A Stone?

EK: Both Dave and I were going through break ups when the album was being written so a lot of the material came out of that and relationships gone wrong—“Please Ya,” “Waiting On Your Love,” “Torture,” “Jezebel,” “When The Day Comes”… Some were also written in the rise from the ashes so to speak—“On The Rise,” “Unconditional Love”. Musically, my guitar also plays a thematic role throughout, there’s always a guitar solo or melody coming at some point in every song. 

MR: Did you bring in any techniques or things you learned from working with other artists?

EK: Definitely. I learn a ton from every album I work on. I try to absorb as much as I can every time I work with a new artist. I’ve been very lucky to work with some great ones.

MR: What do you think of today’s popular music?

JamBase Exclusive Premiere: Eric Krasno Shares New Solo Album ‘Blood From A Stone’

Next week, Soulive and Lettuce guitarist Eric Krasno will issue a new solo album Blood From A Stone through his Feel Music Group/Round Hill label. In advance of its official release next Friday, July 8, JamBase is pleased to exclusively premiere the entire 10-song album.

Krasno employed a number of special guests who appear throughout the record, including Tedeschi Trucks Band guitarist Derek Trucks and vocalist Alecia Chakour, some of his Soulive and Lettuce band mates and The London Souls. It’s the first material of Krasno’s to feature not only his guitar, but also his singing voice.

“This new record is a side of my music that many people haven’t heard, especially the vocals,” Krasno said. “Most of the album was recorded in Maine with my co-writer Dave Gutter, Jon Roods (both from Rustic Overtones) and Ryan Zoidis from Lettuce. We set up a studio in their barn/rehearsal space and just started recording. What we thought were going to be demos became the actual album. That the relaxed environment helped the creative flow and enabled us to push each other to new places. I’m really looking forward to getting out on the road with the new band and playing these songs for everyone.”

The Eric Krasno Band featuring keyboardist DeShawn Alexander, bassist Alex Chakour, backing vocalist Mary Corso, drummer Eric Kalb and rhythm guitarist Danny Mayer will make their debut with a run of shows in Colorado beginning tomorrow at the “Fiyo on The Mountain” event with Dumpstaphunk at Mishawaka Amphitheatre in Bellvue. A number of additional Eric Krasno Band shows are planned throughout upcoming months.