[Video] MusicCast: Eidman Hall live
HARLINGEN - The rock 'n' roll history book is loaded with stories about great musical collaborations. There's Iggy and Bowie, Dylan and the Dead, Aerosmith and Run DMC. The list goes on. Harlingen's Eidman Hall just might add another chapter to the book.
Earlier this year, the local progressive pop band hooked up with one of its biggest influences, '90s alt. rock hitmakers The Gin Blossoms. The two bands worked for weeks at the Gin's studio in Arizona to produce and record material for Eidman Hall's upcoming debut album. The alliance, said Eidman Hall vocalist Chris Garcia, was a dream come true for the band.
"It was so surreal, so cool. There are really no words to describe it," Garcia said.
Garcia and the rest of Eidman Hall - drummer Robert Reyes, saxophone player Xavier Gonzales and guitarist Eddie Hernandez - bravely sent the Gin Blossoms a long fan letter/mission statement and a demo tape months ago. Gin Blossoms vocalist Robin Wilson soon replied with some kind words and an invitation to jam.
"We went up to their studio to record, and Robin said 'let's just create and see where things go,'" Garcia said. "They're music is smart pop music, and it's a huge influence on us. It's great to have an ongoing relationship with them."
Making "smart pop music" is what Eidman Hall is all about, Garcia said. The band members grew up, musically speaking, listening to radio-friendly alternapop chart-toppers like Dave Matthews Band, John Mayer and of course, the Gin Blossoms. It's hard not to spot those influences when hearing the band's original material (the new song "Up and Down that Road" sounds like a bonus track from the Gins' latest effort "Major Lodge Victory"). But Eidman Hall's RGV roots shine through with Garcia's uber-personal songwriting and when drummer Reyes bangs out Latin pop rhythms on congas and bongos.
"We take soul, pop and R&B and add Latin rhythms to it," Garcia said. "We put all those elements together to hopefully develop a new kind of pop rock."
It's easy for Valley music fans to sample Eidman Hall's live sound. The band usually plays five shows a week all across the Valley, and has been writing original material since its inception, more than five years ago.
Besides the Gin Blossoms sessions, the band has already racked up a number of small successes. They've played shows with Lionel Richie, Vallejo, and Ozomatli, and their song "Something About You" has been featured on Valley radio station Hot Kiss 106.3.
Eidman Hall will probably credit any future musical success to their local education just as soon as they would their pop star collaborations. Most of the members met as music students at The University of Texas at Brownsville and Texas Southmost College. They nicked they're name from UTB-TSC's music education building.
"We owe a lot to our education there (UTB-TSC). It's a place where we were allowed to discover ourselves and our musical talent and tastes," Garcia said.
Eidman Hall is currently dividing its time between recording sessions and live shows. It's a busy schedule, but Garcia says his band is committed to taking their music as far as it can go.
"We all respect each other, and we're the ones in the driver's seat of our future," he said. "We know the spark won't die out. We have a lot of support and we support each other. That's what will keep the fire burning."
Listen to Eidman Hall's music at www.myspace.com/eidmanhall.
