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This August roots rocking Americana songwriter Eric Hisaw releases his fifth full length album Ghost Stories. A mix of Rolling Stones inspired rock'n'roll and the storytelling lyricism of Texas outlaw country, Lonestar Music's Richard Skanse says "with the 10 just-about-perfect tales of hard-traveled and weary-hearted workingman blues... the journeyman songwriter, guitarist and singer delivers his first stone-cold masterpiece".
While Ghost Stories contains many of the same themes Hisaw's previous work has covered, family, small town adolescence, wanderlust and dysfunction, this time out the songs are more personal. "Most every song is based on something that actually happened to me, even when I changed names and places, I still left a big piece of myself in there." Adding to the lyrical grittiness is a tougher rocking sound. Longtime musical accoplices drummer Vicente Rodriguez and bassist/keyboardist Ron Flynt return. "We've played a lot of gigs and made several records together now and have developed a real natural way of playing off one another. The record has a real 'live in the studio' feeling. I mean there's a ton of overdubs on there, I play three guitars on almost every song, but most of the hooks and the real essence of the songs were caught in the basic tracks on day one." The addition of legendary steel guitar master Lloyd Maines on four tracks is an added bonus. Maines blends tasteful pedal steel with Hisaw's telecaster fills on a pair of tunes and contributes dobro and lapsteel on two others. Two artists with albums recently produced by Hisaw add background vocals. Chrissy Flatt ( New Mystery Girl) handles the lion's share of the harmonies, while country singer-songwriter Bracken Hale chips in on one cut.
The opening track sets the tone, tracing the adolescent memories of friends and relatives gone missing over stinging guitar lines and driving drums. "Johnston County" is a Chuck Berry styled rocker about an eye opening road trip with an elder. "Payphone" captures a moment in time with a Johnny Cash meets JJ Cale train beat and atmospheric pedal steel guitar. "California", "Lonely Road" and "Don't Live Here" are rocking takes on friends and lovers from the past, while "The Love She Wants" is a shuffling country weeper. "Talk To Me" is roots-rock meets 70's glam. The album finishes up with "Albuquerque" an uptempo Bakersfield influenced tale about a lost hitchiker at a New Mexico truckstop, and "Sleep" a waltz time lullaby to the child of hard partying parents.
Born and raised in Las Cruces, NM and based in Austin, Tx for the better part of the last two decades, Hisaw has released five albums of original hard driving country rock. His previous two efforts 2006's The Crosses and 2008's Nature of the Blues made positive headway in the grassroots press and radio, reaching #2 and #3 respectively on the Freeform American Roots chart, living up to the promise made by his youthful 2000 debut Thing About Trains. Now in 2011 Ghost Stories finds the artist hitting his stride, the evocative imagery and lyrical density countered by the spririt in the grooves and bound together by the dedication and experience of a hard traveled seeker committed to reporting his findings from the lost highway. A great listen for fans of Joe Ely, Dave Alvin, Steve Earle and Alejandro Escovedo.
"Eric Hisaw's songwriting is uncorrupted and bulletproof. He's a check you can cash at the bank of cool." - Ray Wylie Hubbard
"Many people including millionaire rockstars, write and sing about working class life, but Hisaw has and edge on all of them, authenticity...this is powerful stuff." - John Conquest, 3rd Coast Music
“Eric Hisaw's songs are little vignettes from life on the road, stories written in the moments when emotions are acute, and he marries them to tunes which lodge quickly in the brain”
John Davy - Flyinshoes Review UK
"Many people including millionaire rockstars, write and sing about working class life, but Hisaw has and edge on all of them, authenticity...this is powerful stuff." - John Conquest, 3rd Coast Music
John Conquest - 3rd Coast Music
"Eric Hisaw's songwriting is uncorrupted and bulletproof. He's a check you can cash at the bank of cool." - Ray Wylie Hubbard
Ray Wylie Hubbard - Artist quote
"with the 10 just-about-perfect tales of hard-traveled and weary-hearted workingman blues... the journeyman songwriter, guitarist and singer delivers his first stone-cold masterpiece".
Richard Skanse - Lonestar Music
“Roots rocking Americana singer / songwriter Eric Hisaw is exceptional since his debut album "Thing About Trains" (2000) among my favorites. With "Ghost Stories", this sympathetic outlaw Texas (originally from Las Cruces, NM) on his fifth full length album that has now been clean a top 10 hit in the Euro Americana Charts misappropriated. Hisaw camp programs including works in the good company of John Hiatt, Gilian Welch, Dave Alvin, Eileen Jewell and Grayson Capps and let one thing immediately clear: go! Once again he delivers with... Chuck Berry style rocker Johnston County, California Girl, Lonely Road and Don't Live there Anymore may indeed fully expect Hisaw's unique telecaster...sound feast...Can we speak here of an enjoyable masterpiece...sure!”
Francois Braeken - Beale Street
“Las Cruces-raised, Austin-based singer, songwriter and guitar slinger Eric Hisaw is the kind of guy who likely doesn't fear ghosts, but it's a safe bet he respects them. The spirits Hisaw conjures on his new “Ghost Stories” CD range from family members to the brokenhearted, all of whom Hisaw treats with compassion and understanding.
Hisaw's protagonists travel some hard roads, but few wander aimlessly, none lacks grit and determination, and all move along powered by Hisaw's Telecaster and soulful, lived-in voice, Ron Flynt's bass and keyboards and Vicente Rodriguez's drums, plus, on some tracks, Lloyd Maines' steel guitar and Chrissy Flatt's backing vocals. That means on songs such as “Don't Live There Anymore,” “Lonely Road” and “Albuquerque,” even the lonely are in good hands. Hisaw and his band will celebrate the release of “Ghost Stories” Saturday at Saluté. The Infidels will close out the night.
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Jim Beal Jr. - San Antonio Express News "City Lights"
"Once you've dug a little deeper what emerges is a truly great songwriter...."Nature of the Blues" is hewn from the honest soul of a true musician"
Maverick Magazine UK
“19 in The Euro Americana Chart with the roots broadcasters for November 2008”
Euro Americana Chart
"This is a very strong cd from beginning to end, and it proves Eric can easily join the "big" guys from now on.
His name is mentioned already for one of the big summer festivals here.... so, let's keep our fingers crossed!"
Freddy Celis - Roots Time Belgium
“Eric Hisaw's "Nature Of The Blues" is an outstanding cd that will find place in my radio show and will stay a long time!”
Remo Ricaldone, - 'Happy Trails' radio show - Susa Onda Radio, Italy
“New Mexico born and Austin based Eric Hisaw is the whole package; singer songwriter, guitar slinger, session musician and producer.”
Kerry Hock - Stars of Texas
“there's beauty in Hisaw's desolate lyrics, weary vocals and tastefully restrained fretwork”
Richard Skanse - Texas Music Magazine
“his combination of literacy and grit ... it's the source of Hisaw's strength, when it comes to writing about working class life, he's not your usual overprivileged middle class songwriter striving for downward mobility, he's the real thing..think of him as the anti-James Taylor.”
John Conquest - Third Coast Music
“Bluecollar barroom country rock with a dark heart”
Jeremy Searle - Americana UK
“Eric Hisaw’s songwriting is uncorrupted and bulletproof. He's a check you can cash at the bank of cool.”
Ray Wylie Hubbard
“On his latest release, Nature of The Blues, Eric Hisaw oozes a world-worn blues-rock vibe with direct, authentic, Joe Sixpack lyrics in the same vein as Todd Snider and Hayes Carl.”
Calvin Powers - Taprootradio.com
“Eric Hisaw rather masterfully combines the best elements of roots music, blues and Austin folk in his new record Nature Of The Blues.”
Craig Bonnell - Songs:Illinois Blog
