Today we’d like to introduce you to Eric Baines.
Hi Eric, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
I was born in Poughkeepsie, NY and then moved to Broomfield, CO when I was two and a half years old. I was drawn to music from day one and growing up, I was very active in any and every musical situation I could possibly be a part of. I started playing the trumpet in band when I was in the fourth grade but was taught to play guitar by my parents starting at age 7. In Middle school they offered Jazz band for the first time and I thought it’d be a great opportunity to play guitar but when I showed up, all of the chords looked like algebra problems and I was very intimidated. I looked at the bass charts and they just had one note at a time which I was used to reading on trumpet so I switched to the bass guitar. I was trying to learn every instrument that I could. I played piano, sang and played drums, as well. I really enjoy them all. When it came time for college, the one that I could read the best on was bass and I wanted to give myself the best shot at Berklee College of Music so I chose bass as my principal instrument. I attended Berklee for a few semesters jumping from arranging to songwriting as my major. I also did a semester as a vocalist. I was just trying to learn as much as I could before I ran out of money.
After College, I spent about 10 years working in the bars and clubs in Denver. I played as much music as I could and finally landed the gig with saxophonist, Nelson Rangell. He was a national act and he took me on the road all over the country. I had to really hone my skills to keep up with him and the rest of the band. It gave me the experience and confidence to start thinking about getting to a bigger town. I moved to Los Angeles in the fall of 2000 and never looked back.
Los Angeles was very good to me. I spent 23 years there. I played with many artists like Keiko Matsui, Dwight Yoakam, Corbin Bleu, Lucas Grabeel, Gregg Karukas, Melissa Manchester, Lee Ritenour and the list goes on. I became a first call bass player/singer for many people and eventually got the call to play with the legendary band, Chicago. They have always been one of my favorite bands so it was a dream call. I also started producing music for myself and other artist. I released 3 of my own albums and produced artists like Lucas Grabeel from High School Musical, Rudy Cardenas from American Idol and many others. That lead to getting some songs placed in tv and film and writing for a video game. It was a really great ride.
In 2021, my wife and I (she did most of the work) had a baby. We had bought a house in Van Nuys which was great for the two of us but suddenly was very small once we added a child and needed family to stay over and help. We started looking at other places to live. I had come to Nashville many times when I played for Dwight Yoakam and I had watched the city grow and change. It seemed intriguing. As a songwriter, I’ve always wondered about living in Nashville and this seemed like a great opportunity to check it out. After much research and many visits we decide to relocate to Mount Juliet. So far the experience has been extremely cool. Chicago tours pretty extensively still so it takes a lot of the pressure off of having to network and survive in a new city but everyone I’ve met so far has been amazing and raising a kid as a musician has been so much easier. Family is just built into the machine out here. It’s so nice!
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I’ve been very fortunate and looking back, knowing it will all work out, it doesn’t seem as bad as it felt in the moment. When I first moved to Los Angeles, I pretty quickly started touring with smooth jazz, piano player, Keiko Matsui. things were going well and in 2001, airplanes started hitting buildings and the world shut down. I was supposed to be in Bermuda the week of 9/11 and all air travel was shut down. That pretty much ended that year’s touring. I was selling basses to pay the rent and just trying to stay in L.A. until I could get things going again. It worked out ok because it forced me to meet more people in town and find work locally that I could do when I wasn’t on the road. In-town gigs tend to disappear once people think of you as a road guy.
Everything was building well, again, when the economy crashed in 2008. I was playing some really high profile gigs and finally making a real living when everything came crashing down. All of the big gigs ended and I was back to playing for sometimes $65 a night in the bars and playing weddings and corporate gigs when I could get them. I was also very fortunate to still be playing with Keiko Matsui. Being an artist from Japan, she wasn’t as affected as other artists were. Thanks to that job, I was able to survive again. I had also started a record label in 2009 just as everything was crashing. That left me in a mountain of debt that took years to pay off. Through it all, I just kept working hard and taking every gig that I could. It made be a better player and a stronger person.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a bass player, singer, songwriter, composer, producer and a podcast host/content creator. I do so many things because that’s what it takes to succeed in today’s music business. My main job is playing bass and singing for the iconic band, Chicago. I’ve been in the band for four years now and getting the gig was a dream come true. I have played with many artists and bands over my 34 year career but Chicago is definitely my favorite. I grew up loving the band and now every night I get to take the stage with my heroes and play my favorite songs. I couldn’t be more grateful.
I also have a studio in my house in Mount Juliet and I produce music for other artists and some TV and Film. Lately, I’ve been releasing my own music digitally, as well. I wrote a whole album of songs but between my touring schedule, producing for others and keeping up with my wife and 5 year old son, It’s been a challenge to get them all finished. I decided to release the songs one at a time so I can finish them as I go. I wanted to release one song a month but even that is seeming a bit tough with our schedule this year. So far I’ve released two songs and we’ll see what happens from here. You can find my music anywhere you get your music. My current releases are adult contemporary, soft rock. I have three other albums available that are a little more rock and singer/songwriter.
During the pandemic shutdown, I started a podcast called, “The Dive Bar Rock Star Podcast”. Feeling isolated from my friends and colleagues, I started interviewing them partially to educate people who want to become musicians and partially to document my career incase we never played another gig. I just released my 50th episode and I’m very proud of it. If you’re interested in a behind the scenes view of what it is to be a professional musician then you can find my podcast wherever you get your podcasts.
I have had an extremely diverse career as a bass player. I’ve played everything from Jazz to rock to pop, country, salsa, big band and pretty much whatever else you can think of. I really pride myself on being a well rounded player the can fit into any situation. Some of the people I’ve toured/recorded/played with are Keiko Matsui, Dwight Yoakam, Gregg Karukas, Nelson Rangell, The High School Musical Concert tour, Rudy Cardenas, Lucas Grabeel, Corbin Bleu, Air Supply, ABC, Ambrosia, El Chicano, Melissa Manchester, Chicago, Robbie Kreager, Bill Champlin, and many others.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
My main advice is just get in the room. Networking can be a real drag. It can feel like you’re forcing yourself on people you don’t know but if you just make yourself show up, more often than not, something will happen. Show your face, smile and be nice. If nothing else you’ll be seen. Above all, be a nice person, be respectful, be grateful and good things will come to you. Be somebody that people want to root for. Oh…and be really good at what you do. You do need to have a certain skill level to succeed at a high level. I also believe in helping everybody you can. I was given a lot of information from people older than me when I was coming up and it’s my job to pass it on to the next person who wants to do this. It’s a community and we all should support each other. It’s a really hard business as it is, I don’t want to make it harder for anybody. That’s really the theme of my podcast, as well.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.divebarrockstar.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/ericbainesbass
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/ericbaines
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@divebarrockstar
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/329oY3JiCqEB7VQnre7HUY?si=0TSQ262IQyaTYXJD0-1NpQ
