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11/17/2007 Seems like I'm always mentioning how busy I've been in my website updates - and this one is no exception. There have been a few surprises along the way, and I'll get to them as follows: ShakyJake officially disbanded a couple weeks ago. The group's founder, Mark Allen, decided in the midst of needing some personal space, that he'd turn off the ignition on the SJ machine. Everyone remains good friends, and we've all been BS'ing with each other since the announcement. Mark needs time away, and we're rallying around that to support him. Craig remains with the band Highlander, and Johnee will remain with me in Luna Sea for the time being. This wraps up almost a solid year for me of being a member of ShakyJake. I'm somewhat sad to see it end, but on the other hand, I have many other musical irons in the fire...
Johnee D'Shea and I have been working with some other individuals from groups around the area on our new musical project. We're still debating (arguing ;-) the band name, but we've been rehearsing for a while now, and have a really great set list we'll be performing as soon as we get out there. The game plan is to pick up a couple shows here and there starting in January/February, and get busier as we go forward. I've agreed to fill in with my former group The Bad Animals - A Tribute To Heart. I'll be performing at five shows with the band starting January 19, 2008. The group's current drummer, Bruce Campbell, is a great drummer and super nice guy. I don't want to give people the impression that I'm replacing him. I love everyone in the band and would love to perform with them regularly again, but I have too many other musical interests right now for that to happen...but that's not even an issue, as Bruce just needs a few nights off. :o) Come check out my calendar on MySpace for all the details. And check out the pictures to the right of this page for my performance with them at the historic Paramount Theater last year. I also have some new percussion toys, hardware, electronics, etc. I don't have pictures of everything yet, but I figured I'd place a few here of what I have so far. The octabons aren't new - I've had them for a few years now, but I haven't performed live with them to date. Someday, maybe. The trick is trying to figure out where to place them! If you look closely at the Sabian pictures, you'll see that it's a Paragon Ride cymbal with Neil's signature. Then there's the Roland SPD-20. I've actually used this as an entire drum set for a couple of small acoustic shows. Imagine - a complete drum set the size of a TV tray! I use a Hart Dynamics Hammerkick for the kick trigger pad, and a Roland FD-8 for the HiHat pedal/controller. Then, you'll notice all those pedals - and I STILL don't have a picture of all of them! From left to right - Roland FD-8, DW9000 for Cable HiHat, DW9000 HiHat, left pedal of DW9002 kick, right main DW9002 kick, and DW9000 for electronic trigger. Not pictured is another DW9000 with inverted beater for the Hart Hammerkick - it goes to the right of all the currently pictured pedals. And of course the snare pictured was new last year - it's a Yamaha Absolute Maple Custom. Decided to go with a deeper 5.5"x14" instead of my previous 'standard' piccolo choices. This snare has a lot more 'beef' than the others, but still has a high-end 'crack' that I love. Enjoy!
And another musical related surprise happened - actually back in September (though several times since, as well) - I ran into my former Equinox Opus/Vox Tempus band mate, Ray Mantor, at Guitar Center. He seems to be doing well, and it was nice to sit and chat with him for a while. From what I understand, VT has some interesting news being released soon (if it hasn't been already), so congratulations are in order for my former bandmates. Some non-music related surprises have popped up as well. I finally realized an adult-long goal of mine to have a nice billiard table. I had one as a kid, thus it's not a "lifelong" goal. I remember when we were having our house built several years ago, I kept stopping by to measure and make sure that there was room for a large pool table in the bar/theater/family room. We even walked through home models (before we built) with a pool cue just to find the perfect layout for us. For me, I needed the room for a billiard table and a sizeable music studio to fit 5 or 6 musicians (and their gear). I got both! I'll try to post a picture of the new table soon. I can't seem to find my camera at the moment - darn kids! :o) So I've decided to simply place a picture from the manufacturer's web site. We ended up with a similar colored cloth. Ours is a little brighter red/wine felt, and slightly lighter wood. I kept going back and forth on either the block legs or claw foot legs. I like both equally well, so I went with the block legs. They just seemed to match the table's style better. Like I said, I'll try to get some pictures of my actual table up here as soon as I figure out where the kids hid the camera. Check it out!
Have a great Thanksgiving everyone! And in case I don't update this before Christmas, I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!! -Eric Althaus
9/26/2007
My friend, Joe, was in town visiting from the west coast last week and he made it out to ShakyJake's show at St. Croix Live. He's been busy climbing mountains, and doing a lot of hiking. Someday if my schedule ever eases up, it'd be cool to try doing some of that outdoorsy stuff. It was great to sit and chat with him again, as it's been nearly a year since I've seen him. I think the last time I saw him was when I performed with The Bad Animals - A Tribute To Heart at the Paramount Theater. So yeah, it has been almost exactly one full year. Anyway...after the ShakyJake show, he talked my brother (drum tech) and me into heading over to Treasure Island Casino. Haven't been there in several months, so it was fun to see all the new games they've brought in. And of course at 4am you don't have too much competition for all the cool machines! :o) It was a great time, and I only ended up losing about $10. The only down side of the whole evening, was hearing news of the passing of someone Joe and I had worked with several years ago. Harold was a good guy with a nice family. At 40 years old, he left this world far too early. My condolences go out to his family - and especially his little girl.
I went to the RUSH concert a couple weeks ago, once again with my buddy, bassist Ray Probst. We had a blast, and ran into several people we know. The seats were perfect, and the show was great. It was nice to finally see some new graphics and projections, as well as hear a new drum solo from Neil. I think it was a great move on his part - especially after releasing his Anatomy of a Drum Solo DVD a little while back. Having seen them perform on more occasions than I can count, I can honestly say that this was the most unique concert of theirs I've ever attended. What a great time. Other news is more family oriented. We have a brand new 5th wheel camper sitting in our driveway right now. My wife has gone berserk with anything to do with the thing, and she, my girls, and my in-laws have been obsessed with traveling around to the camping facilities around the state. I can only imagine what the travel itinerary will be as soon as the weather is nice again next year. The camper itself, is really nice. When its all 'popped-out', it is very spacious. It even has a fireplace (complete with remote control). I'm looking forward to the first weekend (next year when the weather is nice) that I don't have any shows scheduled, so I can finally enjoy the thing too! That's about all for this update. As always, thanks for your support! -Eric 8/12/2007 Figured that I wouldn't wait quite so long to provide an update this time around. :o) Not much new to report, though. One thing I forgot to mention in my last update, is that in addition to 'auditioning' new drum kits, I've also been doing the same with cymbals. Cymbals are tricky to pick out. It's not as if you can tune them to match the sonic properties of your drums or even the other cymbals you're using. I've always gone and tested them out at the local drum shops, and then tested them out for a few days with my own drum kits. Only a handful have made the grade, so to speak. They might sound great in the isolated cymbal room at the drum shop, but get them around your drums and other cymbals, and most times something just sounds a *bit* off.
That's about all for this update. Please check out my show schedule, and if you're going to be in town, please stop up and say hi! -E
"As always, thanks so much for taking the time to visit my website and for all the support. I couldn't continue doing all this without your support! Thank You!!!" -Eric
7/24/2007 Ok, so I know it's a bit ridiculous to wait more than three months to update my website, but I've been extremely busy enjoying everything possible during this time of year. I only have a handful of open weekend dates for the entire summer - most of which are almost upon us as we inch toward August. I always end up watching summer fly by instead of living the summertime, so THIS year I decided to do something about it by taking it easy the last month or so of the season. I still have 4 or 5 shows to do in that time - but believe me...that's a slow pace!
Last time, I
mentioned that I'd be ordering up a new drum set. Well I can tell you that that
is still in the planning stages. I know exactly how I want the drums to look
(design-wise), and I know which sizes I want. I've been 'test driving' several
drum kits from just about every drum company I can get my hands on. My new kit
will be the absolute perfect drum set for ME, and I'm going through the motions
of really making sure I'm familiar with EVERYTHING that's out there so I can
make the best determination. I tried
Ludwig, Pearl, Tama, Premier, Mapex,
and others. After much consideration, I can tell you that the current front
runners are DW,
Sonor, and
Yamaha. Of
course, I've used Yamaha
drums for more than twenty years, and I've played on
DW
drums on various occasions, so I'm pretty familiar with those brands. The
surprise to me was Sonor.
Not that they are a great make of drums - their reputation is VERY well known in
the drumming community - but that they offer all the options that I want on my
new set. For the foreseeable future, I'll be test driving those kits before
making my final determination. Let the fun continue!... More updates for the list of "current projects" are as follows: I'm playing with the fun variety band Luna Sea. I've been with Luna Sea since 2004, and they cover classic-current rock songs. We're all the best of friends, and the shows are always a blast! I joined ShakyJake in December of 2006, and they play hard/pop/alternative rock covers, as well as release original material...which we'll be getting around to as we get our new bass player, Wes, worked in a bit. We're also currently working up some new songs to include in our performance sets, so the originals will be waiting a little while. I'm helping my friend, Johnee D'Shea, get his new band up and running around the local Minneapolis scene. D'SHEA promises to be a high-energy party band that will perform covers of dance songs that women who have been surveyed (no kidding) want to hear. Though I won't be the permanent drummer for D'SHEA, it will be a great experience to work with my friend and have a fun time in the process! And the newest addition to my list of projects, is that I'm working with the band Faith Nation. FN are an original band that I met while touring with The Bad Animals last year. FN opened several shows for us, and I think that anyone that appreciates my previous work with Equinox will likely fall in love with this band. The style fits my playing perfectly (or my playing fits their style ;-). Even more importantly, the music is my taste in music. There will be no public performances with Faith Nation within the next year or so. The focus is solely on writing and recording a new album. It will take as long as it takes, and I'll not be going into a lot of additional details about the group or our situation, mainly because I've already said everything that I know! :o) We'll be writing until it's done. No hurries or deadlines. No pressure! Check out their website to listen to some of their material (especially my favorite - Western World).
4/15/2007
I'll keep you posted!
And finally, RUSH tickets went on sale yesterday for the St. Paul show in September. I GOT MINE!!! 1st Row, even! I'm really looking forward to seeing them in concert again. I haven't seen them in person since November of 2002...coincidentally when I decided to leave the post-Equinox group Vox Tempus. In fact, it was a conversation I had at that very show that helped me make the decision to do so...and looking back nearly 5 years after the fact (and approximately 400 shows later), it truly was the best decision I could have made for the situation, myself, and my family. So...thanks to RUSH and my friend Ray for the inspiration that night! Anyway...I haven't seen RUSH live in person since then, and the DVD's they've come out with since (thanks guys for the pre-release copies!) have been great viewing material - but not a replacement for the real thing! I CAN'T WAIT!!! That wraps up this update. 2/22/2007
And how about The Police reunion? Man, I never saw that coming. Most people know that Stewart Copeland is one of my all-time top 3 most influential drummers. I'm hoping I get the opportunity to catch one of their shows, as I've never met or seen him play live. I've had the good fortune of seeing just about all of my other major drumming influences in person, so this is a big deal to me! Buddy Rich, Neil Peart, Nikko McBrain, Phil Ehart, Charlie Adams, Rod Morgenstein, Charlie Benante, Jeff Porcaro, Simon Phillips, and just so many others...and now from my personal 'Top 3', the chance to possibly see Mr. Copeland in concert. I'm beyond excited, and I can't wait! And finally, my
wife and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary this past weekend (17th). Actually,
we always celebrate it for "real" in March every year (cobiming it
with my birthday), and this year will be no
different. But we did get to go out and have some fun. Ended up at one of the
area's casinos, and took the place for $50! Not bad, considering we were playing
penny machines. That about wraps up this update. More news to come soon, I promise!
2/11/2007 Greetings, everyone. It's been an eventful week since I last updated the site here. I got to catch up with some family and friends earlier today at my favorite restaurant, Famous Dave's. Got to talk with my folks, brother, in-laws, kids, and our family's long-time friends Greg & Linda. Nice to see all of you! :o)
This coming week is kind of special for lots of people, and I'm no exception. Of course, the obvious is Valentines Day, but this coming Saturday (17th) is also mine and my wife's 8th wedding anniversary. Of course, we've actually been together for just about 17 years now. Love ya', sweetie! And to celebrate, we'll be....at a Luna Sea performance. ;-) Bummer, I know. Not that the show won't be great and fun and all, but just having to work on such a special day is kind of tough to deal with. The only reason I'm not actually taking the evening off, is that my wife and I always celebrate later in March (don't ask). And this year will be no different in that regard. :o)
This about wraps up the news for the time being. As always, thanks for visiting and for your support! -Eric 2/04/2007 Well, it's been a while since my last update. Happy New Year, everybody! My best friend's wife passed away peacefully a couple of weeks ago. I had previously posted donation information here on this site, as well as on my MySpace site, and Ray and Kathy received a very appreciated, yet unexpected pouring in of donations and well wishes. I'd like to personally thank any of you that did donate to their benefit, as I know it helped Kathy live out her days as comfortably as possible.
Another announcement I have, is that I've been recruited to play the drum tracks on Adrienn Antal's (Alien Angel) upcoming album. It is to bee released November of this year by Lion Music. A confirmation of this can be found here on Lion Music's Release Schedule. The other musicians involved with this album include members from Morbid Angel, Asia, John Oliva's Pain, and more. I'm really excited about this opportunity to work with such a stellar lineup of artists. I'll post news here as it happens. Coming up on February 16, I have my debut performance with ShakyJake. The band consists of singer Mark Allen (The Mustard Seeds), bassist Johnee D'Shea (1000 Pleasures), guitarist Craig Life (most recently with Hylander), and myself on drums. The music covers everything from 70's funk, 80's hair metal, 90's alternative, and 2000's hard rock. This is a great show band, that will have you dancing and singing along with the songs all night long. I've seen this band before becoming a member, and I can verify that this band is incredibly endowed with great musicians, and a nice following of people. I'm really looking forward to this first show. It's been several months in the making, but now's the time to rock!!!
12/07/2006
So just WHAT has been happening recently? Well quite a lot, actually. The usual performances with Luna Sea and The Bad Animals, as well as some studio sessions. And I've hooked up with yet another band - Shaky Jake. Shaky Jake is a hard rock cover band - one of the most popular groups in the Twin Cities (but you local folks already knew that ;-). They are also known for their original music, and have two previous releases available. The former drummer, George Hamilton, is going to be a hard act to follow. He's worked with - and is well known by - everyone around town, and has studied with Gordy Knutson (legendary drummer for the Steve Miller Band) for four years. On top of that, he's a nice guy. He decided it was time for a break, so enter Yours Truly into the picture. ;-) Mark and Johnee have made me feel at home, and I'm looking forward to see where this thing goes. Rehearsals have been underway for quite some time now, and we're looking to be out in public again in late January/early February. They are in the middle of a website redesign, but feel free to check the 'old' one out at www.shakyjake.com .
Other than that, I've been trying to enjoy what I can of the season at hand. Unlike the previous two years, THIS year, Luna Sea decided to take it easy during the summer AND holiday season. It's really made life a lot more enjoyable this year, and I think that we'll probably continue to perform at a more pleasant and leisurely pace into the future. Of course, juggling three bands is pure insanity...I know...BUT each one satisfies a different performance related craving for me, so it's the best of ALL worlds! :o) As always, thanks for your continued support! I appreciate you and your time. Happy Holidays!!! -Eric 10/3/2006 What an incredible experience playing at the Paramount Theatre this past weekend. As I've mentioned in previous updates, there's just nothing that compares (in my opinion) to performing in a proper concert venue, such as theaters - the Paramount in this case. The acoustics and ambience can't be beat. I was escorting my family into the main floor area of the room, and it struck me as kind of cool to see ushers and ticket-takers all dressed up and doing their jobs. It just added an elegant touch of class to the evening.
"Just a note to let ya know that Tyler and I had a great time on Sat night! Specifically, I wanted to make note of your drum solo…(now this may sound a little odd, but …) the lone stage, the dim lights of the auditorium with lights highlighting the symbols against the Dusty rose background and the fan blowing your hair back was just fantastic… and then throwing your drum sticks in the air at the end… Man, I could just feel the crowd holding its breath and then the amazement when you were done… it was electric…. I really wish I had a video camera to capture that moment… At least for me, it really was that good…"
One detail that's kind of gotten lost in all my excitement over this show, is that The Bad Animals have been nominated by the Minnesota Music Academy for the best tribute band. It's an award that we didn't actually win - but we all feel proud and thrilled to have made enough of an impact to even receive the nomination.
8/27/2006
I have to tip my hat to a number of people that have made it out to the last few shows of the summer this year. I don't always have the time (or room on this site) to personally mention everyone - but please believe that I am truly humbled and also very happy to see each and every one of you when you come out to support me and the groups I'm with. And to those of you that actually travel a couple of hours to the shows - I'm absolutely speechless! Thanks so much! Next update, I'll have information about a new band (for me, anyway ;-) that I've been working with. They have a pretty full touring schedule, and the last piece of the puzzle is to determine our mutual availability (coordinating theirs and my other bands' schedules). The details will get hashed out in the near future, and public announcements will be in order at that time. Stay tuned... As always, thanks for visiting and your continued support. I appreciate your time. 8/2/2006
You can also check out a recent interview that my new band mate, Leni DiMancari (Hericane Alice, Bad Animals), recently took part in for SLEAZE ROXX. It has some funny stories from 'back in the day', and is worth the read. Check it out here.
A few days ago, we finally broke down and purchased a new large HDTV for our newly finished lower level, so that's where I've been spending the majority of my recent time. Decided to go for the highest quality out there right now - DLP technology over the cheaper plasma or LCD models - and it's got the 1080P picture, instead of the lower quality 1080i. Seeing a larger-than-life Homer Simpson on TV has been the highlight of my week, so far! ;-) Thanks to my dad for helping me hook everything up! Today is my little brother's birthday, so "Happy B-Day, Bro". Ah, to be 29 again. Savor it. Continued "Thank You's" go out to everyone that's been visiting my MySpace website. It's been proving to be quite the cool little networking tool. If you haven't seen mine yet, please do so when you get the chance, and let me know what you think.
-Eric
3/1/2006 Well it's been a little over a week now that the new site has been up and running, and your positive comments keep coming in! I'll be incorporating some of your suggestions...just as soon as I figure out how. I also think that a FAQ page is in order, as well, since I seem to keep answering the same types of email questions...but I'm happy to do so, so please keep them coming. Sincerely, "thank you"! I really have a hard time believing that I get so many visitors, but I'm certainly humbled by it. This week, the only performance I have is a Thursday evening jam session that three of us from Luna Sea put on every other week. Right after the show, my wife and I will be on our way to a nice hotel suite for a couple of days, celebrating our anniversary, Valentines Day, and my birthday all in one. We're excited to get some time away for ourselves, and the kids are happy to have their grandparents watching them...everyone wins! ;-)
I've been meeting with some people about working on a new musical project. Over the past couple of years, I've had a hard time finding like-minded musicians to work with...that aren't just interested in how I can help them 'get a deal' or sell their CD's. The idea of working on new original material is a welcomed opportunity, and the players on board with this thing will be great to work with. I've been so busy with the variety band shows and other projects, that I'm happy to have rediscovered the creative bug. ;-) I'll post updates as they become worthwhile to share. In the mean time, if you live locally around the Minneapolis area, or will be here in town at some point, I hope to see you at one of my performances!
2/19/2006 UPDATE
The Luna Sea Band keeps rolling on...and on...and on... ;-). We've been keeping extremely busy by working on new material and adding new elements to our shows. We have an incredible light show that is truly second to none here around the Twin Cities. Unfortunately we've only had the opportunity to use the entire production a few times, as the majority of the venues just don't have the necessary power supply or cubic space to accommodate all our equipment. Summer is coming, though, and we've got a number of outdoor performances scheduled, so we'll be able to incorporate all the elements of our variety show production. One thing we have coming up in the immediate future, is that we're recording one of our shows next weekend! I'll provide more details in my next update. In other news, my family made it through the holidays just fine. And we have so many events (birthdays, anniversaries, etc.) that take place between January and March, that those things have kept me extra busy this year. My oldest daughter is now officially a teenager - complete with all the typical characteristics! She's smarter than my wife and I all of a sudden, so that transition has been kind of a funny one to observe. Speaking of my wife, it was our 7th wedding anniversary this past weekend (though we've been together for 16 years). In a couple of days, it's my father-in-law's birthday, and in less than two weeks, it'll be MY birthday! YIPPPEEE!!! I'll have more updates next time. -Eric Althaus 12/19/2005 Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, etc. !!! I can't believe that another year has come and almost passed. Time certainly flies when you're keeping busy...and having fun, for that matter. Hopefully you are in the same boat - keeping happily busy! ;-) I don't usually focus my update specifically toward drummers, since most of you visiting aren't. But I do tend to get several emails each week regarding certain aspects of my playing, or experience(s). I've just been becoming such a big fan of playing drums again (funny after nearly thirty years of playing them, don't you think?), and Christmas reflects the time of year when I received my first drum set all those years ago, that I just can't help but start thinking of drumming. Because of that, I've decided to offer the following generic response to several of the drummers that have asked my opinion about certain things recently... I was privileged to receive the new Neil Peart DVD from the folks at Rounder, before it was actually available to the public. It's no secret that Neil has long been one of my favorite drummers. As a kid I simply wanted to BE the guy. As my playing matured a bit, I just wanted to PLAY like the guy. After a little more experience with drumming, I realized that its always best to BE YOURSELF. I remember the day I actually recognized the fact that I had developed my very own identity on the drums. It wasn't told to me by anyone else or anything. I just had a break-through one day and realized that I had taken so many ideas from so many different drummers out there, and had applied and developed them further to my own liking and style, that TRYING to sound like any ONE in particular would be too limiting (not to mention down right impossible) to what I always wanted to accomplish as a drummer. I began to appreciate the fact that I had the necessary skills to play just about anything I've ever heard my influences play...only I could play them MY way. I've known and worked with several musicians over the years that get too tied up in sounding or playing just like their idols, that they don't posses any unique qualities of their own that music fans would want to see and/or hear. Sure, this guitarist can sound and play like John Petrucci, Steve Vai, or whoever, but the world already has those artists, so why does it need someone else pretending to be them as well? (I think that's also one [of many] reason that I've been losing interest in the Prog genre as of the last few years.) Now, that's not to say that I can play with Stewart's feel, Neil's brashness, Lombardo's foot speed (2) and finesse, Nikko's foot speed (1) and finesse, Buddy's intensity, Terry's independence, ...the list can go on for miles. BUT, what that does say is that I can play MY style because of developing the ideas and techniques I learned from watching and listening to these (and many other) players, applying them as useable tools whenever appropriate, and combining that with continued studies of music teachings. Now, almost seventeen full years since making that 'discovery', I find myself returning to square one, in a sense. I watched Neil's new DVD and thought to myself "Wow. I should pick up DVD's of as many of my drumming influences that I can, if for no other reason than pure inspiration!" Another plateau along my own drumming journey, I guess. Now I'm actually getting back into drummers from a more appreciative and inspirational standpoint, as opposed to 'I want to play just like so-and-so', or 'I want to be as good or better than so-and-so'. I might not be the most famous or talented drummer in the world, but I can hold my own in just about any situation (and I'm prepared to do so), and I've had some commercial success in several parts of the world, as well as thousands of accolades and "atta-boys" along the way. I got there by being ME...with the help of some influential drumming friends along the way. ;-) To you drummers out there - be yourself! The world has had the other guys to do what they do. Take the torch down a different path...yours. Anyone still reading? Have a safe and festive Christmas and New Years, everyone. See you in 2006! 11/24/2005 Happy Thanksgiving to all of my American visitors out there! For all you folks outside of the USA, I'd like to say Happy Holidays! Where to begin...
I'm actually writing this on Thanksgiving morning, since this is the only window of 'free time' that I can see for myself for the next several weeks. It's funny how time always seems to be just beyond my grasp these days. I love what I do, so keeping busy isn't a burden - it just means that I have to literally 'schedule' every event and occasion that comes up. Luna Sea only has about eleven shows to play between now and the end of the year (including two tomorrow and Saturday, where we'll be performing at a luxurious resort a few hours north of the Twin Cities here). We've purposely planned our way through the Holiday season so as to be able to accommodate everyone's personal lives, as well as satisfy the increasing demand for for us to perform. Since we have well over 100 shows on the year so far, we figured this would be the only way to remain sane. We're attempting to keep the same planning method throughout next year, too - so 2006 doesn't seem like just one big blur! It's actually going to be a bit easier for us, since we've been adding some new, bigger venues (and better paying ;-) around the area to our 'roster'. I know many of you musicians out there can relate, and maybe others of you wish you could - but I've developed a whole new respect for any artist that is actually performing at a rate of over 100 shows per year (one-third of the year). At least I get to sleep in my own bed every night (except for the resort gigs ;-) ...I can't imagine how that type of schedule would work for you touring musicians out there. And some of you even do it for 200+ shows! My hat's off to ya! My light show production is finally just about complete. I received my additional scanner lights and truss system within the past couple of weeks. I have to admit that I went COMPLETELY overboard with purchasing lights and other visual production enhancements (as my wife keeps reminding me). But it really has bolstered the band's shows. Most bands - especially ones around here - don't travel with production like this, and it really sets us apart from the other groups around town. Keep watching for new pictures at Luna Sea's website, as I'm sure you'll have some really good views of all the gear we employ in some of them. That's about all for now. The recording schedule, and other music industry related events are pretty much over for me for the year (except the live shows). Everything looks to pick up again right after my daughter's birthday in January, though, so I'll update you at that time! Have a great Holiday season, everyone! -Eric Althaus 10/20/2005 ...Here is my costume from Halloween 2005. It was the only thing I had around that I could actually perform a show in. Not very original, considering it's my actual Tae Kwon Do uniform - but it served it's purpose...YET AGAIN!!! ;-)
I recently picked up some more lights for the band's set-up. This time I got a bunch of scanner lights (robo-lights), and an awesome control board that works with my standard par lights AND intelligent moving lights, lasers, and color changers. It's been fun trying to learn the ins and outs of programming the thing, though it has been quite the learning experience. One awesome feature of the board, is that I can program and record an entire show to be played back at the push of a button. It will even reconfigure it's own program to accommodate multiple stages - basically it will recalculate and realign the commands, angles, movements, etc. based on the specific dimensions of any given stage. This will give us a consistent light show that works in every venue we play! I talked with Lonnie Melland last week, so I can report that he's doing well these days. His own cover band is one of the most popular around, and works as much if not more than Luna Sea - only he's been doing it for several years now. I've seen them a handful of times, and I have to admit that I sure do miss having Lonnie around. My current guitarist, Jeff Johnson, is one of the very best players I've ever heard (and he can play seemingly anything) - but Jamison and Lonnie are my musical 'soul mates', and whenever I see or hear them, I'm just in awe. Anyway, Lonnie is doing well, and I just wanted to pass that on to all of you that ask. My best friend, Shawn (from my days back in Milwaukee) and his wife had a baby last week. CONGRATULATIONS!!! I can't wait to meet the new bundle of joy, and of course to see my buddy again. ;-) Rumor has it that Luna Sea will be opening some shows for a famous national act after the first of the new year, but I can't share the details yet. Keep checking back here or at Luna Sea's site for details. As always, thanks for stopping by. Feel free to sign the guestbook and let me know whatever's on your mind. ;-) 8/25/2005
My family went on vacation at the beginning of this month. Luna Sea wrapped up a Saturday night show, and as soon as I got home (about 3am), we headed out for Montana to see some relatives, tour mountains, and do and see many things that we haven't done as a family before. Aside from meeting up with relatives (hello to each of you), we visited Yellowstone National Park, went sapphire mining (where we each found hundreds of sapphires and garnets - some are large enough at a couple of karats to be cut into jewelry), went to the site of the Battle of the Little Bighorn (Custer's Last Stand), drove in and through the mountains, and just had one hell of a time everywhere we ended up! It was great to have the kids along to see all these things that I've been familiar with all my life. I think they each had a lot of fun. I got several new toys for the
band recently. New Par lighting, a 5-laser beam system, awesome stage washes,
strobes, and all sorts of additional goodies. And more keep coming all the time!
7/7/2005
This past weekend, Luna Sea performed at a large local festival - the Taste Of Minnesota. That was an incredible experience, and I was overjoyed to be playing near a nacho stand! ;-) Again, pictures can be found on Luna Sea's website.
6/7/2005 The performance dates continue to pile up! It's always a good feeling to be
working regularly, doing something that I truly love to do. Although, I do
welcome the occasional weekend off. The next four weeks are going to get extremely busy, as far as my performance schedule is concerned. Especially so, for the 4th of July weekend. Thursday, June 30, Luna Sea is performing at the Taste Of Minnesota - a large annual festival around the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, featuring live entertainment, hundreds of vendors, and hundreds of thousands of attendees. Then, I'll be joining my Mindy Gunn Band colleagues on July 1st, for a performance at Iowa's ABATE Freedom Festival. We'll be performing before a late-evening crowd of around 40,000 people, as we warm up the headline act, which will take the stage immediately following us. July 3, will have Luna Sea playing at an outdoor festival in Saint Peter, MN. Then on July 4, I'm playing with some friends for a private neighborhood block party. Busy, indeed! I know I've been promising pictures of my new drum set, but the lighting at
the last few venues hasn't been cooperating. With all the upcoming summer shows,
I'm bound to be able to get some great pictures before my next update. It's a
priority of mine, I assure you! 5/10/2005 Been
keeping extremely busy these days. I received another copy of a magazine review
featuring myself and my fellow Equinox
colleagues. It was sent to me directly from a fan in Japan, and it continues to
remind me just how good it felt to be on top of the world for a brief period of
time, back when we released our first *real* album. Luna Sea
continues to perform multiple shows every week. It's been a lot of work getting
that band off of the ground, but we're experiencing the rewards now. We get to
play in front of bigger audiences at fun venues, and we're playing some of the
most fun songs! People keep asking me why I'm playing in a cover band these
days, and the answer is that I love performing, and this is the perfect
situation, because there's no touring involved - I get to spend time with my
family, and sleep in my own bed! We're playing songs I've loved for years, but
I've never had an outlet to play cover songs before. As strange as that might
sound, it's true...I've never been in a band that wasn't focusing exclusively on
originals, so this is actually new and exciting for me. Of course, I still work
with select artists on original material, and have upcoming CD releases planned,
and I still do recording work. I won't ever limit my musical career to any one
particular scenario, so I am keeping all options open. I'm just really enjoying
being a member of Luna Sea at this moment! If
you're in the area, come on out to a show, and see what all the fuss is about!
Hopefully, by the next time I update this page, I'll have some pictures of my new drum set available for you to see. It sure is pretty!
As always, thanks for visiting my little corner of cyber space, sharing your comments, and showing your support for me in my many endeavors. I appreciate your time! -Eric Althaus
***This site is maintained by E L A Media, Inc. Copyright 1994 - 2005, but is updated by Eric Althaus whenever possible.
4/16/2005
My wife woke me up last weekend, and asked if I wanted to go pick out a new drum set that afternoon. HOW AWESOME IS THAT?!?! Unfortunately, I didn't find anything 'in stock' that I wanted, so I didn't pick one up...*THEN* ;-) ... I have [since] ordered one exactly the way I wanted it. I should have it in a couple of weeks, and I'll be sure to publish some new pictures of it, too! I won't tell you the color or brand - you'll have to be surprised. And for those of you that might be wondering - NO, I haven't gotten rid of my beloved Yamaha set (or "Jennifer", as she's known around our house). In fact, I still plan to use it (her) very frequently, and I don't really plan to EVER get rid of it (her - I'm just selfish that way ;-). I have to say a special "Thanks!" to John over at Midwest Percussion in Chicago, for helping me out with the specifics involved in ordering my new set. Now, comes the fun part - I get to ACCESSORIZE!!! You can't buy a new drum set without getting a bunch of additional goodies (cymbals, cases, a new rack system, and toys, toys, TOYS!). Next stop, a visit to Tim at Ellis Drum Shop - I can't wait! Until next time, Keep Rockin! 3/3/2005
I finally had a weekend off from playing last week. The first one since all the way back in December. Got to spend some extra time with the family, and my wife and I actually had the opportunity to go out with some friends - so we got to pretend that we actually have a social life ;-). It was also our anniversary this past month, but we're actually celebrating by taking a vacation right after the Luna Sea show this Saturday night (March 5). Getting out of town for a while, and just relaxing a bit sure sounds good to me right about now. Anyway, I have so much that I should be mentioning - but I can't organize my thoughts coherently enough at the moment ;-). Sorry about that, but I hope to be able to tell you all about the stuff going on - in person - at one of the upcoming shows! Until the next update...whenever I have time to do that one...keep rockin'!!! 1/27/2005
Luna Sea has been very busy this January. We've played every weekend, and the crowds keep getting larger and larger. It's been a lot of fun, but also a lot of work. The website that was published on January 11, has already received over 6,000 hits! Many of those are coming directly from the links here on my own site. For those of you that have surfed on in to check out the Luna Sea Website from mine, I sincerely thank you for your support. Overall, the website has been a HUGE success for the band, and it's not even finished yet! ;-) We will have a lot of interactive areas for you to visit, and it should be a lot of fun. Speaking of Luna Sea, the group played a corporate party last weekend, and we had a blast. We gained a lot of new fans that signed up on our email list, and have had several inquiries about our availability for other engagements. Thanks to everyone associated with Eschelon Corporation - we had a great time performing at your party. 1/18/2005 Exactly one month since I last updated this site. So much has happened. I hope the Holidays were nice for everyone. I had a very special Holiday season, myself. Unfortunately, Reggie White is no longer with us. The former Packers great passed away on December 26. As a Packers fan, this was very sad news to receive. Reggie was always a positive influence in so many communities he was associated with. He represented true class within the Packers organization. Been performing a lot of shows lately. Hopefully I'll be able to see you all out at one of the upcoming shows that Luna Sea will be performing. Speaking of Luna Sea, the band has a new website that has finally been published a couple of days ago. It's still a work in progress, but does have all the details regarding Luna Sea and the band's performances. Check out the site at http://www.lunaseaband.com and don't forget to join Luna Sea's email list. As always, thanks for visiting my little corner of cyber space. I appreciate your time! -Eric Althaus
|
Current Project News |
Luna
Sea is actually going to undergo a name change in the near future. The band will
continue to perform some shows under the Luna Sea moniker, but since bassist Ray
Probst's departure last year because of his wife's terminal condition, it seems
like a completely different band with
Been
a busy month since the last update. I did finally receive the rest of my custom
Sabian cymbals directly from the
I've
come to a decision on my new drum set. I know what brand, color, options, etc. I
plan to order. I'll keep the details secret for now until I go ahead and order
it. The downside is that I'm not going to realistically be ordering it until
next year. We're coming into the Holiday Season shortly, and I obviously have
other priorities and obligations with the family, so spending that kind of money
right now isn't going to happen. But I HAVE started picking up some of the
necessary hardware I'll need when I am ready to place the order. Among the
recent things acquired are DW9000 single pedals and DW9000 remote cable hi-hats.
Since I currently use the DW9000 double pedals and other 9000 series hardware
from DW on my standard club kit (purple fade Yamaha kit), I decided I'll be
sticking with the same pedal models since I'm so used to them. PLUS, I got a
GREAT discount on them from an online drum shop that's going out of business and
liquidating their entire inventory (
I
hope you had a happy Easter! My family traveled out west to Montana to spend the
holiday with relatives. My aunt has been having some serious health issues, and
the timing was right to make the trip out. Pretty much all of my immediate
family from my mother's side of the family were there. Some cousins were absent,
but they have their own extended family obligations...so be it. Its always good
to see my grandma, aunts, uncles, and the cousins that were there. It was a rare
and special event! Here is a picture of 4 generations!
The
highlight of the trip [I suppose] was the new addition to our family...our new
puppy Bella! My grandma breeds and raises dogs, and had some 7 week olds that
were just cute as hell. Of course, the kids kept bugging me throughout the
entire weekend - "Daddy? Can we have a puppy?" [insert the daughterly batting of
the puppy-dog eyes here] After hundreds of times of them asking, I finally came
up with [what I thought] would be the perfect way to say no without actually
being the bad guy..."If your mother lets me get a new drum set, you can bring
the puppy home". I was SO clever! There's no way on earth that my wife will go
for this, I thought to myself.
Well, to make a long story short, we have the new
puppy, my parents also brought one home, and there WILL be a new drum set
ordered shortly! 
In band
news, my schedule has been rapidly filling up with Spring and Summer club and
festival dates around the Midwest area of the country. These shows are with
Of course, in
the midst of all the hoopla, I ended up losing my cell phone at the place. Just
one month to go before the end of my two-year contract. Timing sucks, but my
wife and I are looking into all the companies out there now, and having fun
checking out all the new gadgets available from each. Of course, this reminds me
[because I currently have Cingular, and they sponsor AI], how about the voice of
that chick on
American Idol
- LaKisha Jones? What a
singer! I've been a huge Aretha fan for most of my life, and THIS young lady
reminds me of Aretha
Franklin, and simply has
"IT" - whatever "IT" is. I would rank the opportunity to play drums for either
of these women in my Top 10 'dream gigs'...just for the inspiration factor
alone.
Last
Friday night, 
This
coming Friday night (Feb 16th), is my first performance with the band
On the music
front, I have decided to leave The Bad Animals - A Tribute To Heart. This has
been an amicable and open-door parting of ways. The bottom line for me is my
available time. While continuing to work with
I
must apologize for the long delay between updates. So many things just compound
during this time of year, and my blatant self-promotion site here (*chuckles*)
has had to take a backseat for a while. It's been all I can do to update the
performance dates and add a couple of blog entries on the
My daughters seemed to enjoy
the green room area (backstage), with the stocked fridge and endless hallways.
At this stage of the game, it's kind of cliché to make the "Hello Cleveland"
reference from Spinal Tap, but I'll tell you what - it absolutely happened last
Saturday night! After figuring out which doors led to the back alley, kitchen,
orchestra pit, etc. I finally came upon the "blue elevator", as my youngest
called it. The elevator was lit up by a bright blue light, and that just
happened to lead directly up to backstage right. From there, you just walk
around the corner, through the curtain labyrinth, and you're on the stage! ;-)
Now, as much as a
self-absorbing individual like me LOVES to hear from people that enjoy what I
do, I have to admit that I'm truly humbled to know that what I do can have this
type of impact. I remain deeply indebted to all of you that have (and continue
to) supported my career along the way. I sincerely wish to thank you all!
More exciting updates to
follow, and I'm going to post an entire page of recent pictures, so please keep
checking back often! But for now, just click on the thumb nail images to the
right. These pictures are just me (pretty much), but I'll post some full band
shots as soon as I get them ready. Also, I have to mention
Last evening (Saturday) I
performed with my friends in
Well, this past few weeks has
been pretty hectic. My family took a trip to Chicago for a week. I got to meet
my wife's grandmother for the first time, so that was cool. We left on my wife's
birthday, so I'm sad to report that she kind of got screwed out of a nice
celebration. But she did get to see her grandmother, whom she hasn't seen since
before we started dating 16 years ago. And the trip was her idea, so she did get
what she wanted. Of course we made it out to several of the attractions -
Shedd Aquarium, Field Museum
(where we saw the
King Tut
treasures exhibit (for the
second time - the first was in Milwaukee a year or so ago), etc. But of all the
cool things to do and places to see...what did the kids want to do? Go to China
Town, that's what! So we spent an afternoon in China Town, and I got to see (and
even hold) a genuine Hanzo sword. Very nice, indeed.
As always, thanks for visiting
and your support! Don't forget to order your tickets for the Bad Animals @ the
Well,
Halloween was a blast this year.
Luna Sea played for a huge party (pictures
can be seen on the
Halloween is
rapidly approaching, and I couldn't be any more excited! It's the time of year
when you don't get questioned for burying things in the yard. ;-)
Luna Sea will
be playing the weekend leading up to Halloween, but I'll still have plenty of
opportunities to celebrate this year. The kids and I have been busy with all the
decorations around the house. We have tons of severed limbs, blood, guts, and
characters everywhere. It's a beautiful site to behold! Next up: visiting all
the local haunted houses, mazes, and trails!!!
Finally
some new pictures to show you. I
know it took forever, but here you can see my new drum set. More pictures can be
seen at Luna Sea's website -
The following day, I performed with the
Mindy
Gunn Band in Algona Iowa at the
2005 Iowa
A.B.A.T.E. Freedom Festival. We went on stage around 9:30 pm and
opened for the evening's headliner CROW. The
following evening, Great White headlined and
the parties were a plenty. We played before an audience around 20,000 strong.
Here is a picture that my wife took from the side of the stage while we were
playing. Again, more audience photos are available for viewing at
Famed photographer
Terry Orr, from
Easy Riders Magazine, (and who happens to be pictured in front of
my drums in the above photo) was on hand to take
pictures, and he made it a point to capture my drumstick in mid-air as I juggled
them around. When I got off stage, he showed me some of what he had taken with
his digital camera, and it all looked pretty darn cool!
Of
course, it was great to hang around with the other artists that were on the
bill. It was a party environment all the way, yet everyone was respectful of
each other. All the musicians just sat around and 'talked shop' without a hint
of a competitive vibe from anyone. That was one major difference I noticed right
away from playing with rock & roll musicians versus playing in the prog
genre...no competition, or attempts to show anyone up. This was a concept all
new to me, but I welcome it whole heartedly! ;-) And if it keeps me in front of
crowds like this, then all the better. More festivals are in the works as I
write this. I'll keep you posted as I hear the news. Here you can see me with CROW
drummer Norm Steffen. Norm
is one of the best drummers I've seen recently, and one hell of a nice guy, as
well! If you get the chance to check him out - DO SO! I also got to hang out
with Dave Wagner - CROW's lead singer who
was inducted into the Minnesota Rock & Roll Hall of
Fame earlier this year. Check CROW out
at 
I've been so busy since my last
update. Lots of shows with Luna
Sea, and just lots of work coming my way in
general. Right off the bat, though, I'd like to thank everyone that sent along
birthday wishes. I'm not all that excited about being another year older, but I
appreciate your sentiments just the same.
It's
always fun when I show up to a gig and find a die-hard, rabid
Equinox Fan! This
guy is wearing the original T-shirt and matching hat that were printed up for
our 1995 tour. Wow! Ten years ago already. Ho Hum...my
how time flies.