New Artist Spotlight: Eric Durrance

Eric Durrance has seen the highs and lows of the music business and after a time as the leader of the successful Christian band Big Dismal, he has returned home to his country music roots. In the process he got his label of nine years to join him in Nashville.

The course in which it takes an artist to get signed to a label can be a long, lonesome, arduous process and for many of them that process may even include having to do some things that you might not be wholeheartedly into. For Eric Durrance, the process to country music singer took a detour through New York’s Wind-up Records and with the Christian rock band Big Dismal.

Originally singed by Wind-Up as a solo artist, the Tallahassee, Florida native always loved country music but there wasn’t much of a chance to play country there so he played acoustic rock which morphed into the opportunity with Big Dismal. After three gigantic Christian chart hits, Durrance and Big Dismal went their separate ways and left Durrance wanting to go to Nashville, “I told them they should go to Nashville.” The label eventually agreed and has set-up shop in Music City with, no surprise, Durrance as the flagship solo artist.

In February of 2008, Wind-up released what sounded like a demo to iTunes. “Man, I was surprised,” Durrance says of the songs release, “Those songs were basic tracks I recorded at my house.” They are songs that weren’t ready for release but they do showcase the musical direction Durrance was heading in. When asked why he is now pursuing a country career he simply states, “It’s what I grew-up listening to,” and that “country music has come around to what I was doing.”

With the release of that EP, Wind-up took the unconventional route in getting Durrance’s name out there. When it came time to produce the record, Durrance and Wind-up chose the more traditional route with Teddy Gentry producing half of his record and Mark Bright producing the other half. The first single released to radio is the Craig Wiseman and Dallas Davidson co-write “Angels Fly Away.” While the theme of the song is similar to Emerson Drive’s “Moments,” it does present a different message. It’s a song that tells us to stay close and enjoy those that we hold dearest because ‘sometimes angels fly away.’

Eric Durrance is an artist who fits nicely within the diverse climate of mainstream country music right now. When asked what he gives country music, Eric says, “I hope I can give country music the somber, true-life songs.” Well, that is a part of country music that used to always be filled but is more or less forgotten in the days of rosy, sunny love songs.

With that one sentence, Eric Durrance shows that he’s ready for the country music big time and while his songs will be filled with thoroughly modern production, they are steeped in traditional country music values. Look for his debut album on Wind-Up Nashville to be released September 16, 2008.

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