Eric Drew Feldman

Eric Drew Feldman

American keyboardist and bassist
Date of Birth: 16.04.1955
Country: USA

Content:
  1. Early Life and Career with Captain Beefheart
  2. Collaborations with Pere Ubu and The Residents
  3. Involvement with Pixies and Frank Black
  4. Collaborations with PJ Harvey and Other Artists
  5. Continued Collaborations and Live Performances

Early Life and Career with Captain Beefheart

Born Eric Drew Feldman on April 16, 1955, in Los Angeles, California, Feldman established himself as a skilled keyboardist before joining Captain Beefheart's Magic Band in 1976, where he also played bass. Like the other band members, Feldman awaited musical ideas from the experimental musician Beefheart, who might deliver them on cassette or simply in a notebook. Once the instrumental parts were ready, the band performed them as composed by their vocalist and frontman. Feldman stated, "I've never had a problem with that. I felt like I was getting great dictations from one of the best there was, especially if it was for me. I guess you could compare that to being a model in a fashion show who's given a really beautiful dress to wear."

Feldman worked on three of Beefheart's prominent late-1970s and early-1980s albums, which turned out to be the last of Beefheart's career: 1978's Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller), 1980's Doc at the Radar Station, and 1982's Ice Cream for Crow.

Collaborations with Pere Ubu and The Residents

After collaborating with avant-garde music and multimedia art collective The Residents in the early 1980s, Feldman replaced keyboardist Allen Ravenstine in the experimental rock group Pere Ubu in 1988. He contributed to the recording of their 1991 album Worlds in Collision.

Involvement with Pixies and Frank Black

Feldman met Black Francis of the alternative rock band Pixies in 1991 when Pere Ubu opened for Pixies on tour. Feldman played keyboards on Pixies' fourth album, Trompe le Monde, and toured with the band. Following the band's split, Feldman assisted Black Francis on his solo albums Frank Black (1993) and Teenager of the Year (1994).

Collaborations with PJ Harvey and Other Artists

Feldman then joined forces with rising British alternative singer PJ Harvey, contributing to her studio albums To Bring You My Love (1995), Is This Desire? (1998), White Chalk (2007), and the collaborative album A Woman a Man Walked By (2009) with John Parish. Feldman also regularly toured with Harvey's band. His own group kNIFE & fORK opened for Harvey on tour.

While touring with Black Francis in Australia, Feldman became acquainted with members of the band Custard. He recorded two albums with them in the United States: Wisenheimer (1995) and We Have the Technology (1997). In 1998, he produced the Dallas band Tripping Daisy's third studio album, Jesus Hits Like the Atom Bomb. Later, in 2004, Feldman produced the album Together We're Heavy by the unusual 24-piece pop-rock choir and symphony band The Polyphonic Spree, which included three former members of Tripping Daisy. He also produced the album Revival by Brooklyn-based singer-songwriter Reid Paley in 2000.

Continued Collaborations and Live Performances

Throughout the 1990s, Feldman continued to tour sporadically with Frank Black and the Catholics and worked with the band in the studio on their albums Dog in the Sand (2000); Black Letter Days and Devil's Workshop, both released in 2002; and Show Me Your Tears (2003). He also produced an unreleased Frank Black and the Catholics album titled Sunday Sunny Mill Valley Groove Day. On April 25, 2008, Feldman performed live with Black Francis at the San Francisco International Film Festival at the Castro Theatre. In 2009, Feldman co-produced and played on Francis' 2010 album NonStopErotik.

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