Album Notes

Eric Mire Band: Spooky Love

Spooky Love is the product of several eclectic musicians coming together under the leadership of singer-songwriter and producer Eric Mire. The sound is a seamless blend of hip-hop, folk, jazz & gospel.

Spooky Love is the third album released by Hyperdrive Motivator Productions, a Milwaukee based record label founded by Eric Mire and Melissa Czarnik in 2007. Like Mire’s first self-titled album, Spooky Love also continues to fulfill HMP’s mission of delivering conscious and original music to its listeners. The defining difference however, between Spooky Love and the label’s preceding albums, is that this one is composed of one-hundred percent organic instrumentation.

The Eric Mire band is comprised of five experienced musicians, including front man Eric Mire, a classically trained composer, singer, songwriter, emcee, and guitar player. The band germinated from Mire’s relationship with keyboardist and bass player, Maurice Cotton at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music where both musicians are instructors. This relationship quickly brought in drummer, Terence Pettigrew, conga player, Don Bradshaw & saxophone player Brad Bloom, whom Mire met studying composition at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. The group’s chemistry was an immediate match, and in less then a year’s time they recorded and produced, Spooky Love.

Eric Mire’s righteous indignation is the foundation for the content of Spooky Love. Mire’s lyrics will lead the listener on a roller coaster of ups and downs. At one point Mire will go from singing “swallow your sorrows and let’s fix our tomorrow,” to rapping “Time, time, time again, you wanna try and win, you’ll do anything, even cheat a friend.”

The Eric Mire Band is an acoustic ensemble reminiscent of Ani Difranco, Paul Simon, and The Roots. Its influences span from gospel and jazz to folk and hip-hop. This album was recorded on the heals of Melissa Czarnik’s acclaimed hip-hop cd, Strawberry Cadillac, which continues to be recognized both nationally and abroad. Most of the musicians on Strawberry Cadillac are also part of The Eric Mire Band. Besides playing out and performing Mire’s original compositions, the band as also acts as the backing instrumentation for Melissa Czarnik’s live show.