Eric Craig

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Eric Craig
Eric Craig performing live Los Angeles, 1997
Eric Craig performing live Los Angeles, 1997
Background information
Birth name Eric Michael Craig
Born December 17, 1970 (1970-12-17) (age 37)
Origin Chelan, Washington, United States
Genre(s) Alternative rock
Occupation(s) songwriter, guitarist, musician, vocalist
Instrument(s) guitar
Label(s) Interscope, Revolution Records, Lakeshore Records, Dreamworks Records

Eric Michael Craig (born December 17, 1970 in Chelan, Washington) is an American musician, best known as a founding member and chief songwriter of Seattle, Washington based power-pop band The Cunninghams (Revolution Records/Warner Bros. Records).

Contents

[edit] History

The Cunninghams debut album, Zeroed Out was released May 20, 1997 and was produced by Don Gilmore (Linkin Park, Dashboard Confessional, Lit, Pearl Jam) and mixed by Tom Lord-Alge. The single, Bottle Rockets debuted as the 3rd most added song at rock and alternative radio, behind only Collective Soul and The Wallflowers. The band toured behind the album opening up for Matchbox Twenty, Cheap Trick, INXS, and Third Eye Blind. The accompanying music video for the Bottle Rockets single, directed by Nigel Dick (Oasis, Third Eye Blind, Matchbox Twenty) caught airplay on MTV’s 120 Minutes and was added to regular rotation on M2. The band performed on MTV’s Road Rules with Third Eye Blind, as well as on MTV variety show Oddville, in addition to having several tracks used on MTV’s Road Rules and The Real World. By the end of 1997 the band had appeared on CNN’s Showbiz Tonight, performed with Blur on Rockline, live at KNDD’s Endfest in Seattle, Wa. with headliners such as Offspring, Candlebox, Radiohead, Matchbox Twenty and at St. Louis’s Pointfest with headliners such as Cheap Trick, and Beck.

By 1998 the band parted ways with vocalist Seven Pearson and brought in Vancouver writer and vocalist Wenzel Templeton, formerly of the band The Daisy Chain. The newly fronted band wrote, recorded, and produced new music for Revolution Records only to learn that while the band was recovering from turmoil, the label was just entering into it. Label-head Irving Azoff began cleaning house, gutting the staff and most of the artists. The band re-named themselves Boy Girl Radio and proceeded to headline shows in Seattle and showcase in Los Angeles at The Opium Den, Roxy, and The Viper Room in search of a new label home. Upon returning from Los Angeles empty handed, Wenzel Templeton returned to Vancouver and the band called it quits.

In 1999 Craig relocated to Los Angeles and took a position within Dreamworks Records marketing department headed by legendary Warner Bros. Records marketing executive Steven Baker. From 1999 to 2000, Craig worked with artists such as Lifehouse, Eels, Henry Rollins, Nelly Furtado, Elton John, Elliott Smith, A.F.I. and Rufus Wainwright.


In 2001 Craig met writer and vocalist John Heintz, formerly of the band Farmer (Aware Records). The pair rounded out the line-up with drummer Eliot Freed (formerly of The Cunninghams), keyboardist Jamie Bennett and bassist Rodney Mollura, formerly of the band Sonichrome (Capitol Records) and called themselves The Blue Mondays. The newly formed group was quickly courted by several major labels and signed by legendary executive Jimmy Iovine at Interscope Records. Soon after signing, the band discovered that a name change was imminent, as a copyright could not be obtained for The Blue Mondays. They settled on a new name; Daysleeper. By the end of 2002 the band had wrote some 75 songs and headed into the studio with producer Ron Aniello (Lifehouse, Days Of The New, Guster) to produce their debut album, Every Waking Moment. Upon completion the album was mixed by Randy Staub (Metallica, Nickleback) and delivered to Interscope. After months of discussion in regard to the sound of the album, the band executed a clause in their contract and departed Interscope before the album would be released. Shortly after, Craig appeared as a performing member of Dreamworks Records recording artists Soul Kid #1.


In the spring of 2003 Craig retired from music professionally and accepted a position with Lakeshore Records and Lakeshore Entertainment as Director of A&R and in-house music supervisor. Summer 2005 Wenzel Templeton and Eric Craig completed a new track, Miss Disinformation Junkie under Wenzel Templeton’s moniker Zero The Antistar that can be heard on the associated MySpace page.

[edit] Filmography

[edit] Discography

Artist albums

Soundtracks

2005 Grammy nominee - Best Compilation Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media

2006 Grammy nominee - Best Compilation Soundtrack Album For Motion Picture, Television Or Other Visual Media

[edit] External links

[edit] Sources