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LL: Please tell us about your first band, your first recordings and such.

ET: I joined my first band when I was 14 and in the 9th grade. We played classic rock and roll and
R&B- Chuck Berry, The Kinks, Eddie Cochran. That music was all before my time, but I had heard it

because my parents had a lot of 45rpm records around when I was a kid, and I was always listening
to music.

The great thing about that band was that we played parties and dances and I was getting
professional experience at a very young age. I played in that band until around the time I graduated
from high school.

LL: What about playing in other bands?

ET: After the first band I was in, I was in various other local bands and began to start writing
songs. I started doing demos at studios around town and getting some recording experience.

I got to a point where I had a vision for having a band that would play my original music. I wanted
drums, bass, and 2 saxophone players. I was determined to have a sound that none of the other area
bands had, and my band definitely achieved that. I found the guys I wanted and started hustling to
get gigs. That was the beginning of the Early Times

band.

That band released our first CD called “Society of the
Misunderstood” and it was rated as Best Local CD in
the local music paper.

LL: I understand you’ve spent some time in

London. How did that come about and what was it
like?

ET: After I recorded my first album and before it was
released, I was having a bit of an emotional
breakdown. I was probably dealing with the residue
of a very troubled childhood. I cancelled all my shows

and bought a plane ticket to London where I didn’t
know anybody or have any connections. All I took
with me was a backpack with a small guitar amp and an extra set of clothes, and an electric guitar.

From the airport I took a train into Victoria Station in London and a guy approached me to ask if I
was looking for a place to stay. He was working for a hotel called the Palace Court and he was
trying to drum up business. I told him I had no money and, noticing that I had a guitar on my

shoulder, he said that the hotel had a bar with a stage and that maybe I could perform there in
exchange for a place to sleep.

I went to the hotel straight from the train station and auditioned for the manager who gave me a
gig that night in exchange for a bed. The first gig went well, and I ended up staying for 3 months
and never once had to pay for accommodation. I put a band together with an English bass player, an
Australian tenor saxophonist, and a drummer from New Zealand. We were playing blues, rock, and

some jazz. The hotel even began to pay me and make sure I was fed.