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LL: I understand you’re living in New York (USA) now. How did that come about, and how
is it for a blues musician?

ET: I moved to New York in 1998 and I have been here ever since. When you come to a city like
this where you don’t know anybody, you feel like you ain’t got a friend in the world. This city will
chew you up and spit you out. It was only when I was hired to work on the radio that I claimed

my place here. It could have gone a very different direction.
LL: Let’s talk about your new release “Early Times and The High Rollers: The Corner”. What
was your inspiration, your process, and your vision for this album?

ET: I started writing songs and I could see a storyline taking shape from one tune to the other
and I decided to go with it and essentially tell a story through the album. I had never written an
album in this way before, but I am happy with how it came out.
My intent was to make an album that didn’t sound like anybody else. I am very committed to being
original. I also tried to put a lot of guitar on the record without the guitar being the centerpiece.
I believe the songs should hold up on their own with or without a lot of solos and guitar
showmanship. When I do play a solo, I try to play in a manner that shows seasoning and taste and
not approach it from a self-centered perspective.

In the end, I wanted to create an album that would stand out from the crowd and yet be accessible
and entertaining to the audience. I licensed the album through my label Dealers Choice Records
to Vizztone Records who then released it. They are really great to work with. Brat Girl Media has
done my publicity. I’m grateful for the work all these people have done to help me see my vision
come to light.

LL: What your favorite track, or two on “The Corner”, and why please?

ET: That one is too difficult to answer. Each song has meaning to me and then they also fit into
the whole overall concept of the album. I can say that there are no tracks that are filler. I put the
same care into each song and recording as the next one. I think that has been verified by the fact
that so many different tunes on the album have gotten airplay.

LL: Please tell us about “The High Rollers”; all the musicians who played on the album.
How did you and your producer Jay Messina collaborate?

ET: I have been working with
the guys in the High Rollers
for a long time. They include
Dan Schnapp on keyboards,
Joshua Keitt on drums,
Hardan Long-Johnson on
bass, and I had Popa Chubby
appear as a special guest on
a tune.

The producer was Jay
Messina who is best know as
a recording engineer. He
recorded many classic
albums by Aerosmith, Kiss,
Cheap Trick, Miles Davis, and
more. He’s been one of the best in the business for the past 50 years and I decided to list him as