Eric Himan

 GRACEFULLY by Award-Winning nationally touring artist, Eric Himan, brings the songwriter/acoustic guitarist to a brand new place: the piano bench.  After releasing and selling his music (over 40,000 cds sold independently) through his record label, Thumbcrown Records, licensing original music to MTV, E!, and heavy rotation on satellite radio (SiriusXM’s The Coffeehouse), Eric delivers his latest, GRACEFULLY, his most ambitious album to date. Well known for writing and performing on the acoustic guitar, GRACEFULLY is the first full album written and recorded with Eric on piano. A horn section, a new element in his recordings, was brought in and arranged by saxophonist, Ryan Tedder, with Dave Johnson on trumpet. This album has one last feature: the album was fully funded through his listeners via the crowd-sourcing website, PledgeMusic. Eric was able to bring in some heavy hitters such as drummer, Brandon Holder (current drummer for Leon Russell) and bassist Matt Hayes (Jacob Fred Jazz Odessey, Wayne Newton) thanks to the support of his many generous listeners. This album was recorded in Eric’s hometown of Tulsa, OK by Rockwell Ripperger (of the platinum selling band, Stephen Speaks) and Brandon Holder, mixed by Ripperger, and mastered by the grammy-award winning Chris Bellman (Alanis Morissette, Ani DiFranco, Katy Perry) at Bernie Grundman Mastering in Los Angeles, CA.  A collection of songs gathered throughout the past three years, GRACEFULLY holds elements of pop, soul, rock, R&B, and even a bit of a latin feel with its entrance, RED HOT TEARS. WAITING FOR THUNDER inspired by the story of Malala Yousafzai, the 14 year old Pakistani student who was shot by the Taliban for promoting girls’ education, brings the rock genre into light on GRACEFULLY. Other highlights of the album are the gospel tinged, HOW CAN YOU SLEEP?, bringing back the horn section for a swinging tale of love on its way out, the pop-driven-perfect-for-a-sunday-morning, EVERYTHING TO YOU, and the title track, GRACEFULLY, a tribute to Eric’s grandmother, Grace, who raised Eric with his grandfather and father. Grace who passed away last Fall at the age of 97, led a full life of motherhood, a careers in photography, and at one time, a colorist for DC Comics in the 1930′s. Smiling from the cover art of this new record, Grace gives the stamp of approval for the grandson she encouraged artistically as Eric puts it ” to live life like you taught me, GRACEFULLY”.

• http://www.erichiman.com