Singer-songwriter Eric Phelps estimates that he has written over 300 songs, which makes selecting material to include on an album a rather challenging process. Such was the case for the South Deerfield resident when it came time to record his new album “Let It Rain.”
“I wanted the best songs on the album, so I got together with several friends and we went through 100 songs and ranked them. Then I created a little scale called ‘ready for recording,’” said Phelps in a recent phone interview.
Phelps feels good about the fourteen songs that made it onto “Let It Rain” that released on all streaming platforms on Nov. 9. Phelps will celebrate the new release with a show at Hawks and Reed Performing Arts Center in Greenfield on Sunday, Nov. 13, at 3 p.m. Joining Phelps will be the stellar group of local musicians who appear on “Let it Rain” including singer Rani Arbo from Rani Arbo and Daisy Mayhem, singer-songwriter Seth Glier, drummer Joe Fitzpatrick, bassist Paul Kochanski, keyboard and horn player Brian Bender, guitarist Devin Griffiths and more.
“Let it Rain” is full of mature and nuanced songs, from full out rockers – like the guitar-heavy “Unchanged” – to folk ballads like “All That I Need,” written from the perspective of a child whose parents are divorcing. A stylistically varied work, Phelps also includes some blues tunes, rhythm and blues, as well as Americana music. These songs, which span a 15 year composition period, cover themes like love, loss and even life in New England. Phelps is a talented songwriter and singer whose voice brings to mind James Taylor.
“The first time someone pointed that out to me, I was probably in my mid-teens, and I didn’t know who James Taylor was,” Phelps said. “So I went to Tower Records and bought a James JT Taylor album. Only problem was James JT Taylor is a gospel singer, so I played the cassette and thought, ‘I’m not hearing it.’”
A friend ultimately set him straight and gave Phelps a copy of James Taylor’s Greatest Hits. He became a fan and even learned to play guitar by playing Taylor songs, but says now “I spent the next 20 years trying not to sound like him, because when you sound like someone else, people hear them and not you.”
Phelps grew up in Greenfield, and started singing and playing piano in his teens. He wrote his first song at the age of 15.
“I used to play piano at the St. James Episcopal Church,” Phelps recalled. “I had a key to the choir room and that’s where I’d play and write. That’s where I wrote some of my first songs.”
With the help of singer-songwriter Roger Salloom, who served as his manager, Phelps eventually started playing piano in bars and restaurants all over the Valley including the Serendipity Lounge in Greenfield. “I was trying to make it back then, but my songwriting wasn’t very good, and it wasn’t going anywhere,” he said. “I played a lot of covers too. I think I still owe Billy Joel and Elton John royalty checks,” Phelps added with a laugh.
The songwriting got better and Phelps even released a now out-of-print CD in 1990, but there was a point where he took a long break from writing. He spent fifteen years living in Georgia and immersed himself in other kinds of sounds, like experimental music. A move back to the Valley in the early 2000s would lead him back to songwriting.
“Falls from the heavens, released from the sky/Fill the lake of my heart that had once run dry/Storm blows in low and the sky cries high/Lightning never strikes in the same place twice,” are the opening lines from the song “Let it Rain,” which Phelps wrote fifteen years ago, six days after his son was born. It was the song that sparked his return to songwriting.
The songs were coming, but the time never seemed right to record any of them. Then COVID hit. “I had a COVID experience – I joined a songwriting group online and received some positive feedback as well as people asking if I had an album. This spurred him to begin work on a recording and what started as a solo project grew when Phelps wanted to add more to the songs.
He started talking to people about playing on the album, and much to his surprise they said yes. Devin Griffiths, who had played with Phelps in a band called River Rhapsody, agreed to play guitar. Joe Fitzpatrick (Gaslight Tinkers) had played a couple of tunes with Phelps at a gig once, and he was quick to sign on, and he suggested Paul Kochanski (Lori McKenna, Stompbox Trio) for bass. And on it went. Rob Peck and Brian Bender co-produced the album with Phelps.
There there’s Seth Glier and Rani Arbo. “Seth and I had known each other for a few years and developed a friendship, so I reached out and said ‘remember eight years ago you said if I ever needed somebody to play keyboards’ and he said ‘sure!’” Glier would be a major contributor to the album and found working with his friend to be a rewarding experience. “I have been delighted to watch him evolve and unfurl into a wonderful artist over the years.”
Arbo, who Phelps knew from having opened for her before. hasn’t done a lot of guest appearances on other people’s records, ended up lending her sweet smooth vocals to three tracks, including “Fare thee Well,” on which Glier also sings and together with Phelps creates some odd sound effects.
“I’m just amazed how many people said ‘yes’. It really surprises me,” said Phelps, who is in genuine awe of the talent that joined him on the project. “They have all been incredibly supportive and gracious. Their contributions brought it to a whole other level and helped make it the album that it is.”
While Phelps is happy with the album, he feels that due to the changing ways that people consume music it is unlikely that he will release a full-length project like this again. Like so many artists, he will focus on releasing individual songs. Phelps and Glier have written a song called “Before the War Came” about the effect that war has on people, and they will debut it at the show and later release it as single. Phelps has another song that he recorded at Glier’s studio that doesn’t fit in on this album but will also come out as a single next year.
He also plans to release a “Let it Rain” PDF that will feature the all the lyrics and detailed lists of musician credits so listeners will know who is playing what on each track. It will be like the insert one receives with a vinyl or CD release.
Getting this incredible group of musicians to sing and play on the album is impressive. Getting them together to perform live is an even bigger accomplishment, and one that Phelps has pulled off. Everyone who played on the album will be performing at this release show that Phelps began putting together back in May. It was no easy feat working around everyone’s busy schedules, which is why they scheduled a Sunday afternoon show. “I’m looking forward to the show on Sunday. I think it’s a real opportunity for the community of western Mass and beyond to hear his stories and genre weaving tunes,” said Glier.
“This material has never been played live with the whole group ever, and after Sunday I doubt it will ever happen again,” said Phelps of the show.
As for the future, “I’m not so much hankering to jump on a tour bus,” Phelps said. “I’m much more interested in the craft of writing. These musicians that I’m with, they keep saying ‘yes’ and they keep (asking) ‘what are we going to do next’ – and that is what’s exciting to me.”
Tickets are available at hawksandreed.com or at the door. Doors open at 2:30 p.m.
Sheryl Hunter is a freelance writer who resides in Easthampton. Her work has appeared in various regional and national publications. She can be reached at Soundslocal@yahoo.com.