#365 Count Eric C. Hughes- Drummer, Educator, Bandleader and More!
This weeks guest is Count Eric C. Hughes. Eric C Hughes is a Houston-based drummer and performer. He is the full-time drummer for The Repeat Offenders, The High Roller, McLemore Avenue as well as several other projects. Eric grew up in New Hampshire and has his BA in Music from Plymouth State University and his MM in Studio Music & Jazz from the University of Miami (FL). He doesn't let the paperwork get in the way of the groove. Eric moved to Texas in 2001 where he quickly worked his way into the local music scenes in both Austin and Houston. Over the last 21 years Eric has worked with some of the biggest names in Texas music and been on several tours of the US and overseas. You can find a list of artists Eric has performed with below. Eric was the Drum Set Committee Chairman for the Percussive Arts Society from 2011-2021. Still an active member of PAS, he is serving as Chair Advisor for the committee.
Happy Birthday!
Happy Birthday to Victor Pablo! Victor Pablo Garcia Gaetan comes from a musical family from San Juan, Puerto Rico. At an early age, his father Victor Garcia - a pianist/composer - taught him his first rhythms: Puerto Rican plena on panderos, martillo on bongo, marcha on conga, cascara and campaneo on timbales, and songo on drumset.
In New York City Victor Pablo performs in Broadway pits, chamber concerts, jazz jams, salsa gigs, singer-songwriter shows, bombazos, plenazos, and is a member of contemporary percussion quartet Mobius Percussion, bomba/jazz group Fernando García Band, the TM Street Band, and is co-music director/composer/drummer for People of Earth.
Victor is a versatile freelancer in the New York City music scene. Percussionist for Public Work’s Hercules and, he’s worked as timpanist for the Radio City Christmas Spectacular featuring The Rockettes since 2016. VP often works in other Broadway and Off-Broadway shows such as Beetlejuice, The Lion King, On Your Feet!, TINA, Cirque Du Soleil: Paramour, Pacific Overtures, Invisible Thread (Witness Uganda), Flaco Navaja’s Evolution of a Sonero, Fuerza Bruta NYC.
He appears in recordings of Gilberto Santa Rosa, Victor García & La Sonora Sanjuanera, Fernando García, TM Street Band, Albert Sánchez, to name a few, and he can be seen in shows like Mozart In The Jungle, America’s Got Talent, and Especial Banco Popular De Puerto Rico Para El Mundo. He’s performed with artists like Arturo O’Farrill, Los Pleneros de la 21, Andy Montañez, Ismael Miranda, NG2, Michael Stuart, DLG, Frankie Negrón, Cita Rodríguez, Nestor Torres, Dayramir González, La Sonora Sanjuanera, Wordless Music Orchestra, Itai Kriss, La Mecánica Popular, Flaco Navaja, Nina Rodríguez, Redobles de Cultura, La 95 Salsa Orchestra, Orchestra of the Americas, Delaware Symphony, Symphony In C, Philadelphia Orchestra Percussion Group, Sõ Percussion.
At age 7 he studied with veteran drummer and educator Tony Sánchez, who taught him music theory as well. Later on his family moves over a town to Carolina where he studied with David Marcano at Escuela de Bellas Artes before enrolling at Escuela Libre de Música de San Juan. There he studied classical and popular music with Diana Valdés, Fermín Segarra, Mariano Morales, who also taught harmony. During the time he was also a student of Tito De Gracia, and Rolando Morales-Matos who is a dear mentor and friend. Victor later attends Temple University where he earns his BM and MM in Classical Percussion studying with Alan Abel, Chris Deviney, Glenn Steele, and Don Liuzzi.
Happy BIrthday to Terreon “Tank” Gully! Grammy winning, musician extraordinaire, Terreon Gully is one of the most influential artists of his generation. Widely recognized for his creativity, versatility and authenticity, Terreon is in high demand. His innovative and distinct sound has inspired artists such as Dianne Reeves, Christian McBride, Stefon Harris as well as John Beasley’s Monk’estra to make him a member of their bands.
Terreon has mastered a variety of musical genres. He performs, tours and records extensively with a variety of artists. From jazz legends and modern masters to the hottest hip hop icons, Terreon has worked with the best: Kurt Elling, David Sanborn, Nicholas Payton, Kenny Barron, the Stones Project, Sting, Keyon Harrold, Queen Latifa, Yerba Buena, Charlie Hunter, Abbey Lincoln, Joe Locke, Marc Cary, Russell Gunn, Lizz Wright, Dee Dee Bridgewater, Maria Schneider Big Band, Jacky Terrasson, Eldar, Me’Shell NdegeOcello, Lauryn Hill, Pharoahe Monch, Mos Def, and Common as well as a host of other artists. In addition to live performances, Terreon is also known for his exceptional work in the studio, producing and recording for CDs, films, and commercials; including his first solo project “TANKTIFIED”.
Gig Alerts
The Dead Ahead Festival is taking place from January 12th-15th in Rivera Cancun, Mexico.
The Ground Up Festival is taking place from February 2nd-4th in Miami Beach, Florida. A couple friends of the show, Weedie Braimah and Nate Wood will be participating and the percussion section of Snarky Puppy can include Nate Werth, Marcelo Woloski and/or Keita Ogawa.
Damon will be participating in the Montreal Day of Percussion, which is part of “The Space Between”. This will be at McGill University (QC) on January 25-27, 2024. Similar to the previous gathering, this event will feature lectures, demonstrations, performances, and research posters. Organized in collaboration with the Quebec Chapter of the Percussive Arts Society/Day of Percussion 2024 (shout-out to the chapter president/friend of the show, Shawn Mativetsky), this event is open to all percussionists from Canada and abroad. Thanks to a SSHRC Partnership Development Grant (PDG), this event will be free of charge to all participants. The Space Between 2024 will bring together perspectives from both research-creation (i.e., new works for percussion, different approaches to performance) and percussion-focused research (i.e., examining percussionists’ gestures, analyzing percussion acoustics). We aim to explore the “space between” these typically siloed efforts, to build new connections and benefit from a wider range of perspectives and expertise related to the ever-growing world of percussion.
This event will be held through a partnership with the Québec chapter of the Percussive Arts Society Jan 25-26. The Québec Day of Percussion will take place January 27th (info for that event can be found at: DAY OF PERCUSSION. Tickets are AVAILABLE HERE. Other friends of the show that will be participating that weekend are Payton MacDonald and Andrea Venet.
Educational Spotlight
There are several dates and locations for upcoming Percussive Arts Society’s Day of Percussion.
Whitewater, WI January 13th
Shanandoah, VA on February 25th
Columbia, MO on April 13th
Danbury, CT on April 28th
Fresno, CA on May 4th
WGI has released its winter indoor drumline schedule.
Iconic Recording
The iconic recording for the week is “Be My Baby” by The Ronettes. The legendary Hal Blaine was on drums. You can read more about this song and session HERE.
Music News
How much does Spotify pay artists under its new royalty policies? Here’s what Spotify has to say about it. TL/DR $0.003 per stream. So if you get 1,000 streams you will earn $3. If you get 1,000,000 streams you will earn $3,000. -Article
You can learn more about how to earn from and work with the platform that is Spotify by checking out Charles Alexander’s masterclass.
Over the years, more than a few music fans have asked, “Why are some songs greyed out on Spotify?” Here’s a quick look at answers to the common question as well as potential solutions. -Article
Damon recommends two books to help get your business and money right for the new year. How to Make it in the New Music Business is by friend of the show, Ari Herstand.
Eric C. Hughes Interview
The song leading into the interview is “Women Just Wanna Dance” by The Repeat Offenders.
Eric talks about how he got the title of Count and you can buy yourself one too!
Eric was the chair of the Drumset committee for the Percussive Arts Society.
Shout-out to friend of the show Juels Thomas, John DeChristopher, and Samuel Dinkins III.
Eric talks about how he helped move the drumset committee forward with the help of (friend of the show) Joshua Simonds.
Shout-out to PASIC.
Eric mentions Larnell Lewis’ drum clinic at PASIC.
Eric and Damon talk about active listening vs. passive listening.
Damon mentions the different variations of “Country Music” that he talked about with friend of the show, Josh Kiggans.
Eric even talks about writing and reading charts.
Damon mentions the movie Immediate Family.
Shout-out to Leland Sklar.
Eric went to Plymouth State University for his bachelors degree. He went to the University of Miami for his masters degree. He was in school at U of M with friends of the show, Matt Hankle and Brendan Buckley.
He moved to Austin to be with his sister. He worked at Mars Music for a while.
Eric talks about moving to a new town and getting work.
After Eric had experience teaching at his alma mater, Plymouth State University, he was able to use those skills later when he was living in Texas to teach at Wharton County Junior College.
Eric talks about his band, The Repeat Offenders.
Eric mentions his Cheap Trick tribute band, The High Roller.
Eric talks about transitioning from working a full time job (and bartending) and playing music to just making money from music and other music related endeavors.
Eric talks about searching for jobs on the TMEA website.
Eric picks the iconic recording for the week and explains why.
Eric uses DW Drums, Sabian Cymbals, Vic Firth Sticks and Mallets, Cympad Cymbal Washers, ProLogix Practice Pads, and Remo Drumheads.
You can follow Eric on his Website, Facebook, or Instagram. Check out The Repeat Offenders as well!
Shout-out to Dr. Bill Gibson, Dr. Bill Dougherty, Stephen Rucker, and Dave Elitch.
The song leading out of the interview is “Me Gusta” performed by McLemore Avenue from the ‘926 East’ album.
