“A really, really solid effort for a debut record.” ~ Lin Brehmer, WXRT Radio
Greatest Hitch was created over a span of fifteen years, which, in rock and roll…is a lifetime. Here now is the culmination of a lifetime in music, which also happens to be Eric Howell’s first full-length album.
Greatest Hitch! Vol One features some of Chicago’s greatest time-tested musicians (Mike Zelenko/Material Issue, Steve Gillis/Filter) as well as the midwest’s tragically unsung musical heroes. Power Pop becomes Americana becomes psychedelia until it turns into its own beast as tracks 1 to 12 play out like a greatest hits career retrospective, only this record is the definitive debut.
“This is by far the best release of the year. And I hear a LOT of music.” ~ Chris Wissmann, Nitelife Magazine
Included with the album is a DVD independent feature “rockumentary”, a film called Beneath The Music: The Story of Greatest Hitch!. Presented as a parody of VH-1 classic ‘Behind The Music’ program, Beneath The Music was entirely produced by Eric Howell and features interviews from the musicians who played on the album (some who can’t recall what songs they actually played on, or even what instruments they played so long ago), as well as testimonials from respected TV and radio personalities, and of course, Howell himself weighs in on what it takes to make a life in music and to attempt a masterpiece right out of the gate.
The DVD ‘Special Features’ include two music videos of songs not officially on the album, and each menu screen features nifty rough mixes and early alternate takes of songs off Greatest Hitch. Note: The movie is only available in hard copy form with purchase of the physical CD package.
Coming soon: Greatest Hitch! Vol Two!