I started my musical journey in high school in 1993. Do the math. It’s hard to put into perspective these lengths of time that we dedicate towards the things we love. My great friend Eric Lawrance started the journey with me. We nurtured a band, called the Black Dog Blues Band, with my twin brother, Jeff, in the "padded cell" garage next door, which turned into Time Flies, which turned into Bullmoose. We toured all over Canada, made records, played some unforgettable shows with incredible bands and for amazing people. Everything has a lifespan. After our second record, we put the band to rest. But we knew we would play together again. When I moved back here from Montreal, we said we should do a night of Neil Young music, which we dubbed The Night is Young. 11 years later, we are still at it playing in what is now Young Petty Stones aka YPS. Why stop? Eric will be here with that band on June 7, June 21 and July 19! Contact The Cove for reservations.

Seamus Cowan: I think I might know the answer to this, but I’m not 100% sure how you started playing music. I know that your uncle Jim was an influence but who taught you your first licks?

Eric Lawrance: Yes, Jim was a big influence on me, especially when I was first starting out as a guitarist. He always encouraged me, gave me advice and pointers, and was very relatable to me as a musician.

When I was a kid my parents took my brother and I to the Blue Skies Music Festival in Clarendon. My first real musical memories are of falling asleep on a grassy hill listening to live folk musicians. I was taken by the fiddles in the square-dancing band and convinced my parents to get me a violin. I played from about age 6-12; I had two different teachers who tried (in futile fashion) to convince me to practice.

When I was a teenager, my brother began taking guitar lessons. I had developed a taste for classic rock and blues style music, and the combination of being inspired by this guitar-based music, and my brothers’ own progress led me to learn some chords from the back of his Mel Bay lesson book. From there I began learning tunes by ear or from tablature, but never really had a guitar teacher. Playing with other musicians was probably my biggest opportunity for learning, and that would have started primarily with you and Jeff!

In my 30’s I took up the pedal steel and again learned primarily on my own. By this time there were more resources on the internet to help learn an instrument, and pedal steel teachers are hard to come by. I did have a pretty good foundation of musical experience to build on by then which certainly helped a bit.

I will say that I don't really recommend being self-taught to someone starting out on an instrument. I am sure that I could have progressed much more quickly and learned many lessons sooner had I been guided methodically by an experienced teacher. I’m certain I left a lot on the table musically due to circumstance and stubbornness. On the other hand, musical persistence has paid me back in many fantastic ways, so I guess there are many roads that can lead to a destination.

Q: You are like a brother to me and we have experienced so much together in life and music! Together, we created a band and brought our own influences to the table. Who would you say are some of the artists that most influence and impress you now?

Honestly, my knowledge of and connection to new music today is low to say the least. I find I am still inspired by many of the same artists that I always have been. The classic rock and blues music that got me interested in playing in the first place. Slide guitarists like Robert Johnson, Duane Allman, Sonny Landreth and Johnny Winter have always been favourites for me, and I am glad that artists like Derek Trucks and Ariel Posen are continuing the slide guitar traditions and making them fresh again.

The artist who has inspired and touched me the most over the years is probably Chris Whitley. His raw, visceral lyrics and unique guitar playing still set the bar for me in terms of music as a personal expression.

Having taken up pedal steel, I find that my knowledge of country music has grown a bit more recently, and I am impressed and inspired by artists in that genre that I may have passed over when I was younger. I have been a fan of Paul Franklin since first seeing him play pedal steel with Dire Straits in the 90’s. I continue to enjoy discovering his work with Alan Jackson, George Strait, Vince Gill, and most recently with Chris Stapleton. Paul is a true icon to a genre and to an instrument, for good reason.

Q: Living in Montreal and playing pedal steel, he was scouted by Quebec pop star Roch Voisine to be in his band. During the cross, Quebec and France would have been quite a trip! Can you tell us a little bit about that experience being in that group?

Eric: I was very fortunate to have had the opportunity to do almost 100 shows with Roch Voisine as a part of a the “Americana - 10 Years Tour.” I met bandleader J.S. Baciu while playing at a country music festival in Magog, and about 6 months later he called asking if I was interested in a pedal steel/multi-instrumentalist gig. Of course I said yes!

The tour was delayed by nearly a year by covid, but finally in May 2021, we got together for our first rehearsals. I will never forget how nervous I was the first rehearsal day – meeting the outstanding band, meeting Roch(!), playing through new arrangements of songs, working in French, singing harmonies with Roch(!) all while filming a promo video and meeting the press – I felt like a bit of an imposter, but I had done my homework, and was determined to bring my own style to the roll, and I did. The team was fairly small, and close knit and I was welcomed by everyone from the start.

The touring was fantastic. We played theatre shows all over Quebec with amazing crowds and amazing sound. The band was pared down for theatre shows, and didn’t include a drummer, meaning there was a ton of sonic space for each instrument and the voices. Everyone had a big role to play every night which kept the pressure and the fulfillment high!

In the summers, we played a number of outdoor festivals (with drums re-added) in front of some of the biggest crowds I have ever played for. There is nothing like playing loud and loose, outdoors on a summer night with a sea of people in front of you!!

In 2023, we took the show to Europe and played about 30 shows over the course of 2 tours. For these tours we lived mostly on a tour bus and travelled all over France with several stops in Luxembourg, Switzerland and Belgium as well. I can’t express how blessed I feel to have gotten to explore Europe in this way. We used our days off to see some of the amazing sights, and on show days I got a lesson on how devoted the European Roch Voisine fans are!

It was truly an opportunity of a lifetime to be a part of that band and team.

Q: I have always loved your writing. You have a definite sound. Messing with tunings back in the day, people like Chris Whitley had interesting influence on your tunes. We were very fortunate recently to get into The Tragically Hip’s Bathhouse studio to record some of our tunes as YPS. Sure, things have changed over the years but how do you approach writing now?

Eric: I don’t think that a lot has changed in how I approach writing songs. I still find it is a struggle and could benefit from the refinement that more practice would bring!

My process has always been similar; I try to come up with a lick or chord change or melody or lyric that I like and then let it expand as organically as possible by playing it or humming in my head or whatever. I love letting lyrics come out of my subconscious naturally, so sometimes I will sing parts that I have no lyrics for and see what comes out. I like lyrics that not only have meaning, but that sound good in their place in the song.

Usually once the framework is done, I have to grind out the remaining lyrics or parts by brute force. At that point I often leave it to “rest” and come back later to edit until I feel like it is fully cooked. I don’t know if it is a good process, but it has produced some songs that I am proud of, so I stick with it.

Q: We don’t play together much anymore, but when we do, it really means a lot. We have so much fun channeling the music of Young, Petty and The Stones. Where do you see things going with the group? Is there a place that you would like to see us go down the road?

Eric: I certainly enjoy playing with YPS. To play with you and Rob and Jason and to put our own spin on these classic tunes that we all love is a treat. As far as moving forward, I just hope that whatever we do, we will follow up on our recent recording sessions and add a bit of music of our own. Given the logistical challenges of a long-distance band, the gears may move slowly, but I hope we keep them going! Posted: Jun 2, 2025