9/25/2006
Eubanks, Clarkson making music
By: David Monroe , City Editor
Aben Eubanks remembers what first motivated him to be a musician.
"My dad gave me a Beatles record, and it changed my life," he said. "I was 3."
That record was "Live at the Hollywood Bowl." Now Eubanks is 33 and playing in a band with multiplatinum artist Kelly Clarkson, and he actually lives near the Hollywood Bowl.
He hasn't played at the famous venue yet, but every time he sees it, it brings back memories. Even as a boy, he knew he loved music, and he was going to do what it took to make it a career.
"You never know you're going to do it," he said, "but I've always been in the mindset that one way or another, I'm going to make it happen."
Eubanks remembers holding a guitar as far back as he can remember standing up - even if, for a while, he just made noise with it.
When he was 7 and living in Dallas, Texas, his father, Vic, bought him a guitar, and within a year he was playing in front of other students at school. He got his first electric guitar at 12, and "that's when things kind of took off," he said.
When he was 10, his father moved to Greenwood. Vic Eubanks was lead singer and rhythm guitarist for the Blue South Band, a group with a big following in Greenwood.
From then until Aben was 15, he spent summers with his father in Mississippi. Then he moved to Greenwood to immerse himself in the music.
He began working with Charles Hall at his studio and even gave lessons to others. He says Hall was a great mentor to him during this time. "I can't say enough good things about Charles," he said.
Music has been a big part of life for the Eubanks family. Vic Eubanks' brother played with him in the Blue South Band, and his father, Eddie, was a musician who once opened for Elvis Presley. Others in the family also had similar talents.
Aben tried to soak up as much knowledge as he could. He was influenced by Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai and others, but one artist and band stood above the rest: "John Lennon and the Beatles - that was everything for me."
But he also picked up a lot from his own family. His grandfather and uncle taught him about guitar playing, and his father taught him about songs. He remembers sitting back in the woods in Coila as his grandfather demonstrated his country picking technique. At the time, young Aben was more interested in emulating Van Halen, but he said watching his grandfather's skill was "mind-blowing."
Vic Eubanks said guitar playing came naturally to his son - and Aben knew he was good at it.
"He was doing things with a guitar at an early age that were just unbelievable," Vic said. "It takes years and years to play guitar like that."
Aben became so focused on music that he lost interest in other activities. Sometimes his father would drop him off at school and hear later from the principal that he had left.
He knew where Aben was - playing guitar with friends.
"I used to try to get him to go out on weekends," Vic Eubanks said. "He never went out. He stayed in the back room playing guitar and learning guitar."
After moving to Greenwood, Aben attended East Elementary and then Greenwood High School. The interest in music was consuming him - "it was way more interesting than social studies" - and he could see his future taking shape. So he dropped out.
Eventually, he did earn a GED certificate, but at that time, he saw a chance to make money doing something he loved.
As a teen, Aben spent a lot of time on the road with his father's band, and sometimes he would join them on stage. At the age of 14, he played with them when they opened for Tammy Wynette.
"We toured everywhere - Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana," Vic Eubanks said. "And when we could, we'd take Aben with us."
Aben still carries his grandfather's influence, and his father noticed this in one performance with Clarkson in Dallas a few weeks ago. At one point, Aben moved up front with Clarkson and the band's other guitarist, and he was playing in the same style his grandfather used.
Eubanks hooked up with Clarkson last year when he was playing in the Graham Colton Band, which toured with her for about a year. The "American Idol" winner liked his style, and about six months ago, she asked him to join her band.
The two have written about 15 songs together, and they have collaborated with the band's other guitarist on several more.
Clarkson's next CD is due to be finished in December and likely to be released in March. The band probably will make the rounds on the late-night television shows in January. In March, after about a month of rehearsals, they will kick off their worldwide tour with a live concert for HBO at Wembley Stadium in London.
Eubanks said he enjoys working with Clarkson. Even with all her success, she is still down-to-earth and generous and maintains a good sense of humor, he said. More people are lining up to work with her, but she likes the chemistry of her band. She also does her best to accommodate the autograph seekers who approach her everywhere. "She's really one of the coolest people in general that I've ever met," he said.
Eubanks is attracting the attention of some big-name people as well. Recently, the band performed in Washington, D.C., for an event titled Grammys on the Hill. They showcased a song that Clarkson, Eubanks and the band's other guitarist had written.
While there, Eubanks met such musical heavyweights as Desmond Child, who wrote hit songs for Aerosmith and others, and Jimmy Jam, who produced some big hits for Janet Jackson.
"As soon as I got off stage, Desmond wanted my phone number and my name," Eubanks said.
In fact, many publishers have expressed interest in signing him to a contract. But with a famous singer already recording his songs, he's not ready to do that yet.
It's a good thing Eubanks enjoys his work, because the schedule can be hectic.
Recently, he headed to California to work with Clarkson on some songs, and then 18 hours later, a producer asked him to fly to Texas to play guitar for another singer's recording. So he made the trip, played his part and returned.
Soon, he will be playing guitar on a recording by Lucy Hale, a former winner of the "American Juniors" television show.
As for how long the upcoming tour with Clarkson will last, Eubanks said, "this last one went two years, so there's no telling."
Her last tour included Europe, Asia and Australia, and some South American dates might be added this time.
For Eubanks, the hardest part is not being able to see his family. His daughters, 10-year-old Ayla and 8-year-old Aera, who live in Texas with their mother, did get to travel with the band for a while this summer.
"Kelly loves them, and they got to have a big time," he said.
Fortunately, he can afford to fly them out every so often and spend time with them. "I talk to them a lot, and everything's good," he said. "They understand that it's a busy time."
He is determined to visit Greenwood for Christmas but doesn't think he'll make it here sooner.
It's hard to schedule any family time because he seldom knows where he will be. "We just have to see him when we can," Vic Eubanks said.
Vic Eubanks knows it's difficult to break into the music business. He struggled with it for more than 20 years, and his father took a long time to make his mark, too.
"The doors are locked everywhere," he said. "If you don't have an inside contact, you're out of luck."
But it's exciting for him to see his son reap rewards for his work.
"It's almost mind-boggling, because it just doesn't happen every day," he said. "And I know how hard it is."
Aben says he's just doing what he was meant to do.
Performing with a nationally known singer is a bonus, but "I would be doing this regardless on some level," he said.
www.zwire.com/site/news.c...4621&rfi=6
new cd in march?
and maybe the rumor is true about getting a nod for BOY for the grammys and she wants to wait till there over?
