MUSICIAN GIVES BACK WITH SOUL
March 7, 2008 (Hackensack, NJ) – He may only be known to
underground neo-soul music fans around the world, but to the students at
Hackensack Middle School he is nothing short of a superstar. A native of Hackensack, NJ and a product of
the city’s public school system, soul musician E. Bland volunteered his
afternoon on Friday, March 7, 2008 to give a private concert for over 300
students at his eighth grade alma mater.
The attending students were invited to the special event as a reward for
achieving academic honors in the preceding marking period.
E. Bland and his band performed for almost an hour, sharing a selection of his original tunes as well as a cover song by the late, great Ray Charles that had the entire crowd on their feet, dancing and singing along. Toward the end of the show, Bland invited two of the students to join him on stage as backup singers. The two girls happily agreed, and helped sing his song “Necessary” while proudly sporting their E. Bland “Soul” t-shirts and a pair of smiles.
It was inevitable that an auditorium full of seventh and eighth graders would enjoy a visit from a professional musician (from their hometown, nonetheless). The experience, however, touched many of them in ways that transcended the mere thrill of entertainment. One student wrote to Bland through his website saying, “You’ve set an example for me to do well … I know now that I need an education to get where I want and make it big. Thank you deeply.” Hackensack Middle School Principal, Andrea Oates-Parchment called the performance a “mountain-top experience” and spoke on behalf of the students, faculty and administration: “He is a positive role model for our students and he reinforces this message in his lyrics, which support love and family. We are especially thrilled that he wanted to give back to his community in such a unique way.” Regarding his impact on the students and staff in attendance, the humble artist simply stated, “This is why I do what I do.”
E. Bland is currently recording his sophomore album, entitled “Soulcentric” which is expected to hit stores this summer. His debut, “Just Me…” is currently available on iTunes and the CD can be purchased through his company’s website www.reelmusiclives.com. For more information and to hear his music, visit www.eblandsoul.com or join him on MySpace at www.myspace.com/ebland.
NEWSPAPER ARTICLE - 6/22/2007
NOTHING 'BLAND' ABOUT MUSICIAN
By Raymond Baldino
Staff Writer
Hackensack (NJ) artist E. Bland considers his musical style distinct from the music of the mainstream in one crucial respect: it's real. E. Bland's recently released album "Just Me..." was produced in that spirit, under the seal of his own record label, Reel Music. Most of the tracks on the 15-song album feature the artist's own recorded sounds, with the goal of creating a "live" feel.
E. Bland, who held a record release party last weekend at Mango's Restaurant, hopes to one day be famous, but not the conventional way.
"We're named Reel Music for a reason; the so-called music industry isn't even about music anymore. It's just about images and trends that aren't truly musical," he said. "When somebody samples some drums and calls himself a musician [for example] -- I can't stand that!"
E. Bland, otherwise known as Elijah to his friends who knew him growing up in Hackensack or from his college days at Assumption College (Worcester, MA) has been working hard to realize that dream. His album is titled "Just Me..." not just because of the personal lyrics and its attempt at self-portraiture. The title also refers to the fact that he produced and wrote the album largely by himself, under the title of the production company that he created. The young musician, who draws his closest influences from soul music, identifies with musicians such as Brian McKnight and admires the bygone Motown era. Although he'd been playing music and singing for years, he said the idea of being an aritst crept up on him from the background. As a full athletic and academic scholarship student at Assumption, his first dream was to play in the NBA.
Although he had the opportunity to play professional basketball in Europe after graduating college, Bland decided to work at a Boys & Girls Club in Worcester, and continue to develop his music. He got his start playing in talent shows and open mics, among other settings, and eventually composed his first album, "Just Me...".
Until only very recently Bland was living in Massachusetts. He decided to return to Hackensack to reconnect with his hometown community, the town where he first began playing piano, trombone, baritone and tuba. He has expressed a desire to be a role model for today's generation growing up in Hackensack, who may not always know about the opportunities available to them in life.
E. Bland, who always played music growing up but didn't study it formally until he minored in music in college, is a good candidate for the word "enterprising". He's been writing and producing music on his own and he plans to stay independent for good.