Eric Blackwood (musician)

Eric Blackwood (born as Eric Pastore) is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist and musician with the progressive rock band Edison's Children. He is also an author, photographer, webmaster, special effects technician and property technician, and has been an honorary member of the Marillion touring crew since 2005.[1]

Eric Blackwood
Blackwood at the 2013 Marillion Weekend in Port Zelande
Background information
Birth nameEric Pastore
Born (1968-07-24) 24 July 1968
Brooklyn, New York, United States
Genres
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, musician, author, special fx technician, property technician, photographer
InstrumentsVocals, guitar, keyboards, drums
Years active1982–present
LabelsRandom Disturbance Records, Wreckords Records, Racket Records, Thunder Bay Press, Baker & Taylor
Associated actsEdison's Children, Crimson Steele, Sunblister, Blackwood & Foti, Marillion
Websitewww.edisonschildren.com, www.digitalballparks.com

Early life

Blackwood was born in Brooklyn, New York, on 24 July 1968, the youngest of four siblings. He was raised in the Great Kills neighborhood of Staten Island, and graduated from New Dorp High School in 1986.[2] Among his siblings are musician Sonny Pastore (of the band The Reluctant Reasons) and actor Garry Pastore. He's also the cousin of actor Vincent Pastore.

Career

Blackwood and Pete Trewavas (of Marillion and Transatlantic) first formed the progressive rock duo Edison's Children in 2008, and recorded the album In The Last Waking Moments..., released on 11 November 2011, by Random Disturbance Records, and distributed in Europe by Marillion's Racket Records. It spawned the U.S commercial radio Top 40 hit "A Million Miles Away (I Wish I Had A Time Machine)" on the FMQB Hot A/C Commercial Radio Charts on 18 September 2012, and remaining in the Top 40 for ten straight weeks, returning to its peak position at number 32 on 12 October 2012.[3] In 2013 they released a second album, The Final Breath Before November, featuring drummer Henry Rogers. Rick Armstrong, the son of Neil Armstrong, joined Edison's Children as a synth guitarist, lead guitarist and bassist in Montreal in 2011. He stayed on as a permanent member, finishing up their third album, Somewhere Between Here and There, which included new mixes by King Crimson's Jakko Jakszyk of songs from The Final Breath Before November.

The song "At Night", penned during Blackwood's previous effort Blackwood and Foti and remixed by the band Closenuf, has received an Official Grammy Ballot Placement.[4]

Blackwood collaborated with Trewavas on more than a hundred songs for films and for Edison's Children between 2008 and 2012, but stopped recording and performing in 2013 after an injury he suffered while working on James Gandolfini's final film left him disabled. He also contracted Lyme disease, for which he was treated with intravenous therapy for over a year. Edison's Children has been on hiatus ever since, though Armstrong is working with Edison's Children's back catalog for future releases.

Blackwood is the webmaster and photographer of the website Digitalballparks.com,[5] and has authored and photographed for the top-selling book 500 Ballparks (Thunder Bay Press, Baker & Taylor)[6] with his wife, photographer Wendy Farrell.

Discography
  • Somewhere Between Here and There (Edison's Children's 3rd Album)
  • The Final Breath Before November (Edison's Children's 2nd Album)
  • In The Last Waking Moments... (Edison's Children's 1st Album, including "The Making Of In The Last Waking Moments...")
  • A Million Miles Away (I Wish I Had A Time Machine) (EP Single featuring 4 new Edison's Children songs)
  • In The Last Waking Moments (Single EP)
  • DeStressed – Soundtrack from the movie
  • Growing Down in Brooklyn – Soundtrack from the movie
  • Sunblister – Simantik
  • Sunblister – Sunblister (Self titled debut)
  • Blackwood and Foti – Haunted Memories

Feature films

As a special effects technician, on-set property technician and/or set dresser unless otherwise specified:[7]

Television

As a special effects technician, on-set property technician and/or set dresser unless otherwise specified:[7]

Consultant

Music Director
  • DeStressed[7]
  • Growing Down in Brooklyn[7]

References
  1. Blackwood appears as such in the credits on Marillion's CDs and DVDs of "Their Montreal Weekend Concert Series" in 2009, 2011 and March 2013
  2. "Alumni Directory: Mr. Eric J. Pastore". New Dorp High School. Retrieved 18 November 2019.
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 15 December 2010. Retrieved 11 December 2010.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. "Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals" (PDF). Closenuf.netfirms.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
  5. http://www.digitalballparks.com
  6. "Product Search – Thunder Bay Press". Thunderbaybooks.com. Archived from the original on 26 August 2012. Retrieved 23 September 2012.
  7. https://www.imdb.com/name/nm2424711/
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