Biography
Quite simply, Eric & Magill is Ryan Weber and Eric Osterman, two rather accomplished musicians, long time friends, and travelers. Together they create cosmic soundscapes from separate corners of the world, often enlisting a supporting cast of notable contemporaries and friends. With little more than Wi-Fi and laptops, they’ve developed a collaborative relationship across time zones and continents. There was a time however, when they weren’t so far apart.
Originally from Milwaukee, they first played together in Camden, an indie favorite with shoegaze flavor. After only a handful of EPs and one stellar full-length – the gorgeous Reel Time Canvas, produced by Chris Walla (Death Cab for Cutie) – they disbanded while on the brink of bigger things. After they disbanded, Osterman followed his heart to Michigan and Weber enlisted Camden alum William Seidel to form the indie-folk outfit Decibully while moonlighting with The Promise Ring. The two friends drifted apart as you do when life happens, but not so far that they couldn’t easily fall in with each other again.
In 2007, Weber took up a teaching post in Armenia for a year; it was in this faraway place where he began the initial sketches of a new project. Reaching out to Osterman was a natural step; writing together again was a matter of exchanging tracks over email. Taking the concept one step further, they invited myriad friends to participate, including members of Shearwater, Dirty Projectors, Owen and a slew of hometown heroes like Maritime, Hey Mercedes, and The Championship. The resulting record, All Those I Know, is a dream-pop composition marked at times by lush reverb and at others, by delicate folk melodies. Released first as a free download in the late winter of 2010, it was pressed in limited-edition vinyl (Ten Atoms) the following summer.
Forever traveling, in 2011 Weber joined the Peace Corps in Kenya while Osterman relocated to Brooklyn. Apart from the inherent challenges of place, little had changed in their creative process. Still the laptops, the Internet connection, the revolving cast of musicians - this time including (amongst others) members of The Delgados, Snailhouse, and Faunts. Night Singers builds on the framework of All Those I Know, building upon the band's hallmark vocals flush with reverb. The end result is an album full of glittering, hushed moments juxtaposed against electro-pop gems.
The coming year will see the release of Night Singers (April) proceeded by an EP, the aptly titled Two Travelers (February). And further travel. Weber returns from Kenya and Osterman has his eye on the Midwest. At the core Eric & Magill are two individuals, but who they are collectively is a reflection of their travels, their relationships and the connectivity of this great spinning world.
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