Today we’d like to introduce you to Eric Potapenko.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Eric. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My music journey started pretty early with my rendition of “Do It Again” by Steely Dan when I was two years old for my parents living room entertainment. My version consisted of me yelling, “Jack, Jack…” into the microphone, among many other incoherent words. Music was always around me, especially from my family. Hearing my mom playing vinyl records in her office of Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” to America’s “Greatest Hits” gave me my love of Motown, RnB, Pop while my dad would play classic rock records like Grand Funk, Led Zeppelin, and The Doobie Brothers. My aunt would always blast all sorts of different hits from different eras in her car, so many of my favorite songs came from her car rides. My brother played classical piano, so I even took a stab at that because I wanted to be like him. Even my grandfather played the bagpipes starting at 65 years old! Years later, he would teach it to his fellow police officers. However, my life changed when I heard my dad playing “Engines of Creation” by Joe Satriani in the basement. For some reason, THAT record of all classic Satriani records was the one to make me want to play guitar. Something about synth and guitar crossover that stroke a note with me.
My dad showed me two notes, and I couldn’t play them for the life of me. I started to cry. I was ten years old, but I will take that as being so passionate, it hurt! It hurt so bad, and I wanted to keep trying. Once I had gotten over the basics’ hurdles, I never let the guitar down. I remember getting up before school to practice, then come back home and do the same thing. I was hooked for life. My dad taught me everything he thought he could to help me and became my rock to cultivate my skills and more. After a year or so, he thought it would be best to find another teacher for me. So, I took lessons from Cleveland’s very own Neil Zaza for a couple of years. Neil taught me some of the best foundational techniques that are a massive part of my playing to this day. I was very fortunate to have great mentors who encouraged me from day one.
From seventh grade on, I resorted to books, videos, and records to push myself as far as I could go musically. I started a band in 8th grade and wanted to be the next Dream Theater. I found band members from other school districts to compete in the annual High School Rock Off competition. My band won in 2007 as an all-instrumental progressive rock band. One of my favorite memories was being in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame accepting the award. My band continued to make a few albums and play shows and opened for many acts while we were all still in high school, including Dream Theater.
After college, I got into songwriting and wanting to be an artist. Singing my songs was something I wanted to do. I remember the Beatles and Muse were resonating with me at the time. I remember going to see Muse live and thinking, “Yeah, I want to do that!”. So after a few years of doing that, I started playing for other artists as a sideman and started growing aspiration to being a session musician. I was really into Paul Jackson Jr., Steve Lukather, Brent Mason, so I figured that was where my interests were heading. I started playing and learning from all the great musicians this city had to offer. Slowly, I gigged all over town, playing anything from RnB to gospel. I owe so much to Cleveland musicians for pushing me to get me where I am today. I did the wedding band circuit to help play and sing a wide range of songs for long periods. I figured any gig was an excellent gig to become as versatile as possible. Nothing like putting in the time!
After a couple of years of working in Cleveland, I decided moving out to Los Angeles was the best move. I loved playing guitar, but I also loved producing records and composing for film/tv shows. I figured Los Angeles was the right place to start for that. I moved in with my brother, who had been living out here for a few years already. I started hitting the scene right away, trying to play for whoever needed a guitarist while working a part-time job at Apple. It was slow for a while, but then I got a call from James Agnew, the musical director of an artist named Ledisi. They were looking for a guitarist to go on her next tour, and I jumped at the opportunity. I learned so much on that tour. She is a real artist who keeps you on your toes! I was forever grateful to play with her, which helped prepare me for many other opportunities. Following Ledisi, I worked with Jade Novah, A. Chal, Lizzo, and Stephen Puth before the pandemic hit.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
It has not been smooth, but anything you truly want in life is never easy to obtain. I think the biggest struggles are knowing that you can do everything right in this business and still not have a seat at the table. Unfortunately, many things in this line of work is out of your control. However, the way you handle yourself through those times you can’t control make the difference. I think it is really important to stay focused on what you really want and enjoy the process all the way. Just keep going!
Can you give our readers some background on your music?
I play guitar for most projects, but I produce and compose music as well. My goals are to musical direct for touring artists and produce more songs for other artists/singers.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
Due to the pandemic, I have had a lot of time to work on three things that I have been wanting to put out: An instrumental guitar album, a pop album, and a portfolio of film/tv/artist productions. Maybe a dog at some point? A guy can dream, right?
Contact Info:
- Website: www.ericpotapenko.com
- Phone: 440-668-8917
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/ericpotapenko
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/ericpotapenko
Image Credit:
Ron T. Young, Gaby Mena, Amber Simpson
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