I could have the big professionally written bio here, but why don't I tell you firsthand who I am....

After a few years as a kid tinkering around on the keyboard, my mother mentioned there was a guitar sitting in my dad's closet. I pulled it out and there was an instant connection. I took lessons from the start. (Thank you Marlyn Warner for quickly instilling a love of improvising!) Right before I was about to enter Jr. High and play in the jazz band, we found out our school system was dropping their jazz programs. Thankfully my parents decided to take a stand and ran a petition to keep them going. Everything worked out and so began a long stint of playing jazz through college.

Between school, jazz bands, and then playing on cruise ships, I've been able to sound like just about anyone I've had to - from Freddie Green to Santana to Clapton. While I still love playing all of those popular tunes, I've always had that hunger to just be me and figure out what Eric Astor sounds like.

I moved to Los Angeles to answer that question, and it's been a learning process. From keeping the bills paid to dealing with the infamous "flakes" you quickly realize that the only way your dreams are going to come true is if you take them into your own hands, stand on your own two feet, and work your ass off.

More than four years later, I've been fortunate to work around and with some of the best musicians in the world, and realize that step one is to just go for it. It's been an awesome experience getting this first album together, and I have a lot of friends and family to thank for that (read the CD liner notes people!) I'm looking forward to getting back out on the stage and letting my own sound be heard. See you there!