West Richland’s Eric Herman to release new family music album, play hometown shows in June

When Eric Herman picked up a guitar at age 13, something clicked.

He’d tried piano lessons, but they didn’t really take. Guitar, on the other hand, was a different story.

“You didn’t have to tell me to go practice. I’d be locked in my room playing for five hours straight,” he said. “I wanted to be the next Van Halen.”

And years later, he is — at least to a particular demographic.

Herman, 46, of West Richland, is a wildly popular family music performer, with a new album set for release June 10.

He created the album, called Bubble Wrap, with backing band the Thunder Puppies. And he’s proud of the result.

The record is a lot of fun, he said — filled with humor, with feeling. With songs to make kids giggle, to help them through hard times.

“I think it’s very broad, thematically,” Herman said.

He and the band will celebrate the release with two free shows in the Tri-Cities this month. They’re at 11 a.m. June 11 at the Mid-Columbia Libraries branch at 1620 S. Union St., Kennewick; and at 2 p.m. June 14 at the HAPO Community Stage at John Dam Plaza in Richland.

The Richland show will be filmed.

Dave Pettey, part of the Thunder Puppies and co-producer of Bubble Wrap, promises a good time for audience members of all ages.

“It’s music that kids enjoy, but adults also like,” he said. “When we play a show, the parents often will come up to us and say, ‘We weren’t expecting to like the music as much as we did.’”

Along with Pettey, the band includes Ben Macy, Chris Baugh and Javier Ruiz.

Herman hails from New York and ended up settling in the Tri-Cities because of his wife, Roseann, a Richland native.

Her parents were leaving for a yearlong mission trip and needed help with their house.

Eric and Roseann, who were living back east, saw it as the chance for him to pursue his burgeoning family music career.

It paid off. With Bubble Wrap, Herman will have eight albums to his name, plus a DVD, awards and a sizable fan base.

He likes that family music gives him the chance to dabble in multiple styles.

“Kids don’t have a (music) bias like adults do. You hit age 14, and you’re like, ‘I listen to punk,’ or ‘I listen to country. This is my thing,’ ” he said. “With kids, their family might listen to hip-hop or country or whatever, but they’re open to whatever entertains them.”

That versatility is on display with Bubble Wrap, which shifts nimbly from pop to rock to blues and more.

On the titular song, Herman sings about an addiction to bubble wrap taking over.

“I should be doing homework now, but it’s pop, pop pop. I could ride my bike, but it’s pop, pop, pop,” the song goes.

On Where’s Saturday?, he sings about those “Monday morning blues” that have kids dreaming of the swimming pool instead of being back at school.

On later tracks, he waxes on everything from dreaded baths (Take a Bath) to overcoming stage fright (Everybody’s Watching).

For Herman, one track is especially meaningful. It’s called Okay, and it’s about a child dealing with the loss of a parent.

“You tried so hard to keep us all safe and warm. You did the best you could, it’s all good,” he sings. “We would come to your room, through every thunderstorm, and I’d heard you softly say, ‘It’s okay.’”

The music came out of a band practice, and Herman struggled to figure out the story he’d tell with the lyrics.

He only had the line, “You did the best you could, it’s all good.”

Then, his wife, Roseann — who was his close collaborator, acting as band manager and helping write songs and create videos — died in 2013 after an illness.

He couldn’t sleep, and the words flowed.

“All of a sudden, I’m realizing that this is a kid whose parent has died or is dying of an illness. ‘You did the best you could, it’s all good.’ That was for her, and for me,” he said.

Eric and Roseann’s two daughters, Becca, 13, and Evee, 11, are becoming a growing part of Herman’s act — introducing him and taking part in some songs.

They’re full of talent and always end up charming the crowd, their dad said.

Herman said he looks forward to the Tri-City shows celebrating Bubble Wrap.

He and the band will play new songs, and they have some fun gags up their sleeves, he said.

He’s happy with the album, and he thinks Roseann would be, too.

A true musical partner, she might have had an idea for a tweak or two, but “I think she would love this album,” he said.

“For me, that’s the magic of music,” he said. “I do think there’s something there, that we have — still — some connection through music.”

For more information on Herman’s music, or to buy the album, go to www.erichermanmusic.com.

This story was originally published June 5, 2016 at 7:31 PM with the headline "West Richland’s Eric Herman to release new family music album, play hometown shows in June."