People of Rochester - Eric

Eric and I were students at SUNY Geneseo, and we met when he joined the rock band, Hoover, in which I was the lead singer. Eric was Hoover’s guitar player, and we played covers by Led Zeppelin, Cream, The Who, Grand Funk Railroad, The Rolling Stones, and more. Years later, we played together in one iteration of another rock band, Fresh Air. We were roommates for awhile, too.

We seldom see each other in person these days, but we’re connected on Facebook. When we worked and/or lived together, our lives revolved around music, and music is still a big part of Eric’s life. When I met with him recently, he told me that he’s played in 30 different bands. Part of the reason I wanted to talk to Eric is that when he’s not playing gigs in a band, he drives for Uber and Lyft, and I was curious about his experience as a driver and as a working musician during the pandemic.

He’s currently working with two bands, Ruby Shooz, a “Classic 50's and 60's Rock n Roll Show Band,” and Blood Sugar Sex Magik, a Red Hot Chili Peppers tribute band. Ruby Shooz is a show band that had been working 7-8 times per month, but when the pandemic was in full swing, gigs dried up to once or twice a month. And Eric confirmed what I figured: neither the band nor the audience wore masks, or practiced social distancing, during any of these performances.

Though Eric was vaccinated, he caught covid during a Ruby Shooz tour in Ohio, last summer. “We all came back with it,” he said. Just after the band returned to Rochester, two of the band members landed in the hospital with covid, and they called Eric to let him know. At that point, he wasn’t feeling sick, but he got tested and he was positive for covid. He said that his covid experience “was like a bad cold.”

He joined Blood Sugar Sex Magik after seeing an ad posted by three musicians who were looking for a guitar-player-vocalist who would be interested in joining a Red Hot Chili Peppers tribute band. Eric loves the Chili Peppers. Their music and guitar playing is “unlike anything that’s out there,” he said. It’s all about “groove.” Chili Peppers is a funk band and Eric has always loved funk music.

Eric had been driving for Uber for almost two years before the pandemic hit. At first, he said, “I didn't even think about it... I wasn’t being affected, and I didn't think I could be affected.” During that time, he didn't wear a mask.

Later, he learned he was eligible for the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program (FPUC). He took advantage of the FPUC and stopped working for five months or so, playing it safe until he was no longer able to receive benefits and then reluctantly returned to driving.

Uber requires that their drivers wear a mask now, so when Eric picks up passengers, he’s wearing a mask. Half of his customers don’t wear masks, or they approach his car wearing masks and then ask if they can remove their masks. He doesn’t protest.

He says his busiest nights for driving are Friday and Saturday, when he’s picking up college kids and driving them to night clubs, many on Alexander Street. The lines to these night clubs are way out the door, and no one is wearing a mask. “It’s like the NYS Fair,” he said. “And if there’s a line outside, it’s packed inside.”

But Eric’s had covid and three shots, so he’s living his life as if there is no pandemic, which means wearing a mask when it’s required, but otherwise doing what he’s always done: going to movies, eating out in restaurants, and playing rock and roll.