by Kristin Ciccone

Just think of Eric Krasno as a sponge. A big giant music absorbing sponge that miraculously gives back more than it actually absorbs. After spending an evening with the talented guitarist from the band Soulive, who is currently tearing up the jam bands music scene, it is easy to see that he is soaking up all New York City has to offer, and giving back to his fans what they love most: his ever growing talent and love for music.

Catching up with Eric is no easy feat. After watching him in action, it is more than easy to see why. Starting off as his brother's studio (where he was working on a track for a friend), then continuing on to catch the Derek Trucks show (sitting in on a few songs with the band), and capping off the evening by heading over with his buddy Derek to sit in with Butch Truck's newly signed band Schleigho (with the senior Trucks sitting in as well), it is evident that he is a man on the move. And more important he is loving every minute of it.

Talking to Eric about his early days with Lettuce, the formation of Soulive, his recent move to Brooklyn, and his many side projects, it is clear to see why people are immediately drawn to him both musically and as a person. Kraz, as he is known to just about anyone who has come into contact with him, is all about friends, music, and ways of combining the two. Growing up in a musically inclined family, Eric originally had little interest in music. Taking violin lessons at an early age turned out to be a negative experience for the young Eric Krasno.

"I had to sing along as I played, so I'd sing the words: I hate playing my violin, to the tune of the music" Kraz explains with an impish grin. However, left to his own devices he fell into music at the age of thirteen, after listening to his older brother Jeff, also a jazz musician, jam with friends in the basement of their Connecticut house. Originally starting with a bass guitar and switching to the acoustic guitar, the elder Krasno accompanied by their father, began teaching the basics to his little brother, and the rest, as they say, is history.

After clicking musically with fellow Lettuce band members during his early high school years at Berklee College of Music's summer program, and holding true to a promise to enroll two years later as full-time students, the band started up the project now known as Lettuce in 1994.

"We would go to places where other bands were playing, and were like, let us play, let us play," explains Kraz of the early years. From that meager start came the name Lettuce, which is as Eric clarifies, an ongoing project for all of them. "It was never meant to be a full-time gig like Soulive."

Studying with the legendary Yusef Lateef at Hampshire College, Kraz further flourished musically, and shortly before graduating met up with fellow Soulivers Neal and Alan Evans at a Karl Denson show. Friends through various music connections, the two Evans brothers, looking to start a new music venture, went to Kraz. Preoccupied with finishing school and Lettuce, Eric told the pair he would pass the word along that they were in need of a guitarist, not considering himself for the role. Fortunately for the droves of Soulive fans, the three eventually got together, and the end result of their very first jam session was the band's debut album "Get Down!". March celebrates Soulive's one year anniversary, and it can certainly be said the trio has met with resounding success. In addition to sharing the stage with established musicians such as Oteil Burbridge and John Scofield, they have also spent time touring (separately) with both the Derek Trucks band and Robben Ford. Covering a great deal of the country the band has cultivated a national following, and will be appearing in festivals throughout the country this upcoming summer. In addition to a planned US tour, the band is also one of but a few American artists that have been invited to perform at a music festival in Ghana, which has in the past included such talents as Stevie Wonder, Tina Turner and Dionne Warwick.

While Soulive is certainly the primary music focus for this young musician, it is by no means his only project. In addition to spending time at his brother's downtown studio, and sitting in with friends all over town, Eric also recently hosted a Sunday night jam session at a local East Village lounge. Billed as Eric Krasno and Friends, and marketed by the bar as Emancipated Grooves, perhaps the best indicator of the success of Eric's latest side project lies in the fact that there are almost as many musicians in the crowd as there are on stage. Spotted in the packed crowd of one show were members of Schleigho, Ulu, and the Derek Trucks band. The idea originated from past Boston days, where Kraz used to sit in on informal jam sessions with friends at a funky local jazz club called Wally's Café.

"Originally I was looking to join in on something like that when I first moved down here and couldn't find anything," explains Kraz of the Sunday night series, "and then I realized I could organize something like that myself."

The end result is a packed room of eager fans enjoying the creative energy of these hot jams sessions that have included: Oteil Burbridge (ABB, Oteil and the Peacemakers, Aquarium Rescue Unit), Adam Dietch (Lettuce, Average White Band), Jason Crosby (God Street Wine, Solar Circus, Freudian Slip), Alan Evans (Soulive), Jesse Gibbons (Schleigho), Fabio (Groove Collective), David Fiuczynski (Screaming Headless Torsos), Jeff Bhasker (Lettuce), Kofi Burbridge (Derek Trucks Band, Oteil and the Peacemakers), Kebbi Williams (Oteil and the Peacemakers) and Neal Evans (Soulive).

Watching Kraz all over the music scene, it is clear to see that he plays the role of fan with as much enthusiasm as he does musician. One can always catch him, smile on face as he watches his fellow musicians perform, and his reaction of awe after a particularly intense jam session? "I don't even know if should even play." Typically he takes a breath, and then steps it up, speaking to an expanding audience of music fans out there waiting for his next note.

For more information on Soulive visit the group's web site.