Los Angeles, CA (Top40 Charts/ Charles R. Ecker Public Relations) "If there's a song for our times, "Bushwacked" (Bewildered, Beat-Up Bad and Broke) is it." That's the take from Charles Ecker, the song's composer responsible for the "Bushwacked" album now available on CD Baby and scheduled for distribution on digital partners iTunes, Amazon Mp3, e-Music and fifteen other digital download services world-wide.
"It's kind of like "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" in the 30s" says the leader of The C.R. Ecker Band. He adds that "Bushwacked" speaks for millions now experiencing the malaise of economic calamity, "sung simple and straight-forward, matter- of- fact, certainly not cute and with a shot of hope."
Ironically, Ecker notes "Bushwacked" was written in late 1991 when the slogan "It's the Economy, Stupid" became a rallying cry, influencing a Presidential election. "And I hope Americans, and others feeling the effects of our economic situation globally, continue to voice their frustrations and write their elected officials about what is going wrong. Now the ever-growing disenchanted have a song to rally behind to express their angst, no matter what their political persuasion might be!"
"There was no need to make changes to this song", says Ecker, because "Bushwacked" in its original form still tugs at millions upon millions - people either out of work, under-employed, hanging on to a job, sending out resumes to computers coded to recognize "key words" and not an applicant's character, trying to land freelance assignments, and who are just plain burning up gas and other expenses going to endless networking events. Count me among them!"
All the studio session members of The C.R. Ecker Band went their separate ways 20 years ago after "Bushwacked" was recorded as the final song on the sessions list. The band never performed as studio expenses drained the band leader's account. "So it's extra special, relates the Utica, New York native who moved to Los Angeles in 1984, that all the recordings are available for country music lovers, and others, to hear now."
All the 28 songs crafted by Ecker from 1985 to 1991 had been put in a cardboard box in a dark storage locker. Feeling down about the ominous ticking of the National Debt Clock and very mindful of the message of "Bushwacked," the last song he wrote, Ecker gathered together all his music then carefully transferred the stereo cassettes into PC files. Then he taught himself how to use the Social Media and discovered the new music digital download business. Much to his surprise: "All the songs were in superb, stereo condition!"
Among the other country songs on the "Bushwacked" compilation include the catchy "My White Collar" (Makes My Red Neck Itch), the playful "I Just Wanna' Meet Girls," the love re-affirming songs "Up on My Luck" and "Get on My Back," the soulful "I'm Thinking of an Old Friend Today" about the loss of a pet, and the Saturday night roadhouse rocker "Green Eyes. Three other songs, "One More Night with You," "Our Fence Needs Mendin'" and "When I Walked with You" are pleas to return to a long lost love.
To reinforce Ecker's self-publishing endeavor, the Air Force veteran even drew the cartoon character on the album cover. "His name is 'Jeep' which was a military reference to 'General Purpose' person. I created my little buddy for a cartoon strip which had a brief run in two Air Force base newspapers, one in North Carolina, the other in Korea. Jeep was kicked off both for being, in the words of one commander, 'funny, but insubordinate.' Back forty years ago, though, Jeep had no hair and wore fatigues, but he had the same perplexed expression you see on the album cover!"
A portion of the proceeds from this album will go to the Ecker family favored charities - the Wounded Warrior project and Delta Rescue, an organization that cares for abandoned pets found in the Angeles National Forest northeast of Los Angeles.
