Hutchinson Building Up Steam
By: Bear Frazer
Last updated November 19th , 2009

On December 15th, Warner Bros. Records will release Sounds Like This Live 2, an EP featuring stripped-down versions of five songs from Eric Hutchinson's full-length debut, Sounds Like This, which entered Billboard's Heatseekers chart at No. 1 in September of 2007. More than two years later, Sounds Like This is the second best-selling album on the Heatseekers chart. Sounds Like This Live 2 follows Hutchinson's Sounds Like This Live EP, which features live versions of five different songs and was released in April of 2009.
 
"I wanted to continue the approach I had on the first EP, getting the songs back to their purest form – the way they were when I wrote them," he explains. "We had a day off in Minneapolis so I went into a studio and played through the songs in one take."
 
"OK, It's Alright With Me," a Top 5 hit at Triple A radio earlier this year, is now climbing the charts at the Hot AC format, where it's already #31* after only a month. Hutchinson joins Gavin Rossdale, David Cook and Lady GaGa in the short list of new artists to have a second single chart at Hot AC in 2009.
 
Hutchinson has played over 400 shows since the release of Sounds Like This. In December, he'll wrap up a three-month North American tour with Kelly Clarkson. While spending the holidays in his hometown of Takoma Park, MD, he'll play a special acoustic show at an intimate venue he's played numerous times before – Jammin' Java in nearby Vienna, VA. Proceeds from the concert will go to the S.O.M.E. Soup Kitchen (http://www.some.org/), which serves the homeless and extremely poor citizens of the District of Columbia. For details on the benefit show, visit http://jamminjava.com/home/events/an-evening-with-eric-hutchinson.
 
The "Inspire An Eric Hutchinson Song" contest is accepting suggestions from fans via email at myehutchsong@gmail.com. Eric will pick his favorite ideas and the new songs will be posted as a video on www.erichutchinson.com every Monday for four weeks beginning Nov 30th.
 
In 2010, Hutchinson will open for Clarkson in Australia and New Zealand, where his first single, "Rock & Roll," went platinum and hit No. 1 at Pop radio earlier this year. "Rock & Roll" topped the Triple A radio chart in the U.S. last December, where Hutchinson was the only new artist to score a No. 1 hit at the format in 2008. "Oh!," his latest single, is now climbing the charts at Triple A radio.
 
The track listing for Sounds Like This Live 2 is as follows:
 
1. Ok, It's Alright With Me
2. Outside Villanova
3. Food Chain
4. You Don't Have to Believe Me
5. It Hasn't Been Long Enough
 
Eric Hutchinson – Tour Dates
 
2009 – North America
11/20   Calgary, AB              Pengrowth Saddledome                      opening for Kelly Clarkson
11/22   Boise, ID                  Knitting Factory                                   headlining
11/23   Spokane, WA          Knitting Factory                                   "
11/24   Seattle, WA             WaMu Theatre                                     opening for Kelly Clarkson
11/29   San Jose, CA           Event Center at San Jose University    "
12/1     Fresno, CA              Save Mart Center                                "
12/3     Las Cruces, NM       New Mexico State University                "
12/5     Beaumont, TX          Ford Park                                            "
12/6     Dallas, TX                House of Blues – Cambridge Room     headlining
12/7     Corpus Christi, TX   American Bank Center                         opening for Kelly Clarkson
12/9     Birmingham, AL       Workplay Theatre                                headlining
12/10   Columbus, GA          Columbus Civic Center                       opening for Kelly Clarkson
12/11   Pensacola, FL           Pensacola Civic Center                          "
12/13   New Orleans, LA      Kiefer UNO Lakefront Arena                "
12/20   Vienna, VA               Jammin' Java                                       headlining – special acoustic
evening with proceeds going to S.O.M.E. Soup Kitchen
 
2010 – New Zealand/Australia
4/11     Auckland, NZ            Vector Arena                                       opening for Kelly Clarkson
4/13     Brisbane, QLD           Brisbane Entertainment Centre           "
4/15     Newcastle, NSW       Newcastle Entertainment Centre          "
4/17     Sydney, NSW            Sydney Entertainment Centre              "
4/19     Melbourne, VIC         Rod Laver Arena                                 "
4/22     Perth, WA                  Challenge Stadium                              "

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