Today we’d like to introduce you to Eric Pabon
Hi Eric, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I grew up on punk rock. My aunt Kat was my way into a whole lot of music that was outside of the mainstream reach. Her New York apartment was a library of music and movies that you could spend weeks exploring and never reach the end. She would make me tapes packed full of albums from bands I grew to love – From the Ramones and Talking Heads to the Misfits and Dinosaur Jr. This meant that my musical library was far better than most other middle school kids, and it set me on a path to picking up a busted Sears and Roebuck acoustic guitar and teaching myself to play along.
As the years went on, I discovered that there were other weirdos out there. I found people to make music with. I discovered a scene and an ethos that was full of life and spirit. Outcasts banding together. Underdogs. Those times were in many ways responsible for shaping me into who I am today. I felt completely at home on the outside.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
There were moments of great highs and lows, especially in my youth playing in bands. I’d been naive enough to get pretty quickly disillusioned. We went through crooked management, in-fighting, and quite a lot of drama at quite an early age. I went through years where I just wasn’t all that inspired. That can get you bitter about making music pretty quickly. I found myself not enjoying the bands I loved quite as much, because there was a big part of me that wished I was still doing it – because it had always been such a huge, foundational part of my life that was suddenly collecting dust in a corner.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
When I decided to commit myself to music again, I went about looking for a band whose material resonated with me. I found TV Generation and listened to an album they’d released with a previous singer. Musically, they had roots in classic punk – stuff that I picked up on right away. The guitarist was doing things that I tend to really like – not showy – serving the songs. Straight ahead. It seemed a good fit. My own writing style is very melody driven, so I wanted to bring that element and marry it to what they had established. I also have a ton of reverence for simplicity in songwriting. I love big ideas in small packages, and that’s kind of what punk is in a nutshell. So, I sent in a tape to give them an idea of my sound, and I found myself hired as the lead singer shortly after.
I’m also playing guitar in the band, which has always been one of the great loves of my life. I think it fills the sound out nicely, it lets Jerry and I play off of each other, I’ve only fronted a band without a guitar in my hand once, and it wasn’t my favorite experience.
I think that we have made a lot of progress in a short amount of time. We were voted as one of Orlando’s best punk acts in 2024, and we’ve had some incredible opportunities, Again, this all goes back to those outcasts having each other’s backs. Last year, we were able to share the stage with bands that I absolutely adore – from Noi!se and FEAR (thanks to the incredible Mike Reed/ Control Tattoo), to the Codefendants and Agent Orange. We have an amazing, creative and vibrant local scene. We have incredible bands and promoters putting on great shows. And I feel really fortunate to be a part of it.
Any big plans?
We are writing and recording our new album “Passafist”, with a release planned for the middle of the year. We’re always out there playing shows, and we’re always working hard to build relationships. We plan to continue on our current path. We are all looking forward to having new music out there that represents who we are and where we’re going. It is very important to me that we support our friends, that we are inclusive and kind, and that we are there for each other – because at the end of the day, we are all we’ve got. I want everyone to feel welcome at our shows, and I want everyone to be able to escape for a few hours and have a good time. Art should be a refuge from the awful bullshit that gets lobbed at us by the world at large, and the community that has built up around punk rock is a celebration of that.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tvgenerationband/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TVGORLANDO
