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  • Streaming + Download

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
    Purchasable with gift card

      $4 USD  or more

     

  • Record/Vinyl + Digital Album

    Simmerdown Productions of Portland, Oregon, is proud to release a new 10” 45 RPM vinyl digital reggae single called “Groping in the Dark.” The record features four cuts:

    “Groping in the Dark,” a vocal by Eric Blowtorch
    “Groping in the Park,” a singjay vocal by U-Roy
    “Trample War,” a singjay vocal by Prince Jazzbo
    “Groping,” an instrumental version by Pumpkin World All-Stars

    The four tracks are all based on an original composition by Milwaukee musicians Eric Blowtorch and Didier Leplae. The rhythm track and Eric Blowtorch’s vocals were recorded at Pumpkin World and Bobby Peru’s Penthouse in Milwaukee. U-Roy’s vocal was recorded by Rankin Scroo at Crucial Youth Productions in Oakland, California. Prince Jazzbo’s vocal was recorded by John at Waterloo Studio in Spanish Town, Jamaica. The vocal cuts were mixed by Shane Olivo at Bobby Peru’s Penthouse, and the instrumental was mixed by Didier Leplae at Pumpkin World.

    “Groping in the Dark” and its various versions feature Didier Leplae on yangqin, a Chinese hammered dulcimer, doubled with Eric Blowtorch’s guitar to create a foreboding introduction and jarring middle eight. The beat was programmed by Leplae and Blowtorch using hand-generated sounds of cymbals, pots and pans, and paint buckets, struck with different objects.

    Eric Blowtorch’s lyrics were inspired by Joe Strummer’s statement that he and the Clash were “trying to grope in a socialist way toward a future where the world might be a less miserable place.” Using the sex-and-socialism formula perfected by friend and mentor Billy Bragg, Blowtorch arrived at an irresistible come-on: “You gird your loins, I'll stick out my chest/and put that constitution to the test.” U-Roy’s version, “Groping in the Park,” serves as Part 2 of the invitation. Prince Jazzbo’s version, “Trample War,” is a militant anti-racist, anti-classist, anti-violence declaration in Jazzbo’s ever-richer low tenor.

    Includes unlimited streaming of Groping in the Dark via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.     ... more
    ships out within 7 days

      $7 USD or more 

     

  • Full Digital Discography

    27
    releases

    Get all 27 Eric Blowtorch releases available on Bandcamp and save 40%.

    Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Been So Down, Bluegrass Kas, Too Many Dues, Quality Items, Groping in the Dark, Straight to Hell, Most Dangerous Man, Salt Water, and 19 more. , and , .

    Purchasable with gift card

      $66 USD or more (40% OFF)

     

1.
Groping in the Dark 03:33
lyrics
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Groping in the Dark (E. Beaumont) You're dying to leave this crazy country I'm trying just to plant and raise a young tree I'm feeling fine but you know I’d be feeling finer if, just for one night, we’d step out of line, yeah This ain't democracy, not hard to see: steady behaving like an Exxon subsidiary You gird your loins, I'll stick out my chest and put that Constitution to the test Let's go groping in the dark – you be my friend, I'll be your lover Groping in the dark – we could discover one another Groping in the dark – start a new life undercover Hold you tight with a love that doesn’t smother This ain't no republic, but I’m stayin’ here You’re fed up and I can’t say I blame yer Commercial interruptions, corruptions, cluster bombs are troublin’ yah It’s enough to make a humble minister into a gunslinger You're dying to leave this crazy country I'm trying just to plant and raise a young tree I'm feeling fine but you know I’d be feeling finer if, just for one night, we’d step out of line, yeah Let's go groping in the dark – you be my friend, I'll be your lover Groping in the dark – (we can/could) discover one another Groping in the dark – start a new life undercover Hold me tight with a love that doesn’t smother
2.
U-Roy - Groping in the Park 03:26
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3.
Prince Jazzbo - Trample War 03:43
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Lyrics by Linval Carter
4.
Pumpkin World All Stars - Groping 04:19
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credits

released May 6, 2022

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Eric Blowtorch Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Singer/guitarist/songwriter Eric Blowtorch sings, plays, and writes reggae, ska, rocksteady, soul, rock 'n' roll, funk, Latin, disco, hip-hop, Anglo-Afropop, and jazz songs with rhythm, melody, passion, and original comic timing. E. B. plays solo, in small combos, and with a band, Eric Blowtorch and the Bodyguards. ... more

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