David Sancious talks Jersey, Bruce and new album

When David Sancious describes his new album "Eyes Wide Open" as "The best work I've ever done" that's high praise coming from a man who was an original member of the E Street Band and has also toured and recorded with such greats as Peter Gabriel, Sting, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Santana, Seal among countless other greats. David, who sings on the album as well, came on my show Wednesday night, April 20, to talk about it.

"I'm saying that it's my best work because it encompasses a pretty big gulf of time. Everything from, let's say the last, the last piece of the album is called 'War and Heaven.' That's really, the whole track is just me and Vinnie Colaiuta. And that was one of the first tracks that got together when I put my studio together. Vinnie and I had just started touring with Sting back in like, '91, winter of '91 on the Soul Cages tour...so there's music going all the way back to that time, to as recent as 2019 and everything in between."

A balanced mix of four vocal and four instrumental compositions, “Eyes Wide Open” is what Sancious describes as “a movie for your ears."

How much of an influence has Bruce Springsteen had on your music?

"One day, I walked from Belmar, New Jersey where I lived, and I walked to The Upstage in Asbury Park, New Jersey, which was this club where Bruce, all the music in Asbury Park was happening there. It was called The Upstage and that was the only place that could accommodate all these little bands. And I used to go there but I was too shy to like, I didn't know people there...and I wanted to go there and I wanted to get in on some jam sessions and stuff. So this one night, I walked there and I walked in the place, it was like eight miles, you know, from Belmar to Asbury Park...so I get to the place and I walk in. And it was a long flight of stairs up to this sort of second story of a place. And Garry Tallent is standing there next to Bruce, and I hadn't met Bruce but I knew who he was, cause Bruce was like super famous before he was 'Bruce,' locally. But I had done a recording session with Garry Tallent a couple weeks before for somebody else. And we just clicked right away, so I walk in and he recognizes me. And Garry and Bruce were standing there organizing the jam session for the next round of like playing, from like midnight to five in the morning. I walk up there and Garry says hey, introduces me to Bruce, shakes my hand and he goes, hey we're getting this, and Bruce says, 'you wanna sit in, you wanna play on this thing?' And I said yes and boom, my life...that one night was the foundation, is the foundation of everything else that really happened to me musically, chronologically."

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Steve Trevelise. Any opinions expressed are Steve's own. Steve Trevelise is on New Jersey 101.5 Monday-Thursday from 7pm-11pm. Follow him on Twitter @realstevetrev.