Blue Largo guitarist takes it slow

Blue Largo bandleader Eric Lieberman, who describes the group as Americana Soul, first met singer Alicia Aragon in 1982, while he was in the King Biscuit Blues Band and his future wife was a cocktail waitress for the Mandolin Wind at Third and University. (He says she turned down his first attempts at dating because “she wanted to keep it professional.”) Alicia’s musical background comes from singing in her church choir. They formed Blue Largo around the turn of the century, and currently play three to four times a week at venues such as Tio Leo’s, Humphreys Backstage, and The Riviera Supper Club.

Though he and his wife have managed to keep their musical endeavor both professional and personal, the road for Lieberman hasn’t always been smooth. Around 16 years ago, while playing a gig, his guitar pick started flying uncontrollably out of his grip. “I basically lost coordination in my right hand, so it was difficult to even play in time, much less play with any confidence or authority — or as we musicians say, ‘play in the pocket.’ Even when the pick wasn’t flying out of my hand, I couldn’t control it the way any normal guitarist can.”

In 2006, Lieberman was diagnosed with Focal Dystonia, a neurological disorder that results in symptoms such as involuntary muscle movements or contractions in an isolated part of the body. Though it often afflicts writers and musicians, it’s caused by a combination of genetic and environmental factors, and you can get it in your neck, jaw, eyes, vocal cords, wrists, hands, or fingers. Shortly after he was diagnosed, Lieberman went to see Dr. Nancy Byl at UCSF; she has a PhD in physical therapy and specializes in musicians’ Focal Dystonia. She advised him to stop playing. “That’s like telling a carpenter not to build anything ever again [or] a writer not to write anymore,” recalls Lieberman. “Despite her advice, I couldn’t force myself to stop playing.” 

Dr. Byl also recommended that Lieberman learn how to read braille, because Focal Dystonia is a somatosensory condition which takes away the sensations of pressure, pain, and warmth. Touch-centric activities such as reading braille can help. To that end, Lieberman also started taking piano lessons. As for guitar, he has adjusted his style by playing slowly and deliberately. And due to the loss of coordination between his thumb and forefinger, he now uses a thumb pick. “Great crutch,” he says. “It sometimes feels good and sometimes not.” He doesn’t think he plays as well with a thumb pick, however, and so he is determined to overcome that dependency.

Blue Largo did not record from 2003 through 2015. It was a 2014 Bonnie Raitt concert at Copley Symphony Hall that inspired Lieberman to work on something new. “It was a powerful, emotional concert,” he says. The resulting Sing Your Own Song full-length, released in 2015, would be the band’s first album of all original songs. Lieberman says he gets his ideas and inspiration — for songwriting, melodies, and chords — while he goes on bike rides.

When Blue Largo got together to record “Disciple of Soul,” Lieberman’s tribute to Steven Van Zandt, they figured that if they were recording one song, they might as well tape a few more. Six months later, they had eleven new tracks. In 2022, Blue Largo released its fifth album, Got To Believe, featuring ten original songs, plus a cover of Nina Simone’s “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood.” A video was produced for the album’s lead track “A World Without Soul,” released just as the album debuted at number 26 on the Relix/Jamband radio chart.

Band member Taryn Donath describes the album as “original, but sounds familiar.” Donath, who plays piano, keyboards, and Hammond organ, has been with the band since she was fifteen years old. (Her parents would accompany her to gigs and sometimes wait until one or two in the morning to bring her home.)

Lieberman knew for sure that his band’s return was being welcomed by both Donath’s (no-longer sleep deprived) parents and his fellow local music lovers when Got To Believe earned a San Diego Music Awards nomination for Best Jazz or Blues Album, a triumph that felt both professional and personal for him. “These songs are about our lives, and exude soul and love,” he says.