Leave Uncle Scotchy Alone Is a Throwback to an Analog World

Ever since a memorable psychedelic experience as a college student in Santa Cruz, the man born Eric Garcia has been smitten with the blues. "I took acid with my roommate, who had a record player. He put on the album Hard Again by Muddy Waters, and I literally lost my mind," he remembers.

After returning to his hometown of Miami, Garcia has tried his damnedest the last couple of decades to spread the gospel of the blues to a region not all that familiar with the genre. Whether as a music booker, starting the blues band Juke, or even writing and performing in his own blues opera, Garcia has sought to turn people on to the music popularized by memorably named legends like Howlin' Wolf and Lightnin' Hopkins. In that tradition, Garcia has taken on the moniker Uncle Scotchy and, after a successful crowdfunding campaign, is releasing his first solo record, Leave Uncle Scotchy Alone.

"I am guilty of not recording or being a fan of the recording process through the many years of my career. I kind of realized recently that I'm not really a young man anymore, and maybe I should record them somehow as a time capsule," Garcia says. "Because that's really what songs are for most musicians, a time capsule of how you were feeling about something at a certain time and how that feeling sounded to you or through you."

The result is a record that sounds like a relic from a bygone era. Across ten tracks, including "Tougher than a Hippo" and "Po Black Matty," Garcia's weathered vocals are accompanied by his guitar and harmonica playing. The results are purposefully scratchy. The production is reminiscent of Robert Johnson playing on vintage recording equipment after selling his soul at the crossroads. 

"I turned my bathroom into an isolation booth so I could record vocals at night. My window doesn't close all the way in that room, so I used an old doggy bed I don't use anymore, and I used seven rolls of toilet paper to block the window and make it soundproof. It's amazing what you can come up with when you need to," he says. "The rest I just recorded in my living room. Fortunately, I finished recording before it got hot again, so I didn't have to keep turning the AC and fans off each time I wanted to lay something down."

Leave Uncle Scotchy Alone is being pressed on vinyl alongside an accompanying printed book featuring a collection of lyrics, notes, and stories about the songs, along with art and pictures. It's set for physical release on August 3 at Sweat Records, with a plan to add the album to streaming services later this year. "Realizing how integral the lyrics are to these tiny, musical stories, I decided to create and offer a book of lyrics as well," Garcia adds. "If I am to share these musical souvenirs, I wanted to offer a look inside the jewelry box to those few that care, at least."

As much as Uncle Scotchy enjoyed the experience of creating a solo record, the next time he records, he wants to invite some friends. "I've been in this music world business for a long time now," he says. "I've been fortunate to befriend some incredible musicians whom I look up to. The next record will incorporate different people on each song. I'm pretty excited about it, actually. I just need to see this through all the way first."

Leave Uncle Scotchy Alone Release Party. 7 p.m. Saturday, August 3, at Sweat Records, 5505 NE Second Ave., Miami; sweatrecordsmiami.com. Admission is free.