Eric Demel grew up in West Orange, New Jersey where he began playing piano at an early age. Music took center stage as he wrote his first song about his family dog, Clyde. Eric remembers playing chords that “sounded good together” and then singing a melody over the chords with the lyrics being written last. Playing primarily by ear, Eric did take piano lessons for many years while quitting seven or eight times! “My last teacher told my mother that she was wasting her money because I wasn’t reading the music but was instead playing by ear.” Eric eventually found a teacher who taught him all of the chord progressions, something that Eric would later describe as a “godsend”. After this musical breakthrough, Eric’s writing took off. He performed in several bands growing up, playing his first club at the tender age of 15. In high school, Eric teamed up with some musicians after answering an ad in The Aquarian, a music magazine where musicians would seek out other musicians. He formed his first original band, "Daydream" and performed mostly cover songs until branching into more originals and forming “Peanut Butter Jungle,” back in 1980, playing clubs in New York and New Jersey. At age 18, like all of his friends, Eric headed off to college. He began at Rutgers University but after some time, Eric realized he didn’t feel quite ready for school. “I decided I needed to take some time off and pursue what I truly loved: a professional music career.” While working in his father’s Manhattan watch business shipping department, he took lunches to shop his demo tape around the city. After receiving lots of positive feedback, Eric found himself sitting in the offices of WEA Records (Warner/Elektra Artists) being considered as a new artist. However, when that opportunity never came to fruition and after six months of musical ups and downs, Eric decided to go back to school to pursue his degree. After a brief stint at Montclair University, he transferred to Ithaca College in upstate New York. Eric immediately made a name for himself musically on campus as he became known as the “piano man”, performing frequently in the school pub and in local bars and restaurants. In his junior year, several students sought him out to write a jingle for their Ad Lab class project, where students designed an entire ad campaign for a sponsor entering their work in a national competition. Eric was asked to join the team to attend the national finals in Chicago where his team placed third. Jingle writing seemed like a good career fit and so, in the summer of 1987, Eric took an internship for a successful jingle writer by the name of Gerald Alters. “It seemed like a great opportunity for me, where I might actually get a chance to write or at the very least, sing on some jingle demos.” Unfortunately, this great experience didn’t lead to anything career wise. College, however, ended up providing Eric with something more than music; it was there he met the love of his life. Felicia provided Eric with not only love and support but a best friend who never let him give up on his dreams. Soon after graduating, Eric married Felicia (a marriage that is still as perfect now as it was back then). Eric tried a couple of careers before discovering his love of teaching. Beginning as a 5th grade teacher for a middle school in East Orange, New Jersey, Eric began this new career path the same year he became a father. “I loved the creative outlet that teaching provided me and found that I could often bring music into my teaching.” In 1993, Eric began working summers at Camp Harmony, a day camp in Warren, New Jersey. Beginning as a Group Leader, Eric worked his way up to eventually become Program Director in 2007. But it was in 2005, when a friend suggested Eric pen a weekly skit and song for the camp’s younger lunch program, that Eric found the perfect outlet to meld his music and love of children. Eric jumped at this opportunity and a new path was laid - one that would see him begin to write great music for children. “It seemed like a perfect fit for me: catchy melodies with simple, lesson teaching lyrics.” The songs started coming and, at the last count, Eric has compiled over 30 different children’s songs! Though considering himself too old to be an artist, Eric still records his music in his home studio and sends it out for publishing consideration. More recently, Eric has been collaborating on the production of his songs with an old friend from Jamman Productions in Pittstown, NJ. He hopes one day to have his songs recorded on another artist’s CD but, at the very least, still loves writing and performing his music for campers each and every summer. Eric began teaching computers at the Hartshorn School in Millburn, New Jersey in 2009 where he attempts to infuse his music into his teaching projects. Besides his wife Felicia, Eric now has two adult sons and lives in Bridgewater, New Jersey with his youngest son, Jared and their dog Gilbert. His older son Taylor is pursuing a music career of his own. In addition, Eric and Felicia can't spend enough time with their five year old grandson, Jayden.