...you probably have never heard his name before, but I am fairly confident that you will right now by reading this (aren't I a clever little fellow).
I have the pleasure of being friends with this guy, but to me, he is far more than just that.
I first met Geoff in a small coffee shop in Santa Ana called the Gypsy Den at their weekly open mic when I first moved to Orange County in 2002. Geoff was the tender age of whatever (is it really important?), and I (who cares). What is really important to note is that I fell in love with his voice the first time I heard him sing; he played a Cole Porter tune called "Love for Sale." Now, you know how when you accidentally cough up a little bit of vomit, not enough to consider it puking... but just enough to ruin the taste in your mouth... well, I did the same thing, but instead of it having anything to do with vomit/mouth, it had more to do with a particular sexual feature of my body and a brand new pair of underwear (no, I'm not gay, unless you mean gay for Geoff... wait, am I Geoff?). At any rate, I was astounded and amazed by someone who was not a superstar or a rock star, but a mere mortal... much more to the point, he was better than anything I had ever heard on the radio (and to this day, it still stands true).
I don't remember exactly how I approached Geoff, but if anything, I remember feeling very intimidated, considering that I had, at this time, only a few songs that I had written and was very much a novice songwriter. Now, for those of you who have never been to the Gypsy Den, it is very quaint, poorly lit for mood, and small, with furniture that does not match... essentially, it look like a Gypsy Den! So, as I left my mismatched chair with coffee in hand, I squeezed through a few other mismatched chairs, ran in to a couple of tables, tripped a few times, and finally came to rest and kneel before the most awe-inspiring local musician I had ever witnessed! Of course, these feelings of inferiority passed immediately considering that Geoff was and is such a tender fellow and appeared to love my voice too. He mentioned something about how he was just getting ready to approach me, but was waiting for the person's set to end (as we were at the weekly open mic and someone was in the middle of performing - how uncouth of me, hehe).
To make a long story short, the open mic eventually ended, and Geoff and I sat outside of the closed coffee shop for several hours: trading stories, passing a guitar back and forth, while making each other laugh with an uncannily similar taste in thoroughly disgusting humor. We have been friends ever since.
Now, you may be wondering, "why is Mike telling me this story?" Well, if anything, it is to remind me that Geoff is just a normal human being like you and me… yet, he manages to write the most beautiful, touching, and supernatural songs that I have EVER heard in my entire life; for me, he is like the experience of finding God. He has made me laugh, he has made me cry, he has made a mess of my underwear… all by just listening to his CD. You should listen to him too; I promise that your life will never be the same!
He is very easy to find too. He is and always will be the first friend listed on my Top 12 of myspace OR go here
http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=154846056
Remember the name Geoff Ereth right now, because one day he is going to be a BIG star.
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