Favorite Things: Eric Newcombe and his late brother’s guitar

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Eric Newcombe is primarily a bass player, now performing with the local group No Skull, but his favorite thing is actually an acoustic guitar that belonged to his brother before his death. 

My favorite thing is a Mitchell acoustic that belonged to my brother. He got home from the Iraq War and decided that he wanted to learn how to play guitar. He wanted to be like me — I got my brother into music big time. It was both ways. He got me into some stuff, and I got him into some heavier stuff. 

Before he went to Iraq, he bought me a Fender Stratocaster. It’s the only guitar I owned before this Mitchell. I ended up selling that one, but now I’m kind of pissed at myself. I wish I still had it. It’s the one that got away. 

One day, he and I went to Guitar Center and he told me he really wanted to buy a guitar and learn how to play. He asked what’s a good cheap guitar, and I said, “I don’t know, Mitchell?” 

My brother would always do things on the fly, and he bought the guitar and began learning it. It’s kind of intense, but my brother eventually went to jail for a year over paraphernalia. About a week after he was released, he passed away due to an overdose. When I talked to his wife, I said there was one thing I wanted and that was his guitar. She granted that wish and handed in down to me. It’s been in my possession ever since. 

He would always try to learn on his own, but I think if you want to get serious you have to get some lessons. He was getting lessons at a local music shop, and I still have his gig bag with all of the songs he was trying to learn tabbed out for himself. He had a bunch of classic rock like “Stairway to Heaven” and “Knocking on Heaven’s Door” and a Bob Seger song somewhere in there. 

I actually haven’t touched the guitar since I got it. There’s a bit of a vibe to it. It’s sentimental and I don’t like touching it, I guess. It’s kind of a bad reminder to me — we could be hanging out jamming. 

I kind of want to learn the songs he was learning, just so I could say, “Hey I completed this for you.” One day, I want to pick up where he left off. 

Interview edited and condensed by Skyler Ashley. If you have a suggestion for Favorite Things, please interview Skyler@lansingcitypulse.com

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