For more than three decades, the exquisitely angelic voice of Eric Troyer has been heard singing the hits of ELO. With founding members of that powerhouse band, known first as ELO II and now as The Orchestra, Eric continues to travel the world delivering his epic renditions of “Mr. Blue Sky” and “Evil Woman” and the dozens of other ELO classics. In his spare time, he’s a remarkably prolific producer and songwriter, working with a wide range of collaborators, including, in the last few years, through the most felicitous of strange magic, me. We met courtesy of a mutual friend Eric had sung backup with on a John Lennon song and went right to work, starting with “How Do I Love You,” followed in rapid succession by “Wasting Time” and “Fly Away” and then, my favorite so far, “Dreams In Your Head.” I say so far because those are merely the warmup acts of passion. It’s not just our initials we have in common, a coupla ETs finding new galaxies to explore, and conquer; we share common appreciation of the music of our youth and how those seminal sounds and messages continue to resonate all these years later and how they affect and inform the work we create together. I like reminding Eric that he’s way older than me, by seven months, and I’m proud to call him my friend and am thrilled to enjoy the singular honor of writing songs with him.