From a Vermont Barn to Your Speakers: Eric Schenkman Shares the Story Behind New Single “Avocado Eldorado”
Guitarist, singer, and a founding member of New York City’s Spin Doctors, Eric Schenkman returns with “Avocado Eldorado,” a driving rock ’n’ roll track inspired by his grandfather’s Cadillac.
In “Avocado Eldorado,” Schenkman looks back at his grandfather’s green Cadillac Eldorado, presently rusting away in an old Vermont barn. The relic – a wide-ass, loud, stately car – represents freedom and the romance of the open road. For Schenkman in particular, it also honours the “old men” who played pivotal roles in his life.
The song’s title has its own history. In 1995, Schenkman traveled from San Francisco to legendary guitarist David Lindley’s Reseda, CA home with drummer Wally Ingram. When they arrived, Schenkman spotted Lindley’s big blue 1970s Cadillac Eldorado sitting in the driveway.
“My grandfather has the same car, only it’s an avocado Eldorado,” Schenkman remembers telling him. Lindley’s response was immediate: “That’s a song you should write.”
“It only took 30 years!” Schenkman says.
That long pause is fitting for a song Schenkman describes as deeply autobiographical. It brings so many things back to life: his grandfather, his childhood, and the Cadillac itself with its bench seats big enough to sleep on, the chrome grills reflecting the road and the avocado paint giving it all of its funky glory.
I see the chrome grill and the avocado paint
Is it runnin’? It probably ain’t
The track also carries Schenkman’s preference for feel and spontaneity into the studio. Produced by Schenkman and Aaron Goldstein, “Avocado Eldorado” was recorded with “no click track. As unprecious as possible. Immediate rock ’n’ roll, like my experience.”
The recording features Schenkman on vocals and guitar, the dynamic rhythm section of Al Cross on drums and Stan Miczek on bass, with Carleigh Aikens on backup vocals. It was mixed and recorded by Goldstein and Kristian Montano, who mastered the track.
“Avocado Eldorado” was nearly complete, but it needed a bridge, so when Schenkman brought it to longtime friend and collaborator Jono Manson, during a writing and recording session in Santa Fe, Manson supplied the missing lyrics, completing a song whose origins stretched back decades.
Driving in style, the second that we’re in it
Take a New York mile in a country minute
For Schenkman, the song ultimately is more than a story about an old Cadillac: “I loved writing this lyric and song because it made me feel closer to my family. I think everyone has at least one crazy old man in their family and usually there’s a crazy old car, too.”
“Avocado Eldorado” is part of Schenkman’s forthcoming album, Ten Smiles, and, in his words, it may be the biggest of those smiles.
Eric Schenkman is best known for his work with Spin Doctors, formed in 1986 and responsible for global hits including “Two Princes,” “Jimmy Olsen’s Blues,” “Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong,” “What Time Is It?” and “Off My Line.”
Growing up in Toronto after his father, Peter Schenkman, joined the Toronto Symphony Orchestra as principal cellist in 1967, Schenkman’s musical foundation was shaped by both North American rock and classical lineage.
Throughout his career, he has collaborated with artists including Kip Hanrahan, Phoebe Snow, Carly Simon, and Natalie Merchant, appearing on Merchant’s acclaimed album Tigerlily. He also contributed to the 1995 orchestral tribute project In From the Storm, reimagining Jimi Hendrix's work.
In 2019, Schenkman released his debut solo album Who Shot John?, followed by Spin Doctors’ 2023 return Face Full of Cake via Capitol Records.
Following the guitar lineage of “Recipe” and the upbeat resilience of “Hit On Me,” “Avocado Eldorado” brings Ten Smiles somewhere more personal: into family history, memory, and the enduring pull of a great story on four wheels.
Eric Schenkman is available through Slammin Media, with global distribution via Believe.
Contact Adam Bentley @ Echo Myronfor more information on Eric Schenkman.
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