1. For many artists, they cite a defining moment for themselves when they knew they wanted to be a singer. For many it was the appearance of Elvis on the Ed Sullivan show, to another generation it was the Beatles’ appearance on Sullivan half a decade later. Is there such a defining moment for you?
I know it isn't as romantic a story if I say I've always loved music and performing but that's the fact. One of my earliest memories is being 3 years old and crawling on stage at my cousin's wedding reception and singing with the band (I knocked 'em out with a rendition of "Zippety Doo Dah" by the way). And I've really been singing, writing, performing ever since.
2. When you’re not creating music what are you listening to? Who are some of your favorites?
Oh man. I listen to so much music it's hard to narrow it down.
There are artists who greatly influence me and inspire me, like James Taylor , Jim Croce, David Wilcox, Mac MacAnally, Sting, Rodney Crowell that will always spring into my rotation. However a lot of times I'm listening to people I've written with or toured with or just encountered while touring. Some examples are : Ross Newell , Kristy Lee, the Hussy Hicks, Amanda Williams, Wes Loper, Josh Ewing , Les Hall , Gregg Fells, Ryan Balthrop, Beverly Jo Scott, Lisa Mills, Dale Drinkard Jr,
Hank Becker, ....I could go on for days. These artists are incredible.
I listen to the people I idolized when I was younger and it reminds me of the magic music can possess, but I listen to these new fresh artists and their songs excite me like nothing else.
I guess I feel like when I listen to my Heroes (David Wilcox and the like) I feel like I want to go fix, edit and polish my songs. When I listen to my colleagues and contemporaries I want to go write more songs.
Each is inspiring in a different way so I try to make my playlist full of a healthy dose of each.
3. What would you say is your greatest moment so far as an artist, either on record or live?
I'm going to cheat and give you 2 moments:
First, About a month ago I was asked to do a Tribute to Woody Guthrie in Brussels at an amazing outdoor festival (Brosella Folk and Jazz Festival). The surroundings were wonderful (it was in a lush green amphitheater basically underneath the Atomium) , the other musicians were great (I played with Beverly Jo Scott and her amazing band, and Rick Hirsch), and the whole thing just felt good.
Musicians often speak of the energy of the crowd. Well that day at Brosella I felt it more powerfully than I ever had. My songs meant something to that crowd of people and I could feel it. It was definitely a special moment for me.
Another special moment that had extreme importance to me was playing the July 4th celebration at Pearl Harbor. I have played 3 USO tours and there are thousands of special moments from those tours which I'll never forget. Easily one of the most powerful of these moments was being on a huge concert stage with the US ships as our backdrop and 10,000 service men and women in attendance....I still get goosebumps from that one to this day.
4. Do you believe music can change the world or is just something to listen to? How much can music influence current events?
I'm always writing down little snippets of phrases or things that strike me poetic. Here is one of my snippets from last week:
"If these songs can't stop wars, let's write more songs"
I'm sure I will weave that into a future song or blog post or book, but I say it here because I think it illustrates my answer to your question. I believe there is immense power in song. Absolutely there is enough power in songs to change the world. I have zero doubt of this.
I always go back to the simple but accurate phrase "music is a language". That is 100% true. And it is a language that can often speak across borders in a way traditional language cannot.
So with that being said , what problem can't music help solve?
Armed with music we can make connections and communications with other cultures which would be impossible otherwise. With enough of that communication and connection I believe most human conflict can be eliminated. It may sound too "pie in the sky" or utopian but I believe it is true.
5. How has technology affected the music industry? How has technology affected your career as a musician?
Wow. This one is a monster. Technology has almost changed the music industry to a point it should be called something else.
From a creation standpoint, technology has lowered production costs unbelievably. It is now possible for an artist to posses his or her own studio, make broadcast quality recordings, subsequently market and distribute that music to the world. In this sense technology is freeing the artist.
Additionally technology ( the Internet ) has allowed things like drastic capitol generating (via kickstarter.com or pledgemisic.com, etc) , it has created alternate performance options (via online shows through sites likeStageIt.com) and it allows artists to cheaply garner an actual PR firm (i.e. Ariel Publicity) to do a global marketing push.
These things weren't options before recent technological advances.
Of course there is the other side to the coin. Technology has allowed people to very very easily illegally download music for free. The numbers have been so often documented it doesn't really need repeating but suffice it to say this action has drained billions from the music industry.
I don't want to write a novel about it (I'm sure you have a word limit. So i'll at least try to be brief Hahaha)
This creates a very peculiar state of affairs.
I'll use myself as a hypothetical example. I make an album. Let's say it costs $30,000. Person A loves my album. They illegally download it. They love the album and therefore decide to buy two Eric Erdman t shirts, an Eric Erdman bumper sticker, a pair of Eric Erdman underwear for their girlfriend, etc.
Person A has purchased things that put money into my overall business. This is good right?
What's so strange about that?
I'll tell ya.
This leaves us with a massive group of consumers who have decided collectively to devalue the actual product they enjoy (songs) and are only willing to purchase products (stickers, shirts, etc) that are indirectly related to what they love (music).
This is weird and it changes everything. There are a bunch of musicians and songwriters who are unimaginably talented at making music and songs. That's what musicians are supposed to do right?......not anymore.
Now society has basically looked at the musician and said " We know you are a musician, and we love your music ......but aren't paying for it, 'What else ya got?' ."
It's just strange to me. Imagine a similar thing happening at a tire store. Every customer comes in and says, "Sir, you have incredible tires. We love your tires better than all the other brands. We are going to steal your tires. But we love your business so we will buy some wiper blades and air fresheners to help support your business."
It reminds me of a Monty Python skit or something.
So to try to finally answer your question, technology has freed the artist to create and distribute cheaply but it has also caused a strange shift in value.
It has most definitely affected the industry.
6. Now for my Barbara Walters question: If you were a pair of shoes what type of shoes would you be?
I'd be the pair of bright red sneakers (no laces) which I am currently wearing. I recently had to replace a wardrobe because an airline lost my luggage while I was on my European tour. Probably due to sleep deprivation I bought the loudest, most ridiculous shoes I saw in the airport. I then promptly removed the laces. The shoes do not go with anything I own but I have been wearing them a lot.
These shoes survived strife and lots of travel and they are just odd. Just like me.
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