Simply Six: Eric Erdman

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. 

SIMPLY SIX: Strange Lights

Strange Lights are a duo from Colorado.

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 ofElvis 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?  

Lonny: Singing wasn’t exactly what I was looking for in life. I really would have rather been a guitar player. It really came as a shock when ten years later the singing was becoming more primary. It was a very gradual change though and somewhat undefined.
Deb: I must have had a defining moment at about the age of 6...because I remember sitting on the sidewalk in front of my Bronx apartment building with the song book to "scarborough fair", singing to it and waiting to be "discovered"!..I just don't remember what brought it on. Now, every time I see a well executed artistic performance,(be it graphic art, drama , music, etc.) it is a "re-defining" moment of being in love with the "creation of art". 

2. When you’re not creating music what are you listening to?  Who are some of your favorites?

Lonny: My musical tastes are similar to Deb’s minus the Beethoven, and Dvorak, and adding some old Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin. I love the modern indie sounds and the old rock to a slightly lesser degree.
Deb: I listen to the likes of The Flaming Lips, Death Cab for Cutie, the Shins, Smashing Pumpkins, R.E.M., Margot and the Nuclear So and So's,The Dandy Warhols,Nick Drake, Wilco, Tori Amos,Neutral Milk Hotel, Elliot Smith, The Delgados, Crooked fingers, as well as Beethoven, Dvorak, and some Native American music that incorporates elements of that culture and newer music. Pink Floyd is a long lasting favorite which I can hear by just thinking about it! 

3. What would you say is your greatest moment so far as an artist, either on record or live?

Lonny: Any show that we have managed to show an audience a good time has been pretty much equally the top of my list of great moments. There is absolutely nothing more satisfying and beautiful than a set of music that creates a true connection with an audience.
Deb: My greatest moments are associated with artistic triumphs of creating something I am really satisfied with...Our new album "Light Bright" has made me very happy in this way, and is the latest "great moment". Going on tour with The Flaming Lips could be the next! 

4.  Do you believe music can change the world or is just something to listen to?   How much can music influence current events?

Lonny: Music is more a force of rebalancing than a force for change. Our natural state is probably the most amazing possibility to achieve. Music definitely nudges us back to that state. The current world is constantly pushing us towards thousands of external stimulations per day for most of us. The actual miracle is probably closer to who we are and how we interact. Music is a true compass to bring us back to the rare and exceptional thing we call reality.
Deb: Music changes the world, as does everything that happens. I consciously try to make music that helps everything evolve in a positive way. You go in the direction you are looking, and that's where I try to keep my eye on. Sound in particular is intrinsic to our physical presence...the original "creation" of life, as interpreted by physicists, was an organization of matter BY sound waves that "compressed" and "stretched out" matter... Music to me is an incredible flow of energy that is not limited by the physical or time realm. Music is limited in it's "ability" to change "current events" by how much consensus it does or does not have...Most of the time that music is a by-product or reflection of what already exists. 

5. How has technology affected the music industry?  How has technology affected your career as a musician?

Lonny: A large subject to broach I must say, and clearly a mixed blessing. In a nutshell, with technology, music making is accessible to every Tom, Dick and Harry. This is good because we all have an opportunity to express and grow, however individuating yourself is exceedingly more difficult than in the past. You pretty much have to be a genius and very hard working to break through the musical clutter out there. Electronica and Hip Hop are now such different forms of electronic sound that have changed the soundscape in fairly dramatic ways. These forms of music have fairly clear pluses and minuses of there own. I am probably not saying anything new here.
Deb: Everybody has heard the news that the "old" music industry is dead, long live...what?
The digitizing of our world's information, including music has opened up a lot of abilities as what can be accomplished by fewer individuals using less resources,so there is a lot more music just a mouse click away. For artists there is exposure to a lot of different influences that I think has increased the interaction of different "genres", and, as this gene pool mixes, sped up the development of "new" genres. Listening to some of the younger artists I am really impressed at how, despite this age being so information-saturated.they have filtered through it, finding an original sound that reflects their exposures. As a musician, technology is the interface that connnects my music with the public, except when I am playing live for the audience.,.so it is a lot of how the music gets heard, and how the audience gets their say. Also, for recording music, technology has made it possible for our band to record our music in our own studio at our own pace...for a band without a big recording budget it enabled us to produce exactly what we wanted, and made us better musicians in the "reaching higher" process. 

6.  Now for my Barbara Walters question:  If you were a pair of shoes what type of shoes would you be?

Lonny: I have to invent this one. Merrell’s Morphing shoes, hiking shoes completely able to be very nice looking on an evening out. Fashionable, durable and forever lasting? I am just a man you know.

Deb: Shoes I would be Italian,leather, dark brown, 1 and 1/2 inch heel,side buckle...are boots allowed?

Contest # 2: Who Do You Think Is A Voice to Hear

This post is going to stay up at the top of the page for the next month, until the first of the year, but there is lots of new stuff going on down below so check it out!

Our second contest lets you the reader pick some of the Voices that should be features on this site in the coming year. Over the last year we at this site have tried to spotlight as many deserving voices as we can. In our Mission Statement we said:

We’re not here to be hip and find the next “Big Thing.” We’re probably as far from hip as possible. While sometimes we might stumble across someone that will end up as the “new thing” that’s not what we’re looking for. We’d be thrilled for some of these deserving artists to become Big Names, but we also live in the real world and realize that’s probably not going to happen. So every person that we can turn on to these undiscovered gems will be one more person listening and hopefully buying their music.

And that's a goal we still live by. Whether it be a new Voice like Brother Joscephus and the Love Revival Revolution Orchestra or one that's been around for awhile like Caroline Herring we want to help get the word out on this deserving talent. We've tried to feature all sorts of music, from metal to folk to country to rock to whatever catches our ear at the time. Again our Mission Statement says it as best as we can:

Unless you have a major record company promoting your newest release it’s hard to get noticed. In today’s rapid on-the-go world it’s hard to find the time to discover that artist that falls between the cracks. There’s a lot of good music out there that deserves a wider audience and that’s the goal of this site. We want to help you find that music.

So with that in mind we introduce our second contest (and hopefully more of you will contribute to this one) and ask you the reader who you think should be a Voice to hear? Who do you like and listen to that you think should get wider recognition? Who do you think needs to be heard? Leave your choice, leave a list of artists, leave a single artist, whoever you feel should be heard in the comments and we'll see about featuring them in Spotlights or Simply Six interviews this coming year. Please don't mention someone we've already featured, as we're looking for some new voices.

For everyone that leaves a comment we'll put your name in a hat and at start of the New Year we'll chose one lucky person to win a wonderful new prize. And what is that prize I can hear you all asking with bated breath?

The prize for our Second Contest is David Wilcox's newest album Open Hand. This is David's 16th album and features some of his best work. David's music touches a cord with people and he has a very dedicated fan base. If you haven't checked out his work you should. Our Simply Six is here and you can find his site here. Thanks to David Wilcox and his publicist for providing us with a copy of the album to give away.

Video Wednesday: David Wilcox

This is a video of a trailer for a documentary of David Wilcox.

SIMPLY SIX: David Wilcox

David Wilcox is a folk singer from North Carolina.

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?

When I first got to college, I heard a woman playing a guitar in an open tuning in a stairwell at the end of a dorm. I knew that I wanted that sound in my life.

2. When you’re not creating music what are you listening to? Who are some of your favorites?

Anais Mitchell and Andrew Bird come to mind immediately.

3. What would you say is your greatest moment so far as an artist, either on record or live?

Probably playing the "Last Chance Walz" - the High School Reunion song - ten years later for the girl I wrote it for, outside of Chautauqua in Boulder.

4. Do you believe music can change the world or is just something to listen to? How much can music influence current events?

Music makes me feel more alive - and wakes up the passion to change my corner of the world.

5. How has technology affected the music industry? How has technology affected your career as a musician?

Songs can be more intimate because of technology - more people listen to music alone. If I'd been born in the 30's, it would have been dance hall music - there wasn't a need to have the performers sing straight to you - but the technology changed to allow people to listen individually. Because of technology, when I sing into a microphone, my music will find people when they're by themselves. That signal is most often going into individual earphones, rather than imagining that I'm speaking to a crowd, I can shape my songs and my tone as if I'm singing for a friend.

6. Now for my Barbara Walters question: If you were a pair of shoes what type of shoes would you be?

Fantastic - That's the best question so far. There are some songs like shoes that are made to fit the fashon rather than fit your feet. Then there are songs like shoes that are made with the traveler in mind - places to go and vistas to see. Some shoes hurt your feet when you walk in them, then there are shoes that can take you where you want to go, up the mountain. I'd be a good pair of broken in Vasque hiking boots that you could hike to Chile in and they wouldn't wear out.