Interview with Eric Sommer
Eric Sommer is a Americana singer-songwriter.
Why did you want to do music professionally?
I am not sure I ever had a choice. It was in me ever since I saw a traveling variety show at the town auditorium when I was 4 and I asked them if I could sing a song with them. Then when I was around 6 or 7, I heard Addison and Crowfoot, an Americana Folk Duo and they asked if anyone wanted to come up and sing something, so I got up and sand "Stew Ball Was a Racehorse" and that put the butter on the Asparagus, so to speak.
Over time I did more and more live shows and was enjoying the excitement of playing original music to come-n-go audiences at coffeehouses and street corner passers-by. I realized I could generate a bit of cash doing this... and that's when I decided to make a life of it in Boston and Cambridge.
What inspires your music?
Just about everything, really. For me the key is to be open and receptive to all the indicators the Universe leaves you every second of every minute of every hour of every day. A phrase I might overhear while I'm in line for my morning black coffee might trigger a song title, a chapter title for my essays (see http://www.ericsommer.com/the-twilight-narratives) or a song, ballad or poem (see https://ericsommer.com/product-category/road-prose/red-chairs/) and a hint of what the content might be. But the key to all this is remembering what Picasso said about the Muse and inspiration: "Inspiration is everywhere, but it must find you working!"
I am a relentless listener: I try to keep up on the Hot 100 on Billboard and other Music pubs, and if I find something interesting, I take it and use it. For example, the Beatles catalog is full of magnificent chord progressions, and it is a study in how to use the I II V I and I VI II V I progressions so effectively to craft such memorable melodic progressions and resolutions. Elvis Costello uses a series of innovative chord arrangements that support a unique melody line so loaded with dynamics it's remarkably effective and impossible to ignore.
There are countless examples, but the point is that there is so much to be inspired by especially by listening to everything around you. The II V I progressions are a refined treatment of 5th Century church progressions and have been blended, reshaped, reformed and reimagined into its current form as a very effective harmonic and resolution turnaround device.
What things get you in the mood to write songs, or do lyrics come spontaneously?
I keep a notebook filled with scraps of paper, napkins, and parking tickets I have written songs on, parts of songs and just phrase that I find interesting. When it's time to craft a new tune, I have an endless and ready resource on which to draw from.
I can sit down and write on command, anytime of the day or night. I can do this because I have been inspired by the great song writing teams of Goffin and King, Lamont, Dozier and Holland, Lennon & McCartney and especially Gilbert & Sullivan, and Bob Dylan, John Mayall and Simon & Garfunkle; the list is extensive, since I take almost no time to get in the mood to write!
How do you want your music to affect people?
I hope they find it of some value, either for the message it sends, the way it makes them feel or gives them a new perspective and makes them feel good about themselves.
People who like what I do and enjoy the music I make will make heir own determination as to what specifically attracts them to my sound - and good for them! I can't say everything to everybody, so I just try to be true to myself and the feeling I am attempting to communicate.
Do you test out your songs before releasing them? How do you do this?
Yes, if I can. There's always that first time you present a new song when you don't know how it will go over and you wait for the reaction to see if it works. I ran out of material in a 4-hour set in Knoxville, TN and I just found a groove, got a feel and simply made up the words as I went along, and it went over great! After another two shows it all came together, it worked and is a standard part of my set.
Who knows why some songs work and others don't - you can write for your audience, or who you think they are, or you can write for yourself, but either way, you need to keep writing.
How do you prepare for a gig?
Simple answer? Any way I can! It's important to keep you instruments in good working order, keep them tuned and with new strings and ready to go at a moments notice. The material needs to be fresh and polished, and you voice needs to be loose and warmed up.
I have a series of exercises I do in the car that keeps my voice ready and my ear in good shape. I get excited about every opportunity I have and every chance to play that comes my way; the key is to make sure I do my best in every situation.
What is your favorite song that you've written?
Yikes! These are all my children, and I love them all for different reasons, so I don't really have any favorites because I have put a significant amount of effort into perfecting all of them and working on them. Do some work better than others? Yes, and some are more popular than others, but I still find them all meaningful and important to me.
Has there been a reaction to one of your songs that you've been surprised by?
What has surprised me is that everything I am playing seems to go over - so it's not surprising. I have been doing this for some time so I think my writing has improved over the that time and while some audiences might like one song more than another, nobody has ever come to me and said they didn't like a particular song.
What are some ways that you promote yourself?
I used to try and promote myself, my shows and all my creative pursuits on as many platforms as possible but it became overwhelming and I was spending more time on promotion that I did on writing, working on new material and recording. That was a terrible trade-off, and now I try to do just thee or four outlets that seem to have the best return.
But I think postering everywhere yo can is something that works exceptionally well. And the bottom line is good material!
What would you say has been the biggest challenge of your career?
Touring now is very challenging and complicated. There is very little chance to survive on the road unless you are self-funded, have a hit record, are on the charts and on the radio and being interviewed all the time.
My solution is to stick close to my regional roots, play the mid-Atlantic area on a consistent basis and keep writing, playing, and trying to become what the music has led me towards.
What have been your favorite places to tour?
I honestly can find something exciting about every room I have played in and every stage I have played on. Just being able to play live music to an audience is a very special thing. It's something I have wanted to do since I was 5, so I am very grateful for every opportunity I have to play live.
One of the easiest and least cumbersome environments to tour in are Texas, Northern East Coast, and the Midwest. England is excellent, and especially London for finding and playing shows to attentive and welcoming audiences.
Are there advantages to being an independent musician?
There used to be, but now the industry has changed so much that it has become increasingly harder for the independents to make a dent in the business. There are too many reasons to go into them all here, but one example might be this: the reason so much new music all sounds the same is because it is: look, the metrics say it all: for starters, the cost of breaking a new artist can be around $4-$7 Million and very, very few labels are willing to invest that kind of support on an unknown, unproven artist.
So they look at songs that are currently on the charts, especially close to the top of the charts, and they find a producer and engineer who can turn their new artists' sound into a match of the top hits that are working: they match the timing, the instrumentation and generally the overall production values of the top hits at that moment. So at the end of the day, it's a risk issue: why risk $7 million when you can produce a song that your new artist can sing that is as close to an existing radio hit as you can get.
The most remarkable example of this can be found by studying the sudden ascendency of Denniz Pop and Max Martin, two producers out of Copenhagen who took a little-known act from Goteborg, just up the coast from Copenhagen, and crafted a sound that sent their song "I Saw the Sign" shooting up the charts to sit at #1 for 35 weeks. They met "Ace of Bass" after they received a demo from them.
Denniz and Max listened to over 500 songs and mapped the things that made them successful right down to the number of beats in the song intro, and they used the formulae they created to produce monster hits and dominate the charts for the next 20 years. But almost all the songs they produced sounded the same, except for subtle dynamic differences.
Independent artists found it hard to compete in this highly stylized and custom-crafted production environment. And it pushed creative artists with their original sounds and songs further into the shadows.
Things are beginning to open, but it is still difficult to survive as a creative artist working out of the mainstream. It's important to define the success you are seeking as an independent artist so you can find the right scenes to be in where you can grow, be among a nurturing community, and thrive in a creative environment. It's important to understand there are many different kinds of success, and to find your place in the field, one that you have defined and can call your own.
There are some excellent books on this to provide additional focus, historical context and support: Rollo May "The Courage to Create" is an inspirational layout of the creative process and "The Song Machine" by John Seabrook is the best of the bunch - an excellent book you'll refer to for years!
Thank you for having me with you - Eric Sommer 4/12/2024.