Eric the king

Some may think of Eric Eckhart as a promising newcomer on the Irish singer-songwriter scene, but the reality is somewhat different.

He is 38, and has been playing in bands for 23 of those years. His current purple patch, prompted by a Best Singer-Songwriter gong at the 2006 Hard Working Class Heroes festival, is actually the culmination of a long personal journey, which began back in his native West Virginia.
The son of a railroad worker, Eckhart came from a large working class family, and began playing guitar at the age of 13. He aspired to be a rock star in his teens but eventually settled for what he describes as the “American Dream” lifestyle, and a sales job with a multi-national.
“I had a really good job, a girlfriend, a house with a picket fence, a couple of cars and a dog,” he recalls. “It was really nice, but I had turned 30, and thought: ‘This isn’t what I want to do with my life.’”
Eckhart’s creative re-invigoration was prompted by a two-week holiday in Ireland. Charmed by the lifestyle, and excited by the creative and commercial possibilities for singer-songwriters, he made several more visits before finally deciding to settle here.
“Coming to Ireland got me back into writing again,” he explains. “It was back in 1999, and there was quite a singer-songwriter scene at that point, with a lot of up-and-coming people like Damien Dempsey and Paddy Casey. I thought: ‘This is a place where I could start doing music again.’ So, I quit my job, sold the house and cars, the girlfriend and I eventually split, and the picket fence was burnt in effigy.”
Eckhart’s brand of heartfelt acoustica could hardly have found a more suitable home than Ireland, where the likes of David Gray and Josh Ritter established impressive initial successes, despite hailing from elsewhere. But what is it about Ireland’s music scene that makes it so welcoming for singer-songwriters?
“I think there are patches of America where there’s a real passion and appreciation for singer-songwriters, but it’s definitely not mainstream,” Eckhart muses. “What’s interesting about Ireland is that singer-songwriters have that nurturing community to thrive in, but they’ve also had that commercial success. I write music because I physically have to do it, but I put it on a CD because I want as many people to hear and like it as possible.”
The one possible downside to being part of a thriving singer-songwriter scene is that it becomes more difficult to stand out and attract attention. Eckhart, however, is sanguine.
“I think good singer-songwriters stand out,” he enthuses. “People who are really being honest in their music, people who are making themselves vulnerable, and are good at it – they stand out.”
I suggest that Eckhart may stand out because, as an American, he can tap directly into US influences popular among Irish singer-songwriters, and remain completely authentic. He is not convinced that Irish bands are as besotted with these sources of inspiration as some may think, though.
“They (Irish acts) sound Irish to me,” Eckhart states. “I’m a fan of The Frames, and I read stuff about how they’re supposedly ripping off The Pixies, but they sound like Irish rock ’n’ roll to me. I don’t pick up on this theory of them re-packaging an American style.”
Despite his obvious ties to the singer-songwriter medium, Eckhart says his heart still lies with more primal rock music.
“I prefer rock ‘n’ roll,” he states, when asked if he would ever veer out of his current style. “I grew up playing in rock ‘n’ roll bands. My big influences, besides The Beatles, would be bands like The Clash, The Jam and The Who.”
Things are now looking up for Eckhart. He has recently released a mini-album entitled Lost And Found, though he insists that it should be viewed as merely a taster for things to come. A fully-fledged album will follow in 2007, and he will be embarking on a national tour in the New Year. But are his current successes a result of being in the right musical climate at the right time, or are they just rewards for a creative peak?
“I was always a believer that your creative peak was between 18 and 22, but I’ve completely changed my mind about that,” Eckhart laughs. “When I was younger, I was trying to sing like Paul McCartney or write like Elvis Costello, as opposed to singing and writing like me. I feel that I’m singing better than ever, playing guitar better than ever, and I certainly feel like I’m writing better songs.”