Pursuing community, history, and introspective storytelling over sweet acoustic chords holds its peachy timelessness regardless of any timeline.
After leaving a successful public relations career to pursue his passions of writing and performing music, contemporary Americana singer-songwriter Steve Erickson has released his fifth studio album, Retrospective, a collection of standout songs from his previous four albums spanning over a decade, It's About Time (2012), Music Tonight (2016), Moving On Moving On (2019), and Crooked Road (2024).
Featuring notable eclectic hits like "One Port Ahead of the Storm" and ballads touching on current events like "Higher Ground," the album reflects the Asheville, North Carolina and Vero Beach, Florida-based artist's nod toward researching and honoring Appalachia music, working with a diverse array of talented musicians, and meticulous attention to production detail.
Following Erickson's time with Atlanta bands Truth in Advertising, Dark Horse, The Remnants, and Medium Gauge, he has been uniquely revering and blurring genre simultaneously, infusing Americana, folk, country, and bluegrass to embody his lyricism's thought-provoking storylines through emotion driven, melodic instrumentation.
We got the chance to chat with Erickson about the new album and much more.
Congratulations on your latest album release, Retrospective! So how did you decide what previous songs of yours to incorporate into the collection?
I wanted to have representation from each album, and timeframe it so that the entire arc of music would be apparent. It's hard to leave any out. 🙂
What messages do you hope the songs convey to listeners as one cohesive collection?
I think that storytelling using music can be a very powerful way to communicate. I hope that these tunes and stories resonate with the listener; that they can relate them to their own lived experience. And that they can enjoy these musical stories again and again.
Do you have a favorite track or two from the album to perform? What might make the live version special?
Two tracks come to mind: "Music Tonight" and "Higher Ground." Music tonight is an upbeat story about performing in a roadhouse or dance hall setting. It's also a promise of music to come in the rest of the set. In many cases we start with it. I always see people pretty quickly start to nod their heads in time to the music with this song. It's an "ain't you glad it's Saturday night" kind of thing. "Higher Ground" seems to me to surprise the audience. I don't write many angry songs, but this one sure fits the bill. It's a protest song that builds slowly and ends with a bang, and gets a lot of applause.
Your nods toward Appalachia music are sonically refreshing. What draws you to your genre and/or who are your inspirations?
I was living and working in Washington DC, and I heard about the Floyd Fest in a little town in SW Virginia. I attended, and then stayed around to see some of the other parts of the Crooked Road, a 300-mile designated area for the preservation of traditional Appalachian music. Several years later, I started living in Asheville, NC part-time. This area is steeped in a love for old-time music. I have studied this music over the past several years at an annual summer six-week music retreat held at Warren Wilson College.
Your song that you mentioned, "Higher Ground," came out in 2016 but resurfaced on Retrospective a day after Hurricane Helene's landfall, which largely affected Asheville. In the midst of disarray, what role do you think music plays for a community?
Right. It's a little spooky. The song goes back to 2012, when Sandy hit New York City. Impactful video showed water pouring into and filling the subway stations. That same year we were having a presidential election. I put those things together to talk about climate change and the lack of many politicians to do anything about this and other problems such as mass killings with guns. The song holds together over the years with the problems getting worse and our politics becoming more divided.
As you note, it is apt this year with another divided election and the horrific flooding in Western North Carolina. People there literally are trying to find higher ground. Musicians in Asheville turned their regular performances into benefit performances. There also was a major concert benefit this week (James Taylor, Eric Church and others) with all proceeds going to the recovery in Western North Carolina.
What was your favorite/the most rewarding part about putting this album together?
It certainly is rewarding to look back over a decade and chart the process. It gives new listeners a curated first look at the music, and for longtime listeners to add additional tunes and albums and recommend the collection to others. Also, being recognized by music media is very rewarding.
What does success as a musician and songwriter mean to you?
I think success is my transition from working a regular career with music as an avocation -- to a second act following the career becoming a working songwriter, recording artist, and producer.
After a decade of recording and releasing music, what might be one of your proudest musical accomplishments?
From the beginning, I had a goal of writing 50 good songs. I have reached that goal, so the number is now 100.
What's next? Any new shows, tours, or future releases in the works?
I recorded one song during the Crooked Road sessions that just didn't fit thematically with the focus on old time music. I have written three more like it (somewhat darker and more electric than most of my material). I hope to be in the studio in the March-April timeframe to record these as an EP. The title will be Wonderland.
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