We were lucky to catch up with Eric Colville recently and have shared our conversation below.
Eric, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. I’m sure there have been days where the challenges of being an artist or creative force you to think about what it would be like to just have a regular job. When’s the last time you felt that way? Did you have any insights from the experience?
I’m definitely happier but only in that I’m doing work that I truly want to do. I had a regular job most of my life as a structural engineering consultant trying to also do music. Whew. Now that I’m doing only music related things, I cannot even imagine how I managed. I will say this though – my engineering habit could make pretty decent money which allowed me to do certain things and live in ways a “starving artist” might not have been able to. That being said, the rapid switching of various hats was sometimes whiplash inducing. I don’t think I slept too much in the 1990s. I recall – in the 90s – working 50 hours a week and then on Friday going to a sound check at 3:00 ( they didn’t want us sound checking during dinner hours) and then returning for the show that ran from midnight to 3;00 am. Then of course we have to pack up and go home through the gridlock of South Beach (Miami) so if I was lucky, I got to bed by 5. Cuban coffee was an absolute necessity. I would never go back to the real job days despite many offers to do so.
Eric, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?
I actually got into the so-called industry somewhat by accident. While I was interested in guitar playing and I never really thought of myself as a songwriter or even a singer for that matter. I somehow ended up as a harmony singer in a wedding band where I worked at finding ways to add in my guitar playing and then moved on to various cover and blues bands. It was in that last Blues band that I wrote a song which we performed in the band. I saw it as kind of a joke and a fluke that I had actually written anything. After getting unsolicited compliments about that song, I actually worked to write another which then turned into more. I was actually surprised as they seemed to keep coming. I’m leaving out a lot here but that eventually morphed into me creating my own band and I’ve continued since then in various incarnations.
Regarding the second part of the question. I’m not actually sure I solve any problems for anyone. I certainly never set out to do anything of the sort. I’m simply expressing ideas I have and perhaps solving my own problems. It is nothing new that songwriters often treat their writing as a sort of therapy and I consider that true for myself as well. What I do believe is that people can relate to many of the things I write about as we are indeed more the same than we are different.
What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?
For me the most rewarding part is that literally every aspect of my life is in play for consideration. Anything I read, anyone I speak to, any overheard conversation, or off the cuff remark may hold some nugget that will spark me. I feel that my job is simply to be myself and take in as much as I can from any available source and allow my internal process (an unknown process) to happen.
Is there a particular goal or mission driving your creative journey?
There is not. It’s about becoming more my true self and I feel happiest when I’m performing my songs on stage. I truly feel most alive and genuine while performing. I suppose bigger stages mean reaching more people and allowing more possibility to continue my work.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://lowstakesband.com/home
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lowstakesband?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ericcolvillemusic?mibextid=wwXIfr
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@theLowStakes/videos
- Other: Spotify:
Image Credits
Professional Photos by April Piotrowski of Black Mill Photography.
Others unknown.