What to Expect at an Eric Sommer Show...
An Eric Sommer show is anything but typical. It’s a collision of folk-punk fire, Americana soul, country-blues grit, and jaw-dropping guitar work that pulls audiences into a world where every note is alive, and every song is a story.
From the moment Eric walks onstage — boots dusty, guitar case scuffed from thousands of miles — the room shifts. His performances are raw and intimate, often improvised and fueled by a fearless mix of humor, heartbreak, and storytelling. He doesn’t just *play* guitar — he wrestles it, dances with it, coaxes wild and beautiful sounds from vintage acoustics, open-tuned electrics, and battered slide guitars. One moment he's finger-picking with the precision of a Nashville session player, the next he's hammering percussive rhythms on the body of his instrument, creating an orchestral wave of sound from a single guitar.
But what truly defines an Eric Sommer performance is the connection. Between the foot-stomp rhythms, bottleneck slide, and spontaneous lyrics that tumble out like overheard thoughts from a midnight diner, there's a deep conversation happening — between artist and audience, past and present, stage and road.
Eric’s roots run deep. He got his start in the fertile Boston music scene and quickly began carving out a name for himself on the national circuit. He first hit the road with **Little Feat**, followed by tours with **David Bromberg**, **Leon Redbone**, and **John Mayall** — legends who recognized Eric’s raw talent and invited him into their circle. His two-year European run with **Nick Lowe** and **Dave Edmunds** solidified his reputation abroad, and stateside, he shared stages and tour buses with **Wreckless Eric**, **Bram Tchaikovsky**, and the iconic **Roger McGuinn**, **Gene Clark**, and **Chris Hillman** of The Byrds.
In the late '70s and early '80s, Eric fronted **The Atomics**, an *insanely popular power trio* and a *highly influential presence* on the Boston punk, pop, and new wave scene. Known for their explosive live shows, razor-sharp songwriting, and unapologetically raw energy, The Atomics helped shape the sound of a generation and were quickly signed to Arista Records. That fire still burns in Eric’s solo performances today.
From legendary stages like The Cat’s Cradle in Carrboro, The Performance Center in Boston, to packed showcases like TingeFest in London, Eric Sommer delivers a show that is part rock revival, part Southern porch jam, and part underground poetry reading. It’s a night of unexpected turns, unfiltered expression, and explosive guitar wizardry. If you’re lucky enough to be in the room, you’ll leave with a few splinters in your soul — and a melody stuck in your head for days.
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