In an effort to highlight artist friends and why they do what they do we asked Eddie Conlon to share his thoughts:
How did you get into your field?
When I was a kid my brother played guitar and sang and I was always a musical sort myself, making up melodies and even quirky little rhymes. When I was thirteen I picked up my brothers acoustic and taught myself a few chords, and he taught me a few more. I played bass in the first couple bands I was in but then switched back to guitar.
Who is/are your biggest influencers?
When I played bass it was bands like Rush and Yes because both bands had great bass players. But...
...one band that influenced me the most would have to be the Grateful Dead. The atmosphere of their shows, the audience, the way they improvised on stage, never doing the same set list twice, or even doing a song the very same way all seemed so down to Earth, the real free spirit of Rock-n-Roll. And the way they stayed together for so long, never really caring for top ten/top forty slots but always filling the seats at every show, it all just seemed to me to be the way to go.
What do you hope to accomplish with your craft?
FAME AND FORTUNE!! LOL Na, makin a decent living off of my music, getting a little respect as a songwriter - that would do the trick. I don't need, nor really want, and never expected super star status. I got back into the music scene in 2010 and in 2011 I stated putting together all the old ideas, and a bunch of new ones together. So I write my tunes, let 'em fly and see where they land. I am still hoping to get a band together.
What does success look like to you?
Make a decent living; get a little respect as a pretty good songwriter. That to me would be success.
Why is your craft important to the world?
Well, music is the universal language. The part I play, with the words I write, they have a different angle, deep social type songs; some can be taken more serious than others and a few are playful reminders of the things going on around us. But music in itself is very important. People need music; they need that expression. Whether it be the hard drive of Punk, or the soft sweetness of Bluegrass, and every other genre from Classical to Country. We Humans are musical creatures and I think a world without music would be a dreary place indeed!
