2008 Woodie Awards
Maryland-born Eric Hutchinson performs at Rams Head Live!
Lindsay Worek
Arts | 2/3/08
Even though Maryland native Eric Hutchinson is nearing the end of his first national tour, opening for OneRepublic, the 'normal' guy hasn't let the new exposure faze him.
"I'm not a crazy rockstar or anything. I like being normal. We'll play a crazy game of UNO after this interview," he said jokingly before his set Thursday, Jan. 31 at Rams Head Live! in Baltimore.
As far as the stereotype of musicians that party hard while on tour, Hutchinson had a different perspective about it.
"Would you show up wasted at your office?" he asked, laughing.
Hutchinson, originally from just outside of D.C., said he's been playing music for almost 15 years.
"I've always done music since I was young - always solo. I've only been with a band for about a year," Hutchinson said.
He said his musical influences include Stevie Wonder, The Beatles, Billy Joel and Motown artists.
Hutchinson has independently produced his album, "Sounds Like This." He hasn't been signed to a record label yet.
The tour started in Salt Lake City and included stops in Denver, Kansas City, Dallas, Houston, Ft. Lauderdale and Tampa, before landing in Baltimore. Before opening for OneRepublic, Hutchinson had been touring for about five years.
Despite it being his first national tour, Hutchinson said he wasn't nervous.
"I make so many mistakes on stage. What's there to be afraid of anymore? I'm just a person," he said.
Though he said he would do vocal warm-ups to stay focused before his set, Hutchinson stays relaxed and hangs out backstage.
At about 9:30 p.m. Hutchinson took the stage and started playing the guitar. He alternated between playing the guitar and playing the keyboard and was accompanied by a bassist and a drummer.
"If you haven't heard my CD, raise your hands…I see a lot of room for improvement," Hutchinson joked with the audience.
He played 10 songs, mostly from his album, but in the middle of the set, he performed a Justin Timberlake parody in which he mocked the songs "My Love," "What Goes Around Comes Around" and "Cry Me a River" and analyzed the lyrics. After finishing up the parody by singing "Cry me a river-my love-what goes around comes around," as one line, many in the audience laughed.
"Does Justin know I'm doing this?" Hutchinson asked.
At the end of the set Hutchinson promoted his merchandise and signed autographs.
"I'm not a crazy rockstar or anything. I like being normal. We'll play a crazy game of UNO after this interview," he said jokingly before his set Thursday, Jan. 31 at Rams Head Live! in Baltimore.
As far as the stereotype of musicians that party hard while on tour, Hutchinson had a different perspective about it.
"Would you show up wasted at your office?" he asked, laughing.
Hutchinson, originally from just outside of D.C., said he's been playing music for almost 15 years.
"I've always done music since I was young - always solo. I've only been with a band for about a year," Hutchinson said.
He said his musical influences include Stevie Wonder, The Beatles, Billy Joel and Motown artists.
Hutchinson has independently produced his album, "Sounds Like This." He hasn't been signed to a record label yet.
The tour started in Salt Lake City and included stops in Denver, Kansas City, Dallas, Houston, Ft. Lauderdale and Tampa, before landing in Baltimore. Before opening for OneRepublic, Hutchinson had been touring for about five years.
Despite it being his first national tour, Hutchinson said he wasn't nervous.
"I make so many mistakes on stage. What's there to be afraid of anymore? I'm just a person," he said.
Though he said he would do vocal warm-ups to stay focused before his set, Hutchinson stays relaxed and hangs out backstage.
At about 9:30 p.m. Hutchinson took the stage and started playing the guitar. He alternated between playing the guitar and playing the keyboard and was accompanied by a bassist and a drummer.
"If you haven't heard my CD, raise your hands…I see a lot of room for improvement," Hutchinson joked with the audience.
He played 10 songs, mostly from his album, but in the middle of the set, he performed a Justin Timberlake parody in which he mocked the songs "My Love," "What Goes Around Comes Around" and "Cry Me a River" and analyzed the lyrics. After finishing up the parody by singing "Cry me a river-my love-what goes around comes around," as one line, many in the audience laughed.
"Does Justin know I'm doing this?" Hutchinson asked.
At the end of the set Hutchinson promoted his merchandise and signed autographs.
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