Country musician Wyatt Easterling has a resume that is just about as long as the famous Music Row in downtown Nashville.
The producer, songwriter, singer and session musician has been in the music industry for over three decades – and also has three albums of his own.
Easterling is taking time these days to reconnect with audiences through his music – something he loves most.
“There is nothing that makes you feel more validated than when somebody approaches you after a show or sends you an email saying how much a song resonated with them. It’s a wonderful feeling,” said Easterling during an interview just before he was about to head out on tour.
Easterling said he wants audiences to identify with his music every time he writes a song.
“You know when you’ve hit the nail on the head and you know when you’ve completely missed,” he said. “These days, I like to think I have a pretty good idea.”
In 1981, Easterling released his debut album, Both Sides of the Shore, and his next solo release wasn’t until 2009’s Where This River Goes. He is now back with his latest work, Goodbye Hello, released February of this year.
Wyatt said he woke up one day and thought, “What happened? Where is my stack of records of my own?”
“It’s interesting when you stop and take stock of where you are in life,” he said with a laugh. “I started the long journey back. I feel like Rocky Balboa coming back into the ring. Only not as beat up.”
Easterling is originally from North Carolina and said he grew up listening to singer-songwriters of the ‘70s and ‘80s such as Jackson Browne and Cat Stevens. After the release of his first album, he quickly moved to Nashville.
Since then he has been acting as songwriter, producer, executive or session player with several artists, including Neal McCoy, Miles Copeland and Dierks Bentley. He was even head of A&R for Atlantic Records Nashville in 1990.
He said the quality of songwriting in the musical community of Nashville had a huge impact on him and he didn’t really know how to write a song until he got there.
“I was a kid sitting in the middle of kindergarten forcing the pieces together,” said Easterling of his songwriting before arriving. “Songwriting is a craft. After a while, I learned I had to create the pieces that fit well together. Over the years, I’ve gotten better and better and I instinctually know what works and what doesn’t.”
This craft is something that Easterling now teaches in songwriting workshops across North America.
He said he enjoys helping people over the hurdles that he has been helped over and called the process rewarding.
“When your doing it in a single day, it is fun to field questions and talk to folks about blocks they may run into,” he said. “It’s a quick crash course if you will. There is a lot of back and forth. I always walk away learning something myself.”
Easterling said he plans on doing some more touring over the summer and is really looking forward to coming to Alberta, which he describes as “just gorgeous.”
“I love playing where music is important,” he said. “There just seems to be a deep rooted love in Alberta, and Canada in general, but Alberta specifically.”
Although he is focusing on his own music these days, he is still going back into the studio with other artists doing some producing. More specifically, this August he is working with a young man he described as a “hick hop” artist.
Easterling admitted that style is a bit out of his ballpark, but as he had described with the rest of his musical adventures throughout the years, he looked forward to learning something new.
You can see Easterling perform at Legacy Guitar and Coffee House Aug. 1.
For more information visit wyatteasterling.com and legacyguitarhouse.com.
