Local musician Lon Eldridge talks about his inspiration and what life is like for a
musician during the pandemic.
Album cover by Ben Van Winkle
Making music has been a part of Lon Eldridge’s life since birth— his entire family is
musical. He grew up listening to his parents make music and putting on plays with his cousins. Yet, Lon is the first one to make a career out of music. As a child, he started with piano but he didn’t find his true passion until he picked up a guitar at thirteen. Now, he plays almost every instrument on his albums.
Lon’s music wouldn’t be where it is today without the inspiration he’s gotten from other
artists.
“Around my junior year, I started wondering where all the music I loved came from,” Lon
says. He loved grunge and classic rock, as well as the Beatles and folk music. “Paul Simon’s
fingerstyle guitar work was of particular early interest to me.”
Just like when he picked up the guitar at thirteen, he found his passion when he heard his friend, Marty, play bottleneck blues on a steel-bodied resonator guitar.
“From there, Marty turned me on to all the artists I now enshrine in my musical pantheon: Robert Johnson, Son House, Bukka White, Mississippi John Hurt, Fred McDowell, Blind Blake, and a million more.”
Now more than ever, Lon believes it is important to support local artists. If you’re unable
to safely see artists perform, Lon recommends buying their music and merchandise, as well as showing them support on social media and leaving tips when you’re able. While this time is hard for new musicians, Lon doesn’t think they should feel hopeless.
Now is when they can focus on honing their craft and writing new music. Building a social
media presence by live streaming is a great way to gain an audience that can come see
performances in the future.
Though the pandemic has affected Lon, it hasn’t stopped him from creating. He wrote
and recorded most of his most recent album, The Island while quarantining at home. With the exception of a few guest artists on certain tracks, Lon plays every instrument on the album. In addition to creating music, Lon has started making bolo ties that he sells locally and internationally.
Photo by Charles Coleman
You can follow Lon on Instagram both for his music and bolo ties. You can listen to his
music on Bandcamp.