RA Fountain with Eric Sommer

6754 E. Wilson St., Fountain, NC 27829June brings Eric Sommer to RA Fountain’s General Store…

Eric Sommer will be on the bill at RA Fountain General Store on Friday, June 18th. Friday is perfect. It’s June, it’s a Summertime weekend in Wilson and Fountain, NC! Summertime is Music time! And this Special Showcase begins at 7:30 pm! What’s on the Agenda? A slew of new songs and stories. A new record. And a beautiful musical evening…

Eric has played in and around the North Carolina Scene for years. He is always presenting new ways to look at familiar objects. He’s always re-thinking and re-threading the complex emotional curve. And that curves us right into The Fountain General Store on Friday, June 18!

An evening with Eric Sommer is a good thing!

RA Fountain General Store

I discovered a real treasure yesterday on a trip to Fountain, a little town in Pitt County: the R.A. Fountain General Store and Internet Café. Operated by ECU English professor Alex Albright and his wife, Elizabeth, the store is a celebration of eastern North Carolina culture that should not be missed. On weekends, you can hear the best of the region’s bluegrass, country, gospel, blues, and other roots music performed there. They’ve also hosted musicians from as far away as Canada, Sweden, and France. But it’s not just a music venue. You can also buy books, CDs, and other products with an eastern North Carolina focus there (or via the store’s web site, www.rafountain.com). Constructed in 1916, the old general store building has great atmosphere.

“If there’s a place for musical perfection, it’s wherever you’ll find Eric Sommer. A blistering acoustic style plus a variety of slide and open tuning formats will knock you for a loop…” wrote Studdie Burns, New Melody Maker/UK in 2013. “How one guy can do this so well is remarkable.  But if you look a little deeper there’s a batch of road miles around this lad… and it all makes sense.” And in the middle of all this, Eric never lost sight of his roots. Of his country roots. The RA Fountain show is part of that celebration!

Eric started his musical career in the Boston area under the eye of legendary promoter Don Law. Being young and talented, Eric was onstage at The Paradise Theatre in Boston for a record 40 appearances. He has been a regular player on many national and international tours and showcases. Those shows opened many doors. Eric eventually worked in Europe for two years with Nick Lowe and acts Bram Tchaikovsky and Wreckless Eric. During this period Eric worked on Danish, German, and British rock stages, then returned to Boston and formed The Atomics.

From Punk to Pop to Acoustic Virtuoso

Eric is a founding member of Boston’s legendary pop/new wave cult trio “The Atomics”. They toured non-stop with Mission of Burma, Gang of Four, and The Dead Kennedys and were on the leading edge of a number of musical transformations. Eric never lost sight of his acoustic roots, returning to his heroes and mentors often: David Bromberg, Steve Howe(YES), Duane Allman(Allman Bros.), Bert Jansch, Davy Graham, Robert Johnson. Mr. Sommer’s current project with power trio “The Solar Flares” shakes up Chet Atkins and David Bromberg’s influences with those of Randy Travis and British Rocker Elvis Costello – a remarkable mix.

He has been on the road, in the studio, on stage, in front of or behind everyone from Jerry Douglas, Leon Redbone, John Mayall, Dr. John to David Bromberg, John Hammond, Jr., Little Feat, Andy McKee, too many to name… but it’s going be here. Around The Bend with Brenda Lynn is bringing it in!

With open tunings, slide guitar, lap-slap tone guitar, this show is exciting. And a remarkably aggressive fingering style approach makes watching Eric Sommer fun and crazy! It’ll make you jump out of your seat and holler for joy! There are very few players who have maintained this authentic American style of guitar and Eric Sommer is one of the very best

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“How do you call this sidekick to unique personalities ranging from Nick Lowe to John Koerner an underachiever? This multi-instrumentalist bad boy could easily be a superstar in his own right…” Midwest Record, Lake Zurich, IL

“Eric Sommer is an astounding guitar player, a virtuoso on acoustic and electric… Eric has worked with everybody who is anybody; His resume’ reads like a musical encyclopedia…” Nashville Music Reviews, Don & Sherry’s Blog

“It’s a wonderful evening whenever Eric Sommer is part of it… Not to be missed!” Austin Record, Steve Barron

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CityBeat/Best of Cincinnati

Guitarin’ and Singin’ are what Eric Sommer is all about.

Singer/songwriter Eric Sommer is an unbelievable intersection of improbable influences. That and insane experiences channeled into an amazingly diverse catalog. His ia a résumé that reads more like a musical adventure novel than a series of career bullet points.