Eric Bolander – The Wind

Can a hoodie change your life?

My girlfriend and I saw the phenomenally talented Jason Isbell at the Ryman in Nashville last month(which was absolutely incredible). Standing in front of me at the show was a guy wearing a hoodie with this logo:

I was so intrigued. As soon as I left the show I had to look up this band and what I found was not at all like what I was expecting.

And it is fantastic.

This record is folk-rock like I have never heard before; it is full of depth and layers of sophistication. The basis of most of the songs on The Wind is a hauntingly beautiful string section. Those strings, and on occasion some horns or a piano, lay atop vocals dripping with gentle passion.

There is a nontraditional soulfulness and ease in Eric Bolander’s voice that draws you in and breaks your heart.

The majority of this album features an unobtrusive banjo that acts as an accent to the sophisticated sounds of the string section. That banjo sound gives the music the slightest bit of twang to round out this record.

This is highbrow, classy folk-rock. It’s like soulful country music.

I am in love with this sound. And I really like this blurb I found about the artist:

An Art Teacher by day and Musician by night, Eric’s mind is always immersed in the arts. Passion for the arts is what keeps him moving forward.

My favorite track: Maybe I