One of the great delights of having to find a new local song to write about each week is finding a new song each week. While I’ve been familiar with, or a fan of, many of the songs and artists I’ve highlighted, that’s not always the case. Many Tuesdays consist at least partly of me trolling through local show listings, looking for something new and interesting, and that feeling of discovery is so exhilarating.
It reminds me that even though I’ve lived in San Diego my entire life, I’ll never stop stumbling on new things, partly because new things are constantly being created. No place is stuck behind glass, unchanging, and San Diego’s no exception. This city’s still got life in it.
That Tuesday ritual is how I discovered this week’s song and Eric Schroeder. This track comes from a release that was recorded live, and it shows. Schroeder has some more tightly produced releases, but I just love the imperfections that dot this release. It’s a reminder that things don’t need to be perfect to be great.
Eric Schroeder, “Dogwood Road”: Schroeder’s style is a charming and stripped-down blend of country and Americana that recalls a whole host of dusty road-bound troubadours. But for some reason, the first person that comes to mind is Pavement’s Stephen Malkmus, even though their music (outside of maybe “Range Life”) isn’t all that comparable. Schroeder’s got just a bit of Malkmus’ winding lyrical nature, albeit a little more tethered to reality. He also has some of the indie rocker’s brand of slacker vocal delivery, though with a dash of a drawl.
Schroeder sounds like the kind of guy who’s singing not because he can perform stunning vocal acrobatics, but because he’s got a whole lot to say. And on “Dogwood Road,” he both meditates on and mourns the road he’s traveled. It’s a song about decisions that bring regret, but also the hope inherent in breaking ties, and I’ll have the line “liberty’s a highway,” rattling around my brain for a while now.
Like what you hear? Check out Eric Schroeder at Casbah on Thursday, March 14.
Do you have a “Song of the Week” suggestion? Shoot us an email and a sentence or two about why you’ve been bumping this song lately. Friendly reminder: all songs should be by local artists!