Today we’d like to introduce you to Eric Heideman.
Hi Eric, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I started playing guitar when I was six in Salt Lake City, Utah, after my parents convinced me to channel my Guitar Hero obsession into the real thing. I switched from piano to guitar, and got my first blue Squier Strat. I switched guitar teachers after a year or so to Lessons with On Track Music, which introduced me to performing with bands and opened the door to blues and improvisation, eventually inspiring me to study jazz guitar at the University of Utah under Grammy-winner Kris Johnson. During college, I even pushed myself to write, record, engineer, and produce my first album, later recording a second in a proper studio.
During COVID, on top of my university studies, I began taking online lessons with Canadian blues guitarist JW-Jones, who’s become one of the biggest influences in my career. He’s helped me develop my voice as a vocalist, guitarist, and songwriter while introducing me to some of my favorite artists, Hollywood Fats, Ronnie Earl, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, Magic Sam, to name a few, and solidified my love for BB, Albert and Freddie King, Albert Collins, Buddy Guy, Muddy Waters, and Otis Rush, etc. He, alongside Grammy-nominated Victor Wainwright, produced my latest record, Third Degree Gravity, a project that pushed me creatively. Around the same time, I was gigging constantly, working with the Utah Blues Society, Blues in the Schools, teaching cigar box guitar workshops, playing the Utah Blues Fest, and eventually landing an opening slot for ZZ Top at the Eccles Theater, all of which helped grow my presence in the Utah blues scene.
In late 2023, my fiancée and I moved to Austin, Texas, where I’ve been rebuilding my career and connecting with some of the best blues musicians in the country. I’ve already gotten to play memorable shows like the Durango Blues Train in Colorado. Day-to-day, I’m teaching, gigging, writing music, recording social media content, and steadily growing my audience. I’m currently in the writing phase for a new record, taking everything I’ve learned so far and pushing myself toward the next chapter of my musical journey.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
I mean, nothing is ever really a smooth road. I had a very hard time getting work when I first moved to Austin, just being so new to the scene and not knowing anyone who played the kind of music I wanted to play. This just pushed me to practice more and learn as much as I possibly could.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
I love playing blues guitar, especially jump blues guitar; it’s not something a lot of people, especially in Austin, are doing right now.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.ericheideman.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ericheidemanmusic/?hl=en
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ericheidemanmusic/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@ericheidemanmusic
- Other: https://open.spotify.com/artist/59KrSqCOqVMqNhjSQ838FN?si=_JxdxTsaQ7ueffSx9dI5qg
Image Credits
Chris M. Junior / Goldmine (Flower Shirt Photos)
Keith Fearnow / Fearnow Media
