By: Emily Jackson
Cliff Eberhardt, something of an Eddie’s regular, returns to Eddie’s Attic with Louise Mosrie this Sunday at 8pm. He’s been playing the venue for over two decades but somehow it’s never the same show twice. Eberhardt’s critically acclaimed compositions are ever-evolving. With his gravelly voice, sharp wit and an extraordinary ability to pen timeless lyrics at his disposal, he’s made music his life and he doesn’t plan on stopping any time soon.
Your show is Sunday night. Have you played Eddie’s Attic before?
Many, many, many, many times. I’ve been playing there for 20 years.
How do you like it?
I love it! I don’t go back places I don’t like.
Right! Has it changed at all since you started playing there?
Nope. It’s exactly the same.
You’re known for your acoustic music. Have you ever experimented with a more plugged in set up?
Yeah, in the past I’ve recorded with full bands. Even though I play solo acoustic, early on it wasn’t folk music. It was put under pop. My first album was pop. It’s like how people like James Taylor aren’t put under folk. They’re put under pop. I do folk and pop and a little bit of everything.
You mentioned James Taylor and in the past you’ve recorded a whole CD of Doors covers. Who are your biggest musical influences?
I did a Doors CD and those are pretty much my only covers. Here’s how I answer this question: everybody. I don’t have one genre I like to listen to. I listen to everything – opera, classical music, folk, blues, rock, pop… and my music isn’t one kind of music. I pick what I like from different genres and put it together.
Some of your original songs are 20+ years old. How has your music changed over time?
Yeah, my first song came out 23 years ago. I’d say it changes every album. Every year, I do something drastically different. No two albums are alike.
What would you say about your latest album?
My last album [Shrew Songs] is music I wrote to go along with a Washington D.C. production of a Shakespeare play called The Taming of the Shrew but the music is separate from the play. It went along with the emotions of certain characters in the play but you don’t have to be watching to listen to it. You don’t have to like Shakespeare or be into theater to appreciate it.
Do you think you’ll ever retire from making music?
No. Why would you? It’s the best job in the world.
Tickets for Cliff’s headliner show available here.
