Maryland native Eric Hutchinson is no stranger to our home state, having played the central Virginia area for years dating back to his breakout album, 2008’s Songs Like These. Since those early shows, we’ve been lucky enough to watch the crafty singer-songwriter grow with his music at a remarkable rate and also strengthen his unique musical identity, something bands often lose sight of as the years roll on.

Maryland native Eric Hutchinson is no stranger to our home state, having played the central Virginia area for years dating back to his breakout album, 2008’s Songs Like These. Since those early shows, we’ve been lucky enough to watch the crafty singer-songwriter grow with his music at a remarkable rate and also strengthen his unique musical identity, something bands often lose sight of as the years roll on.

His third album, Pure Fiction, released this past April, is another step forward in his career, and one that will provide him a lot more material for his already buzzworthy live performances. Ask anyone who’s seen him before and they’ll tell you the same thing: Eric Hutchinson is not one to miss live in concert, whether you’re a die hard fan or somebody just discovering him today.

Before his show tonight at the Jefferson Theater in Charlottesville, Eric shared some fond memories of Charlottesville and a certain Richmond band, as well as some thoughts on what makes him unique.

I’ve heard you say this album came about a lot quicker than your past ones. Why do you think this is?

The short answer is I think I’m just better at songwriting now. I’ve figured out how I like to work and what I like to do, but also, when inspiration hits, stuff just pours out. It’s a great feeling. Also, I think it’s more and more using the computer, which makes me write on many levels at once. Before, I used to just to do it with my guitar. Now, I’m thinking about a harmony, a bass line, and lots things all happening at once as I’m writing a melody, which is fun for me because I’m all about melody. It’s good because I think I can have better turnaround, and I think you have to these days. It’s all about “what have you done for me lately?” Putting out songs that people can get excited about, too. For me, I like that, and I like getting new music to the fans and making new music. I’m having such a great time singing these songs on tour and it’s a really great mix of the old albums and this new one. So for me, it’s a really fun show.

So how did that show with Tristan Prettyman come about?

We’ve been friends for a really long time. We’ve tried to do some things together and it’s never quite lined up. Stars finally aligned here which is great. We’ve been texting back and forth and joking around. It’s going to be a really fun show. It’s a show that if I was a fan, I’d be excited about and that got me excited about just getting ready to do it all. We’re going to have some surprises and do some stuff together on stage. It’s going to be fun.

Talk to me about the new album. I’ve heard you describe it as your first non-biographical work.

Yeah, Pure Fiction is a little bit of a wink because yes, none of the songs are really about me, but when I look at them all a second or third time, you know, there’s some part of me there for sure. I didn’t think I was writing this about me, but that song “Goodnight Goodbye” could have been about my high school graduation more than I thought it was. It was liberating to be able to write about anything, not just myself, but I think there’s always a little bit of me in every song.

What are some standouts for you from the album?

A song I’m really proud of that I definitely labored over is the last song on the album, “Sun Goes Down.” It’s sort of a special small song and I really took a lot of time poring over those lyrics to make sure every word was exact. I’m really proud of that one. The song “Tell The World” that opens the album came out all at once and is pretty cool. I was cooking food and the words came to me as well as the melody. It’s one of those where the songs write themselves.

I know you used to be a film major before taking this career on. With that background, do you love seeing your music used in film or does it make you miss that world?

Yeah, I definitely love it. I love just being involved in all those worlds. It’s just always exciting whenever you see somebody wants to use your music. I was a writer/director in college and I started a comedy troupe at Emerson College. I figured I’d make films or do television shows. Because of that, I have a lot of friends who are doing that, so I get to live vicariously through them. But you know, I love doing what I do, and I’ve never loved doing it more than I do right now. I’m a big believer that you’ve got to really focus on one thing if you’re going to be good at it. It takes so much time and creative energy that I hit the pillow pretty hard every night.

We’ve seen a lot more popular muscians try their hand at scoring cinema recently. Would that be something you’d be interested in?

I’d love to do that. A couple of my favorite albums are scores. The Dan In Real Life album is one of my favorites. I think it’d be really cool to add a mood to a movie.

Now, one of the things I love about you is your eclectic taste in music. What are you into these days?

Lately, I’m really loving the Sia album, 1000 Forms Of Fear. She’s just got a fantastic voice and the songs are very pop produced, but her voice to me is next level compared to a lot of her other peers. The way she can use her voice is almost like jazz or like an Amy Winehouse style of music. I really like that album.

Interesting you bring up Sia since you’re both these original artists who set themselves apart from the pack by just being genuine. Is that an important quality to have these days?

I think that’s what separates you from people, and it’s all about separating yourself from other people. It’s something I really focused on for Pure Fiction. What can I offer that no one else can offer? There’s that different point of view, different way of singing something, different melody line; you put those things all together and that’s what makes someone you’re favorite artist, hopefully.

You return to Charlottesville tonight. How pumped are you?

Extremely. I’ve really started to love Charlottesville and the Jefferson Theater in particular so I pushed to get there. I think it’s just a fantastic venue, which is why I was happy when our schedule turned out the way it did. For me, I really love when it has the history, but still has the modern sound. Sometimes you go to an old venue and it’s just old. The dressing rooms are run down and the sound’s just not good. To me, this is the best of both worlds. You’ve got the history, but it’s also a great place to see a concert in 2014.

To wrap up, I just wanted to ask you about a Richmond band that I know you’ve done shows with: Carbon Leaf. What kind of memories do you have of them?

That was an interesting time for me because I was just getting started when I was based out of DC and I just hounded booking agents, bands, club owners, everybody. I spent my entire day on email just begging people for opening slots. Carbon Leaf was one of those bands that was generous enough to give me a shot and I think I did two or three shows with them, one of which was at Starr Hill I believe. I was very grateful for the opportunity. They’re fantastic guys and they really helped me out early on, probably more than they know.

—-

Eric Hutchinson returns to The Jefferson Theater in Charlottesville tonight alongside Tristan Prettyman. Find out more information on the show as well as where to buy tickets here.