By Zach Mosca
Jambar Contributor
Youngstown singer-songwriter, J.D. Eicher played a sold-out show at Stambaugh Auditorium March 7 to celebrate the release of his new EP “Compass.”
Attendees received two free copies of “Compass” signed by the artist and were encouraged to pass Eicher’s music on to their friends and family.
Music has always been a part of Eicher’s life, and he took an interest in guitar at a young age. He started taking lessons in his early teen years.
“I started learning guitar when I was 12 or 13 … I liked just seeing other musicians in my family and elsewhere play music. I just thought it was a cool thing that a person could sit down and make music,” Eicher said.
Eicher describes his genre of music as alternative pop and acoustic indie, citing artists like Paul Simon, Coldplay and Death Cab For Cutie as influences.
Eicher has gained a lot of attention via local radio station 90.7 The Summit. Summit Marketing and Events Coordinator Ryan Humbert said the station is the only one in the Mahoning Valley to play local artists such as Eicher.
“We’re playing music that you’re not going to hear on any other radio station in Northeast Ohio. We are a station that plays bands and artists before you hear them on other stations so some bands that you know and love, you’ll hear on our station sometimes months, sometimes years before anywhere else does,” Humbert said.
Many Mahoning Valley musicians have turned to The Summit to get their music out into the world because of their major support of local acts.
“A lot of folks in the area know that we support local music, so we get a lot of it pushed our way and we’re happy to support that,” Humbert said.
Eicher’s friend Steve Everett opened up for him, playing some upbeat tunes while adding some comedy and stories in between songs.
Everett grew up in Greensboro, North Carolina, and currently lives in Nashville. He met Eicher at a New Year’s Eve concert six years ago.
“We played the same show together. I made some jokes and J.D. laughed. He made some jokes and I laughed, and we just stayed in touch. We did a couple tours together over the past five years, and we got along extremely well,” Everett said.
Eicher has been experiencing a lot of success recently, from his song “Ain’t My Scene” being the number one most played local song on The Summit in 2018 to getting to do some shows in Europe.
While Eicher is enjoying all this success, he believes it’s very important to not let all of the fame get to him and keep writing the music he wants to write.
“It is good to stay focused on what you’re really in the game for, and for me it’s that I love writing songs and I love performing them, so I gotta make that front and center,” Eicher said.
