Eddie Holly has lived a nomadic existence for the better part of the last decade, pursuing work wherever it leads. But the musician, who spent the '90s in the Valley, has never given up his dream of settling here for good.
"I work as a fry cook in the resort business, and I usually have a month off in between gigs," says Holly. "Over the last eight years I've been stopping back here in between stays in Wyoming and Florida, and now hopefully I'm in Easthampton permanently."
His homecoming coincides with the recent release of his new CD, Beauty Here, recorded during his layovers with Chris Croteau at his Trash Studios in Hatfield. The album—his second as a solo artist after helming local rockers Mother Holly—is rootsy and twangy with a decidedly raw edge, and is heavily influenced by the people and places he's encountered on his journeys.
"A lot of the songs throughout the record are about my travels, the road, the towns," Holly says. "A lot of them are about the people I met and spent time with in those towns. My records are really lyric-oriented, and then I get guys that can actually play to come and back me up."
Holly's approach to songwriting is to keep it simple. "I call myself a folk singer—it's more out of irony, but I like simple songs with a basic chorus with a little distortion in the background. Most of my songs are really basic—three chords, and then I build around it. It's really all built around the lyrics."
Holly says he is currently recruiting players to help flesh out the tunes on Beauty Here. "Getting a band of sorts together to get these songs to be tight and right-on like they are on the album is the goal right now."
Holly has eased his way back into the local scene, including an appearance at the recent Happy Valley Showdown.
"Since I've been back, I've been doing a lot more acoustic, stripped-down stuff," says Holly. "The Elevens gig was great; Mark [Sheehan, Elevens booker] has really helped me out. Bow [aka The Drunk Stuntmen's J. Scott Brandon] joined me onstage and then Eric Gaffney got up there and added a bit of noise. It's really cool to go off on something and turn it into something completely different."
For Holly, it felt like home. "It reminded me of the old Baystate [Hotel] days, where everyone joined in and everyone rocked. There are so many young bands around now that I think are just fucking awesome, and some of the old-timers are around doing just great shit.
"Angry Johnny has been a real inspiration for me, a real help, and his bass player Jim Jo Greedy would play on my records. It's great to see they're still around and rocking. The Valley is really my style, my flavor of music. It's the best out of any town I've ever been in, better than Seattle, anywhere, and that's why I keep coming back."
Eddie Holly performs and tells the stories behind his songs on a live acoustic session on Valley Free Radio 103.3 FM's Antidote Radio with host The Voice of Reason on March 2, between 7:30 and 9 p.m. For more, visit www.myspace.com/eddieholly.
