A bluegrass soul
Talking with guitar/vocal wunderkind Eli Emmitt

For this week’s “Between the Beats,” I sat down with Durango’s kindest hometown hero, Eli Emmitt. Emmitt grew up in Crested Butte in a loving, creative, musical family, and with those values deep in his heart (and armed with a few family guitars), he’s well on his way to cultivating a creative, soulful musical family of his own here in Durango. Eli’s eponymous band, in which he is lead singer, songwriter and plays guitar, is set to open for local legends Elder Grown on Sept. 28 at the Animas City Theatre. I recently sat down with Eli to learn more about how he sees, hears and feels the world around him. Enjoy a brief snippet of our conversation.

SS: Eli, the people want to know: what is your middle name?

EE: My middle name’s Charles. Actually, my parents named me after this really amazing guitar player, Charles Sawtelle. So, I feel really honored to be named after him.

SS: How did you find your way to Durango?

EE: When I was searching for colleges, I landed on Fort Lewis College. I fell in love with the town and ... I’ve been here ever since. I graduated last December.

SS: What are your earliest musical memories?

EE: The Four Corners Folk Festival. I remember camping out there, listening to all the musicians playing around the campfire, and the little jams at the festival. That experience has always stuck with me. That’s kind of how I got introduced to music—through that world.

SS: I remember the music I heard around the house growing up, like The Beatles. Then there was a point where I discovered grunge music and techno. Did you have a similar musical evolution, growing up around bluegrass and then finding sounds that really lit your fire?

EE: That’s a great question. Both my sister and I eventually branched out. She was the first to break out of the bluegrass world and get into rap, hip-hop, neo-soul, soul – you know, the Black-inspired, soulful music. Bluegrass has similar roots in the South and in Black music, so we were both drawn to that deep soul. I was inspired by her and started writing music related to that world too.

SS: What kind of music would we find on your high school playlists?

EE: I was the kid blasting the Flecktones down the main drag. A lot of classic bluegrass– Tony Rice, for example. But that quickly evolved after I graduated. I think Stevie Wonder was the first artist who really sparked my interest in soul, and that led me to artists like Hiatus Kaiyote, D’Angelo, Sam Cooke and more modern artists like Leon Bridges.

SS: You’ve experienced a lot of live music. What do you think makes for a great band or band leader?

EE: It’s a continuously evolving question. What always comes up is: “How can I be the best team player? How can I communicate kindly with my band members? How can I cultivate a team dynamic?” I’ve been in situations with band leaders who had an almost tyrannical way of leading, and it just blocked the sun.

SS: What does it mean to “make it” as a musician?

EE: I try to separate it from the financial aspect. I think “making it” for me means feeling fulfilled – feeling successful within myself and in the spaces I create with the people I get to be around musically. The more I cultivate the musical family I envision, the more successful I feel.

SS: What is it about the guitar that lets you express your soulfulness?

EE: The guitar, especially the electric guitar, has a beautiful way of singing because you can bend the notes. It’s like singing vocally but with an instrument. I love the feeling of hitting one note and having it fill you with passion, excitement and the soul of the music.

SS: You’ve been in the studio recently, correct?

EE: Yes. The songs I’m recording now are songs I’m also playing with my band. I’m kind of modeling it as a solo project, though. I’m recording a lot of it on the Front Range with some friends I’ve been connected to through my dad, which I feel really fortunate about. I’m going to release a four-track EP this spring, and my vision is to keep building on that and eventually work toward an album.

SS: We’re all looking forward to your next show at the Animas City Theatre. The Eli Emmitt Band will be setting the tone for Elder Grown.

EE: Elder Grown is an amazing group and has been a great support system – an older crew of musicians that I definitely look up to. I see them as role models. I think it’s going to be really fun, and I’m really excited. I feel fortunate to be part of this project, part of this concert and part of supporting them. I’m also hoping to raise awareness for my upcoming releases. ?