Meet Eric Stuart of Earthdiver

Today we’d like to introduce you to Eric Stuart.

Eric, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was born and raised extremely poor in a small town in Kentucky. I suffered with severe depression and anxiety related to my upbringing and issues with bullying all throughout my formative years. To combat the pain and anxiety, I turned to write and music as a comfort. By the time I was 15, I was already playing in bands and pouring my heart into my art and music.

In my 20s, I left Kentucky and played music throughout the South. I was a singer/songwriter in the Little Rock, Arkansas scene and then later a guitarist in the exploratory free jazz scene in New Orleans. In my 30s I was diagnosed with high functioning autism, which was a shock at first, but upon reflection became the explanation for my interests, my devotion to my hobbies, and how I survived my rough upbringing to be the person I am today. In 2018 I moved to Denver with my family and started earthdiver where I currently pour out my thoughts and frustrations, which helps me to keep depression and anxiety mostly at bay. Art and music is my life because it saved my life.

Has it been a smooth road?
No. Not by a long shot. My parents divorced when I was very young. Without spilling too many details, my mother cheated on my father with a teenager who worked for her. Instead of refocusing her energy on her children upon the dissolution of her marriage, she poured her energy into her new man instead. By the time I was 5 or 6 years old I was pretty much on my own, meaning I was responsible for making my own meals, getting myself to school, and otherwise making sure I survived. I was a victim of sexual abuse by a friend of the family around this time as well, which went unreported.

Around this time is when the depression and anxiety truly set in, which was only heightened by the time I reached middle and high school and became a good target for bullies. While I could have drawn more inward, I became involved with writing and playing music by the time I was 12 and put all of that energy and angst I felt into my art and turned something ugly into something beautiful… at least to me. Later I learned a lot of what some people might call problems, i.e., my deep and unwavering obsession with learning, with music, with art, with my intense focus on learning the craft above all else, was due at least in part to undiagnosed autism. I grew up thinking something was wrong with me but later found out that I was just wired differently, which I found freeing, and which has helped me come further than I ever thought I would.

Can you give our readers some background on your music?
I am the singer and lead guitarist of earthdiver, a three-piece stoner/doom band based here in Denver. We formed in the Fall of 2018 after finding each other via a Craigslist ad. All three of us are transplants from other states, so we didn’t have a foothold that natives might have had when forming a band in Denver. We had to start from scratch and build our brand slowly and organically.

Luckily I have been playing music for most of my life and have a pretty good understanding on how to get the ball rolling when it comes to getting your foot in the door of a local scene. Before we had even played a show, we released our debut EP, “Leave Something Witchy.” This allowed us to use social media to build hype and by the Winter, we were playing our first shows and setting the stage for where we are today and where we are headed tomorrow. In late 2019 we recorded our full-length album, which will be released on Forbidden Place Records in the Spring.

Is our city a good place to do what you do?
Denver is a great music city and has been known for heavy music for quite a few years now. I’m not sure I would say someone would need to be in Denver to start a successful band, but it isn’t a bad place to do it. There are tons of venues and lots of new people to fill them. As Denver continues to grow, I believe it will be an even greater city to play music in.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.facebook.com/earthdiverdenver
• Email: earthdiverdenver@gmail.com
• Instagram: earthdiverdenver
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/earthdiverdenver
• Other: https://earthdiverdenver.bandcamp.com

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