Cutting his teeth on the local Atlanta club scene, the artist known as Eddie 9V
(read: Nine Volt, a name designed to suggest an electrifying night out with a wise guy) found himself playing for four and a half hours a night, sometimes for tips alone, and, in the process, slowly transformed himself into who we hear today. By 17, he was touring out of state, further building his stagecraft and songwriting. In 2019, he wrote, produced, and released his first album, Left My Soul In Memphis, playing all the instruments on the record.
The three albums that followed, 2021’s Little Black Flies, 2023’s Capricorn (its name hailing from the legendary Capricorn Studios in Macon where it was recorded) and Saratoga (2024), saw him develop a global audience, garnering praise from the European and UK press along the way. As his reputation spread, Eddie kept his hand firmly on the tiller, maintaining a self-sufficient approach to making music.
In contrast to his previous recordings, Down Here, Eddie’s first for Easy Eye Sound, is the sound of a seasoned musician stepping out from the world he has spent over 15 years creating. This time he has opened himself up to new experiences, starting with the songwriting itself.
The 12 tracks that make up the album stem from a set of intense sessions shepherded by Dan Auerbach at Easy Eye Sound Studios in Nashville where Eddie was joined by fellow soul-blues guitarist Marcus King and veteran songwriters Pat McLaughlin (Bonnie Raitt, John Prine, Tanya Tucker) and Daniel Tashian (Lee Ann Womack, Kacey Musgraves, Josh Turner).
“I write all the time but it was the first time I’ve ever done a writing session in Nashville,” says Eddie, who brought 30 of his own songs to the table. “I didn’t know who we would be writing with each day, but Dan would just say ‘Just meet me here at 10’ and we would start. You’re dealing with songwriters that are top of their game, and that was incredible for me. I learnt to focus solely on the writing.”
He and his band play the Bijou Theatre in Knoxville on Wednesday the 11th, and the Grey Eagle in Asheville on Friday the 13th.
