DEL NORTE— Grayson Erhard graduated from Del Norte High School and has made his way through the national music scene throughout the past several years only to find himself in the top 10 contestants for the National Public Radio Tiny Desk Competition out of Texas.
Some may remember back in 2017 when Erhard made headlines when he was joined on stage by none other than Stevie Wonder during his performance of Superstition.
“In 2016 I was part of about four bands, some of which were doing really well and others that weren’t really going anywhere. I decided to quit all of them and step out on my own. I rented an Earth Ship near Taos, N.M. and spent the next several months writing my own music,” said Erhard.
Two of the songs he wrote while spending his time in Taos went viral, reaching almost two million views on YouTube. “I wrote Manifest and Cave, both of which went viral within about a week. So, I decided to try out for the National Association of Music Merchants competition in Anaheim, Calif. I was on stage performing Stevie Wonder’s Superstition and the next thing I know, the crowd is going crazy and there is Stevie standing in the front row.”
“When I performed Superstition in the past, little did people know I always skipped over the second verse because I didn’t know the lyrics. Well, here I was on stage, performing this song and Stevie Wonder is in the crowd. I confessed to him that I didn’t know the lyrics to the second verse, and he came on stage and whispered the lyrics in my ear while I sang. It seems like it was ages ago and though it was one of the most amazing experiences in my life, I can barely remember any of it.”
Erhard’s music career only went up from there. Just a few weeks ago he placed in the top 10 for the National Public Radio Tiny Desk Competition out of 6,000 contestants. “All I had to do was submit a music video of me performing an original piece behind a desk. It was a lot of fun and I wasn’t really expecting anything to happen, but much to my surprise, I was put in the top 10 or what they call their ‘top shelf’ winners.”
According to NPR judge Marissa Lorusso, “In Grayson Erhard’s entry video for ‘Boxed Odyssey,’ the Colorado songwriter performs alone in dim lighting. He sings with a powerful, emotive voice tinged with folk-rock grit: ‘They like to tell me / What package that I can be / It’s a boxed odyssey,’ he repeats. But it’s his guitar playing that really caught our judges’ attention: The song makes use of a distinctive slap-tap style that’s percussive and truly impressive.” The video can be viewed online at: https://www.npr.org/sections/allsongs/2019/05/22/725412654/tiny-desk-top-shelf?ft=nprml
&f=580680173
“One minute I was a musician trying to make my way into the music scene and now I do it full-time. It has been a wonderful adventure,” Erhard commented.
The Del Norte native has several songs on YouTube that receive thousands of views every day. “It is just unreal. So many artists struggle to make ends meet and then one day, all of a sudden, you’re like, wow, I made it.”
“I wanted to have a chance to come home and play for the people in the Valley, so I reached out to Paul Orr and we were able to get me on the docket for Rhythms on the Rio.” Erhard is coming back home at the beginning of August to play at Rhythms on the Rio Music Festival. Erhard will be playing on Sunday, Aug. 4 at about 11 a.m. For a full schedule, please visit www.rhythmsontherio.com