News Articles

Music News: Eric Loy
Article From The “ENJOY” section of The REGISTER HERALD paper
Eaton, Ohio, June 9, 2004 edition.

“ Once guitar is in your blood,
you can never get it out.”
By Mary Walker
Register Herald Intern

Lewisburg guitarist, Eric Loy, has made quite a name for himself in the tri-state area, playing anywhere from Taffy’s in Eaton, to the City Market in Indianapolis. His distinct and varied style has been heard in coffee houses, bars, libraries, banks, etc.

Starting at age ten and inspired by witnessing The Beatles’ performance on the Ed Sullivan Show, Loy tried making guitars out of anything and everything. When he eventually did procure a real guitar, he never put it down.

Surprisingly, Loy never took lessons, but he mined out and burnished in the music he sought to play. “Once guitar is in your blood, you can never get it out.”

Since composing his first piece for a sixth grade talent show, Loy has continued to writing pieces of various styles.

Loy says the inspiration for developing and composing new works is copious, spanning people, circumstances and reading. His funky instrumental, “Preposterous Rhinoceros”, for example, was inspired by a trip to the Louisville Zoo, while “Parting Of The Red Sea” was of Biblical impetus.

Loy enjoys all types of music, describing his varied tastes like juxtaposing Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He plays in a group, Hipperoos, a fusion trio ( instrumental, progressive jazz-rock outfit). Playing solo, he even does some classical.

Besides playing guitar, Loy also injects other instruments on his solo albums: piano, harmonica, etc.  He also plays a custom-built 24 string Harp Guitar.

Loy really enjoys what he does. When he recently was invited to be one of the guest speakers for Vocational Day at a Kettering middle school, he laughingly reported that he had to tell the students how tough it was doing what he does: “ You get up at noon and play guitar, and then the next day, you get up at noon and play guitar, and then…”

Loy has taught guitar full time for 25 years and used to teach ‘eight’ days a week. Now, it’s much less, concentrating on gigging more. You could find him playing Indianapolis at noon and then at a club in Dayton in the evening, the same day. “Once guitar is in your blood, it’s like oxygen to you.”

As far as the future: “If I’m playing local joints ten years from now, that’s great, but if it’s Carnegie Hall or Jay Leno, then wonderful, too.”

His advice to anyone is, “Do what is in your heart to do. Don’t live a miserable and deplorable existence. If you work hard and treat people right, you may not be rich and famous, but God will meet your needs.”

Loy will be playing Taffy’s Main Street Coffee in Eaton this Friday, June 11, at 7:30pm.

For other performances and ordering albums, see www.ericloy.com.