Eric Ryan-Johnson is a returning artist that will be performing solo and with The Deadgummits at the 2026 Highlonesome Music Festival (September 3 - September 6) in the Ozarks. I recently had a virtual conversation with him about his music and philosophies on empathy with a special spotlight on his song Be a Light in Darkness. See his bio page on the festival website - Eric Ryan-Johnson | Highlonesome Music Festival

Get tickets here: https://www.zeffy.com/.../2026-highlonesome-music-festival

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Brooke:  I want to begin this interview by putting a spotlight on your song Be a Light in Darkness, which I found on Spotify and have fallen in love with. The opening verse asks questions dealing with how a person feels when they are giving or feeling toward another person and not receiving back what they think they should. And how the pain of that lack of reciprocity can take its toll. Do you feel that this is a common human experience? Expecting back from others what we believe we're putting in and being disappointed?

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Eric: I wrote the song “Be a Light in Darkness” to help me, myself, understand other people – especially musicians (lol). I share your music, your new release, videos of you, but do you reciprocate? But then, I realize that everyone grew up differently. Me – I don’t remember a time when I did NOT play music. It has always been a part of me, and in my opinion, sharing and helping in regard to music is just a part of being a good human. I even don’t care if I prefer your genre of music – if you are a fellow musician and a friend, I will try to help you in any way I can. But yes, it does take its toll on me when people don’t reciprocate. Things like this wear me down, but then I write a song about it(!)

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Brooke: After the opening verse, the song's narration becomes instructive. 

"There is one thing that you need to learn, you can't expect the same thing in return…" 

 

Eric: The “you” in the chorus is directed to myself “me”. 

 

Brooke: Initially the song seemed to show sympathy for the one feeling slighted, but the chorus and remaining verses teach the listener to have empathy for those who do not meet our expectations. The message feels almost common sense, yet I appreciate the specificity of the reminder that everyone grows up differently, has been treated differently, etc. We each develop different values and reactions. I'm 49 and it's taken me all these years to begin to let go of my desire that others reciprocate in the way I'm expecting. 

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Eric: Yes, I try to remind myself that others did not grow up playing music all their life like I did. Some people had horrible, abusive upbringings. And some people might write great songs,… but they might not be such great people.

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Brooke: I've lost friendships due to my inability in the past to heed this simple truth. And others have walked away from me at times that I was not giving what they felt they deserved without understanding why I could not or considering my good intentions. It's difficult not to personalize others' behaviors and feel that they're intentionally doing things to us, or not doing things for us when, as your song lyrics say, "Everyone grew up differently, different situations in their families. Parents strict or absentee…." Is this lesson one that you've always understood? Do you still struggle with expectations of others? 

 

Eric: I can be awfully perceptive to a point where it’s almost self-sabotage… (please refer to the song “Sixth Sense” on the album “Eric Ryan-Johnson” from 2023). I guess that’s something that helps me as a violin teacher, but it’s also something that makes me be suspicious of people – like, “why did that person I’m talking to just cross their arms” etc.

Also, on that album is “The Empathy Song” - I think you might like it! That entire album deals with all kinds of psychological aspects. Right now, there is a big nationwide movement AGAINST being empathetic. It’s scary. (Look it up!) It’s just a way for people to cover up for their bad behavior.

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Brooke: The empathy in your song, as it continues through to the end, travels even further back, to the parents who influenced the people we're currently interacting with, as those parents might have suffered with "low self-esteem," or had "problems with dependency." After the song develops this lesson on generational human psychology, you end by saying: 

"We can change the course of our lives. Be a light in darkness in these times." To whom is this final statement directed? 

 

Eric: Me, but also others. Especially in these times when narcissism and greed pull the strings.

 

Brooke: We who have unrealistic expectations and/or we who have let others down? How do we change course? 

 

Eric: We have to change it for ourselves – self initiative. Change our own behavior. Be more empathetic. Woody Guthrie was writing songs from an empathetic viewpoint. In fact, “Plane Wreck at Los Gatos (Deportees)” is often sung in third-person, but my version is more true to Guthrie’s original first-person poem. 

 

Brooke: For me it's been through life's many lessons that lead to a slow but continual process of maturing over time. What has been your process? By writing music & performing!

Eric: It’s been an entire journey as you look thru my catalogue:
1. The Wonderful Day (2002, 2018) – Irish fiddle

2. From Within (2018) – Irish fiddle style, but self-composed

3. Connected by Invisible Strings (2019) – songs from many different eras, not very cohesive – but hey, I got it out!

4. Troubadours & Charlatans (2020) – my first cohesive alt-rock album, but at times harsh and bitter

5. Just a Lil’ Bit of Love (2021) – 25 songs incl a 16-song medley – the first album I was really proud of, recorded during covid times

6. Waiting (2022) – one of my favorite albums, well-crafted, songs that flow and mixed well – I still play every song on this album – a theme of forgiveness

7. Two Hours out of Nashville (2022) – Acoustic-bluegrass, country, instrumental – I felt like I needed to prove to people that I could fiddle – includes two songs by Madison songwriter Marques Bovre. I used to play with him in college. He passed away in 2013.

8. Thinking Less of Negatives (2023) – Anthology I – these two albums came out of a desire to remix some “hits” that weren’t hits haha 

9. Focusing on Positives (2023) – Anthology II – the album titles come from the song “The Empathy Song” – the songs follow the titles

10. Eric Ryan-Johnson (2023) – psychology – trying to understand why people are the way they are - I love the way this album sounds, I play all but one song off this album. One cover song: “Here Comes the Rain Again” by the Eurythmics

11. Killers (Feb 2025) – notice that gap in 2024? With all the political turmoil and war – why write songs about my feelings, love/not-love, etc. when so much is going on in the world (“What Can I Do?”) – I decided to write about what was going on, social issues: homelessness (“Someone”), the difficulties of being black in America (“1921”), violence in “Amerika”, genocide in Gaza compared with the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre (“Complicity”), and gay/trans rights (“Happy”) and more. Again, I play every song off this album. Note: “1921” was my entree for the HLMF Songwriting contest – it didn’t win.

12. Be a Light in Darkness (Feb 2026) – the follow up to “Killers” – I started recording songs by my musical heroes – Woody Guthrie “Plane Wreck at Los Gatos (Deportees) and The Clash “Washington Bullets” – and that led to a theme of immigration – something that was just hitting our Hispanic friends and neighbors when Killers was released. Side one is about immigration issues, and side two is about escaping from all that is going on around us. Note: “Into the Unknown” was written for the HLMF Songwriting contest – and it didn’t win.

 

Brooke: Musically, I love the song’s combination of a steady beat, the winding, emotional-sounding high-pitched violin, and the forward vocals, blended into a sound that's hard to define. I find it a bit punk, techno, folky, and psychedelic all at once. Your bio describes your music as a blend of “alt-acoustic rock and traditional Irish music.” What is the origin of your Irish influence and how does it manifest in your music?

 

Eric: I grew up playing in alternative/punk bands in college. Around my senior year of college, my future wife and I went to hear the Irish band “Patrick Street.” The fiddle playing of Kevin Burke directly inspired me to pick up my fiddle and begin playing Irish traditional music – which I’ve now played for four decades. My alt-acoustic-rock songs all have violin parts – and the violin utilizes Irish style playing – bowing and ornamentation. It makes for a unique sound! People ask me what genre I play – and I usually say “yes.” It’s me, my own genre.

 

Brooke: You’re also a member of HLMF’s musical act The Deadgummits. How is your musical contrition to that band different from your solo work? 

 

Eric: Playing with The Deadgummits is liberating. It’s totally different. But in college, I listened to the Dead so much. We saw them twice at Alpine Valley in the 1980s. But still, many times with The Deadgummits, I am still playing Irish-style fiddle.

 

Brooke: If you could use your music to influence any one thing about the world, what would that be?

 

Eric: To create a music streaming platform that is non-profit with a large percentage of the streaming royalties going directly to musicians. 

 

Brooke: What do you most enjoy about performing outdoors at the HLMF in the Ozarks? 

 

Eric: I love coming to decompress, get away from the capitalistic greed that rules our world. My favorite quote – Charlie Chaplin in The Great Dictator: “Greed has poisoned men’s souls.”  (My second favorite quote is probably something from the movie Spinal Tap lol)

 

Brooke: What would you tell a potential new festival-goer about why they should come to HLMF 2026?

 

Eric: Well, we were just talking to people in Wisconsin about it. I just love how it’s small, but attracts great musicians and bands. And that everyone is so kind.

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