Eric Maring

A native of Washington, D.C., the folk-pop singer, songwriter, and guitarist Eric Maring took his music to international stages that stretched from Lima, Peru, to Calcutta, India, yet he honed his skills during a weekly engagement at the local Franklyn's Coffeehouse Café between 1997 and 1999. His first album, Birdsong, appeared in 2001 on the Orchard label and wove both lyrical and musical allusions to journeys across Asia and South America into a blend of rock, pop, and folk. Maring also stands out as a skilled acoustic guitarist who explores alternate tunings alongside varied fingerpicking and strumming techniques. The debut album gained sonic depth through unusual instrumentation that featured a Thai dulcimer, a 12-string Portuguese guitar, an eight-string Peruvian charango, a Peruvian flute known as the Okarina, and the distinctive percussion set called Joia Tubes, while guest contributions came from guitarist Josh Michaud, vocalists Gregory Heelan and Lisa Moscatiello, and drummers Steve Fox and Robbie Magruder.