This Pride Month, Atwood Magazine has invited artists to participate in a series of short essays in observance and celebration of the month’s significance. Today’s submission comes from Canadian rock singer and songwriter Eric Bolton!
A solo artist, as well as the frontman for Southern Ontario rock band Shy Harry, Eric Bolton, has spent well over a decade establishing himself throughout Ontario. He also owns music school/ studio E-Bolt Music in Cambridge, Ontario where he teaches music alongside his team of talented instructors. E-Bolt Music has a built-in recording facility operated and they run in partnership with Skytrack Studios. On top of that, he is also the founder of Galt Love, a grassroots movement celebrating his local Cambridge, Ontario community while promoting cultural growth and supporting nearby small businesses and artists.
Bolton released his dynamic debut single as a solo artist, “Genesis (Let There Be Love),” in July 2020. In 2021 he released a series of four cover EPs entitled Rooms, featuring a range of popular titles from the past fifty years, including “Landslide,” “Redemption Song,” “Over the Hills and Far Away,” and “9 Crimes.” In the fall of 2021 he released his second original single “The Home Light,” which received the title of Classic Rock Magazine’s song of the week and a printed feature in the December 2021 issue of the magazine. Bolton is set to release his debut album, Here Between, on July 18, 2022.
In his essay, Bolton explores the power of storytelling and the opportunities for queer artists in song and beyond.