Almost Blue band leader Stephen Eckstrom (center) performs with fellow musicians at Main Street Café in Kentlands.
Stephen Eckstrom was forever in trouble as a kid for drumming on his desk in school.
“It was a sign, I guess,” he said.
Over the years this Lakelands resident has found a more productive outlet for his music.
“I have always loved music,” he explained. “I took piano as a child, which I didn’t really like. For years, I was a collector of music and had over 1,000 albums. I was a DJ and really liked putting together sets as well.”
Eckstrom’s passion for music took a decided turn when he picked up a toy harmonica one day on a lark. After friends told him his playing sounded pretty good, he called a local band that performed at the Star Diner and asked if he could sit in.
“They told me to learn a specific song and to call back when I had,” said Eckstrom. “Well, I called back a week later and sat in for that one song during the band’s set. Afterwards they told me I could sit in any time. Having no idea how I sounded, I was amazed. I knew I could sing but didn’t really have a sense whether the harmonica sounded good or bad.”
Thus, at age 50, a performer was born. Eckstrom now leads the blues-based band Almost Blue and is a member of the group The Crossing. Both bands perform locally, and he has become plugged into the local music scene.
“Sometimes local club owners will ask [for] my help in finding performers. We are a very supportive group. When we are not performing, we often go out and watch others’ bands or sit in for a song or two.”
That type of networking is second nature to Eckstrom. “I love putting people together and networking,” he says.
His day job in marketing and customer service at York Flowers in Washington, D.C., is a reflection of that love of people as well.
Not only is Eckstrom sharing music with the public, but he is passing it down through the generations as well. “My father was a professional singer, and my 16-year-old daughter is a classically trained pianist and budding vocalist. I recently gave her a ukulele that was my grandfather’s, and she showed great interest in learning to play it.”
Eckstrom is a firm believer in following his inner voice. “This opportunity sort of presented itself to me, and I was lucky even at age 50 to be able to identify it and take this journey. This life is a limited trip, and sometimes you have to pull your head out of the ground and follow a different path.”
Writing and recording are both next steps on Eckstrom’s musical journey.
“I find with music that when you love it, it just flows through you,” he says. Which explains a lot about drumming on that desk all those years ago.
Almost Blue is scheduled to play in the Star Diner Concert Series on Sept. 1 from 7 – 10 p.m. in Kentlands Downtown.