Eric Nassau

Eric Nassau is a 26-year veteran touring singer/songwriter.  His career grew out of the Connecticut coffeehouses before firmly taking root in Columbus, Ohio.  In 1997, he hit the road with fellow songwriter Robert Loss (The Wells, Blind Engineer), gracing the stages at CBGB's Gallery in NYC, The Iota Club and Cafe in Washington DC, and The Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, Tennessee. He never looked back.

Wide-eyed and hungry, Nassau self-imposed a relentless tour schedule, spending the next 12 years developing his fan base while crisscrossing the country and living out of his Crown Victoria LTD, before upgrading to a Dodge Grand Caravan. Performing at bars, bookstores, house concerts, festivals and universities across the United States and Canada, Nassau punctuated his travels with regular festival gigs at the Ashland (WI) Folk Fest, the Earthwork Harvest Gathering (MI), winning the Monday night open mic competition at Eddies Attic (GA), and becoming a staple in his local community back in Columbus, Ohio. He regularly toured with Megan Palmer (The Spikedrivers, Slow Force) around the Great Lakes building a solid regional following.

In 2009, Nassau settled back into Columbus, where he put his songwriting on the back burner and honed his skills as a bass player, backup singer, and song arranger, performing in four unique local bands ranging from bluegrass to experimental rock (The Devil Doves, The Goldsberrys, Blind Engineer, Francis Bacon Band.) Over the next 12 years, he helped turn these projects from local bands into regional touring artists and collectively guided them to releasing 8 full-length recordings and 1 ep.

When the world stopped in 2020, Nassau slowly began to reunite with the songwriting process, tackling the hardships many of us faced during the involuntary hiatus with humor and aplomb while reflecting on the lessons he learned on the road. His solo performances branched out from the usual singer/songwriter genre and started featuring his SK1 keyboard, guitars, and vocal rhythms all going through a looping pedal, harmonizing with himself and creating a dynamic sound that weaves in and out of with a push of a foot switch.   

His song "First Trip to Hartford" took home a 4th place finish at the John Hartford Songwriting Contest in 2022.

2023 finds Eric Nassau back in the studio thanks to a grant from the Greater Columbus Arts Council. His latest work is inspired by the many projects he continues to work with and features his bandmates on the recordings. Whether performing solo, with his trio The San Francisco Threesome, or entertaining children as Mister E, Eric Nassau continues to delight audiences with his engaging personality and welcoming presence.