Eric Ian Farmer

I again had the joy of witnessing singer and songwriter Eric Ian Farmer during one of his weekly Thursday appearances last month at the Tavern’s Adam’s Apple in State College. Playing ukulele, Mary Ann Cleary opened the evening with a variety of favorites, joined later on by brother Brian Cleary on acoustic guitar. Eric then worked his musical magic with the audience, delivering a soaring, spiritual, passionate and uplifting performance. He felt the music from the get-go, and captivated the audience with his blend of cadence, dynamics, finesse and heartfelt emotion. Eric demonstrated his dynamic range from inspired and soulful singing and vocalizing to pristine silence, holding the audience in total attention throughout. He opened with Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide,” and had the audience hanging on every note, clear until his final note trailed off, before they then began their applause. After Eric sang an original number inspired by a past girlfriend, Mary Ann and Brian joined him for the rest of the performance. One of the big highlights was their version of Don Henley’s “Heart of the Matter,” as Eric rode this number toward a rousing homestretch where he emphasized the word “forgiveness” and made it the hopeful theme of the song itself. That is perhaps the enduring attribute of Eric Ian Farmer’s performances; that he emphasizes hope and positivity, and audiences leave his shows in a better frame of mind than when they first arrived. - Jim Price - PA Musician Magazine

Eric Ian Farmer was one of the many musicians to play at the Allen Street Stage during this year’s Arts Festival. He performed from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 14.

Farmer’s set drew a large crowd, not only in the seating area in front of the stage, but lining the sidewalks off to the sides as well. In addition to some original songs, Farmer did a cover of “Lean on Me,” originally written and recorded by Bill Withers, and a modified cover that he described as a “remix” of Otis Redding’s “That’s How Strong My Love Is.”

For most of Farmer’s set, most audience members remained seated or simply standing. Nearing the end of his set, he encouraged audience members to move around and dance, and to share any love they felt coming from the stage with the people around them. A number of people were dancing along by the time he closed his performance.

Farmer is a local musician in State College, whose songs are described on his website as being about “relationships, social awareness, and finding one’s path in life.”

We asked several attendees how they felt about Farmer’s Arts Fest performance.

“I thought the show was incredible.” said Tity Kpandeyenge, a member of the State College community. “Eric Ian Farmer sings with so much passion throughout the entire performance, and it was incredible. He gets the crowd involved, his music has a lot of meaning to the words, and it’s really powerful. Like, his words impact me. So I thought it was incredible.”

“I think that Eric Ian Farmer is an incredible performer.” said Jalelah Ahmed, who was “born and raised” in State College. “I know he’s going to continue to contribute to happiness, love, and joy, and unification of people in this world, because he loves music so much, and that’s the way he spreads love. I thought the performance was fabulous.”

“I think that Eric Farmer is a great, great addition to the local artists.” said Emile Rochon, who moved to State College during high school, graduated from State High, and attended Penn State for his undergraduate degree. “He has quite a bit of flavor, and passion, and the music is just wonderful. And I love the outdoor atmosphere, and the community, so it’s really been a great time.” - Andrew Mickle - The Underground