MARCUS EATON’S EP INVISIBLE LINES DUE MAY 22 CONSIDERS
HUMANITY, THE ENVIRONMENT, AND HOW WE CAN ALL BE CLOSER
American Songwriter premiered the new single “Closer”
Los Angeles, Calif. — In challenging times music can be a healing force, and Marcus Eaton’s new collection of
songs comes at a crucial moment when listening is one of the most comforting things we can do. Invisible Lines,
due for release digitally and on limited edition vinyl on May 22, contains songs of contemplation and exploring ways
to unite rather than divide, with the new single “Closer,” out today, prescient in its message.
“You can be right next to someone and feel a thousand miles away, or you can be a thousand miles away and feel
like you are right next to someone,” Eaton says.
His songs are masterful and gorgeously melodic, weaving exquisite guitar arrangements with mellifluous vocals,
while his themes deal with intimacy and separation as well as the innate value of nature and a heartfelt entreaty for
the environment. Demonstrating how music can calm and inspire, Invisible Lines is just the aural tonic for a world that
has been forced to close in on itself and reconsider a way forward.
While he could not have foreseen world events on such a scale, Eaton’s cerebral approach to his music was
inevitably going to touch a nerve with music audiences globally. With a long-time following in Europe and a busy
schedule in Los Angeles where he spent a number of years as guitarist and co-writer with two-time Rock and Roll
Hall of Fame Inductee David Crosby, Eaton’s music has found its moment.
“The ‘Invisible Lines’ refer to the physical and geographical boundaries that divide us, which have now been erased
by technology,” says Eaton of the whole EP. “The world is more connected than ever before, yet we are still looking
for connection. Will we grow further apart or use our connectedness to find common ground and improve the world?”
Eaton has self-produced Invisible Lines, perfectly balanced with three acoustic and three full band tracks that he
feels represent his best music to date. Which is saying a lot given Eaton’s career has so far has encompassed the
release of six albums; performing on bills with the likes of Dave Matthews Band, Jason Mraz and Rodrigo Y Gabriela;
sharing the stage with icons such as the Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea and vocalist Seal; collaborating with
Crosby; and composing his first soundtrack for the film, David Crosby: Remember My Name, which is available now
on digital platforms.
According to Crosby, Eaton is “one of the best young singer-songwriters in America – maybe even in the world. And
he plays guitar like God on a good day.”
Marcus Eaton. Photo by Andrew Macpherson.
Hi-res images available here
“Closer” is the second single off Invisible Lines. The first single, “Handed Down” dealt even more directly with a world
that seems broken and how the job of the human race is to take care of it and improve it. “We are all connected to
the health and vitality of this planet we call home, and a threat to the environment is a threat to all life,” says Eaton.
The title track, “Invisible Lines,” was inspired by the protests at Standing Rock that captivated and connected
empathetic people around the world, with violin played by Lizzie Ball (Jeff Beck). “Step Aside” expands the theme of
empathy through the lens of current politics and asks, “Would you rather see somebody take a fall than finally make
a stand and rise above it all?”
“Shadow of a Bird” highlights Eaton’s environmental focus, particularly his love of birds of prey. “I used to be a
falconer, and I rehabilitated injured raptors,” he says. And as an homage to Sting, an artist he feels connected to
musically and as an environmental warrior, Eaton closes the EP with a haunting cover of “Fragile” from Sting’s album
Nothing Like The Sun. “It was one of the first albums that had a huge impact on me. When I was ten I saw a TV
special where Sting played ‘Fragile’ on a nylon string guitar and I was completely captivated by it. I learned the song
and we performed it in my very first band,” says Eaton. “The sentiment is just as valid now as when it was written.”
His environmental bent comes from being born and raised in the wilds of Idaho. The son of songwriter Steve Eaton
(whose songs were recorded by The Carpenters and Art Garfunkel, among others) and the grandson of professional
opera singers, Eaton began performing professionally in local bars and clubs long before he was legally old enough
to patronize them. After two self-released solo albums, his first band, The Lobby, was signed to MCA/Universal and
in 2003 released The Day the World Awoke, reviewed by the Weekly Album Review radio program as “one of the
best examples of intelligent acoustic rock in a long time.”
Eaton then re-focused on a solo career, gaining acclaim for his unique guitar virtuosity, incorporating elements of
eclectic world music into his own alt-rock style. The albums Story of Now (2006) and As If You Had Wings (2010)
saw him dive into political and social criticism, environmental concerns and guitar playing brilliance that led to
invitations to open for Dave Matthews’ guitarist Tim Reynolds. Discovered by Crosby and his son, James Raymond,
Eaton was enlisted to play on tracks that became the foundations of the highly acclaimed 2014 album Croz.
“During that two-year recording process, a kindred musical collaboration evolved between the three of us,” recalls
Eaton, who wrote several songs with Crosby and Raymond, and became a featured musician in Crosby’s ensemble,
playing guitar and singing harmonies in sold-out venues across the US, on television on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,
and on Sirius XM’s Classic Vinyl channel, among other appearances.
Eaton’s next solo album, Versions of the Truth (2016), featured Crosby singing harmony and players including
bassists Leland Sklar and Jon Evans and drummer Erik Eldinius. After an extensive European and UK tour with his
own band, Eaton returned to the US and went to work on the soundtrack for the documentary his brother A.J. Eaton
was directing about Crosby. David Crosby: Remember My Name premiered at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival, was
hailed by Rolling Stone as “one of the best rock docs of all time,” and was nominated for a Grammy. Eaton’s
soundtrack, with music also composed by jazz composer Bill Laurance, was released in February 2020.
Eaton has deals with several guitar and equipment companies including McAlister Guitar, which created a signature
C-model acoustic Marcus Eaton Guitar, and Italian leather fashion brand Benheart. For Invisible Lines, Eaton has
partnered with Crosley to release the special edition EP on 12" vinyl.
Influenced by and often compared to artists including John Mayer and Ed Sheeran as well as Sting, Eaton has won
praise from fellow musicians and the media. Sting’s guitarist, Dominic Miller, says, “Marcus is one of the greatest
guitarists I have ever heard – and I mean it!” Tim Reynolds says, "Marcus Eaton weaves a tapestry rich in musical
depth and soulful feeling. Flurries of guitar wizardry enter a phat groove frequency peppered with mad effects,
looping and layering at the service of each song. Sweet impassioned spot on singing round out this total package of
dynamite."
Premiere Guitar wrote: "Marcus Eaton plays the acoustic, but not like you might expect. He rapidly shifts between
frantic fingerpicking and strumming, clean acoustic sounds and swirling, looped effects. His music fits firmly in the
post-modern musical relativism that has become the norm among a new generation of musicians – viewing genre
distinctions not as absolutes but as starting points."
And some final words from David Crosby: “He writes about love like a man who has loved. He writes about the world
he sees like a man who has seen quite a bit of the world… He sings and plays guitar extremely well but he starts with
the real stuff – well crafted songs that are actually about something.”
Marcus Eaton with David Crosby. Photo by Anjali Ram.