Staples in the Owensboro music scene, Heath and Molly Eric have performed countless concerts over the last nine years. Performing locally and regionally, the duo toured the Midwest and have twice visited Owensboro’s sister city in the Czech Republic. On Nov. 23, 2018 the duo performed at CYO, announcing the show as their final public performance.
“The experiences we’ve had with traveling on the road have been amazing and we’ve been fortunate enough to make a living doing it,” Molly said. “But when you’re playing 150 shows a year, it’s challenging to find a balance between work and family. With performing concerts, it’s all or nothing. Within the past few years, we’ve had other opportunities that made us step back and re-evaluate where we needed to spend our time.”
Aside from writing their original songs, recording and touring, the duo records and produces concerts for other artists within their business, formally known as Rumsey Records, LLC. The pair has been juggling their own shows, along with providing concert production for festivals and events over the last few years.
“Making connections out on the road and talking with our clients, we found there was a need for running sound and lights, booking talent and working with amphitheaters,” Heath said. “It wasn’t playing music, but it was the production side of music that presented the most opportunity for us.”
Heath Eric had previous experience coordinating events in the past for Owensboro’s Executive Inn Hotel. When Heath and Molly chose to exit the concert scene, they knew taking on traditional jobs, working for someone else, wasn’t for them. Instead, the pair focused on creating a business that would work with organizations, venues, municipalities and government entities to produce concerts and festivals.
“We didn’t go looking for this, but our experiences, connections, and having the knowledge of concert and event production, it just snowballed into creating our new business, The Eric Group, concert and event professionals,” Heath and Molly said. “Our services include talent buying, event marketing, sound and lights, staging and crowd barriers, event logistics and consultation. It’s the perfect fit for us and we’re excited to be putting our focus in one place.”
The two work mostly as a team but some of the business roles are divided as Heath manages the consulting, marketing and booking most of the talent, while Molly handles the accounting, follow-up and sales calls. Aside from their involvement, the Eric Group operates with a 6-12 person crew throughout the year.
“I wouldn’t say we’re completely done with performing. We love to perform, and people will see us on stage again,” Heath said. “The phases we’ve seen ourselves in over the last few years has resembled the stages of an athlete. You start out by playing a sport, then one day you’re a coach, then you move into management and finally, you’re an owner of a sports team. The pieces have fallen together for us with the Eric Group. We’re helping bring people together for an amazing, music experience, and that’s our passion.”
To learn more about The Eric Group and the services offered, visit theericgroup.com
