Local artist of the week Yon Ort is songwriter and multi-instrumentalist J. Eric Wilson. Born in rural Kentucky, he spent his childhood on a pig farm helping his family raise tobacco. He began singing in church and at family gatherings at a young age before his grandfather eventually bought him a classical guitar at a yard sale and sparked his musical interest.
Fast forward to 2010, Wilson transitioned into working as an organizer for the Obama Campaign and began playing with his friends in the local indie scene. Their band would later become Wild Cub and Wilson would go on to tour with them the next three years as their keyboardist. He immersed himself in synthesizers and electronic music and it grew into a quintessential part of his musical expression.
In the spring of 2015 Wilson left the band to pursue his own music. A science and Carl Sagan enthusiast, he named the project Yon Ort after Jan Oort, a Dutch Astronomer from the early 20th century. The self-titled debut EP, produced by Wilson and Wild Cub’s drummer/producer Dabney Morris is available everywhere now. Listen to the lead single “What You Feel” below and all week long on Lightning 100.
