I’ve always been a firm believer that if you can capture an audience with just your voice and an acoustic guitar, then you’ve got something special. For me, Eli Elisco is the living embodiment of that ideology.

A completely self-taught, independent artist out of San Francisco, Eli Elisco is one of the ever-growing collection of musicians who’ve received no style of formal training. No singing lessons, guitar lessons, songwriting courses, all Eli has is his instinct on what sound best portrays his story. Because of this he rebels against the typical music conventions, by having no traditional rules instilled in him to follow, he in-turn creates fluid tracks that speak to listeners in a new way. Rather than follow a song structure, he follows the emotion of the story.

His latest single she was beautifully captures the complexities of love and heartbreak. It’s almost like you’re walking in on your friend, strumming their guitar after a break up, and letting out their visceral pain in the most cathartic way possible. Each word is calculated but feels as natural as breathing, each chord is placed with precision but feels like it has come from a jam session, it’s the perfect blend of authentic honesty and song craft. Eli Elisco is a master at using personal stories to convey universal experiences, he bares his heart-on-his-sleeve and lets you insert yourself within his narrative.