Nathan and Noah East: Why Listening Is the Greatest Skill a Musician Can Learn

For Nathan East and his son Noah, Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival represents service, family and the power of listening.

"Crossroads is a very special endeavor,” says Nathan. “Eric feels like his purpose is to help people with their recovery. I've been to the Crossroads Centre in Antigua and seen how many people it has helped—from teenagers all the way to people older than me. It's such a great mission."

"It's amazing how selfless Eric is,” adds Noah. “He doesn't have to do any of this, but he gives his heart, his soul and his time to build this foundation. To unite people through music and do it for his cause is truly amazing."

Making Music Together

"We've been playing together in our living room ever since Noah was a youngster,” says Nathan. “To make Father Son—our collaborative album—and traveling the world together has been amazing. Eric blessed us by playing on a couple of tracks. It has been nothing short of a dream.”

"Even being out there on tour, it still kind of feels like an extension of being in the living room jamming,” says Noah. “Now, we're just doing it in front of more people.”

Learning From Legends

"I remember being a toddler at the Royal Albert Hall watching Dad play with Eric,” says Noah. “That's kind of all I remember from growing up. To soak in so much music and wisdom from those artists has definitely shaped my playing."

Listening Before Playing

"Listening is the most important thing," says Nathan. "It's a dialogue onstage. You have to understand what conversation is taking place and how you can become part of that conversation. That’s what I appreciate about Noah—he listens, then he jumps in there and gets it done."

"Well... I learned from the best," smiles Noah.

Music in Service to Something Bigger

"Crossroads is the perfect name,” says Nathan, “because we're all coming from different walks of life, different genres of music, and everybody is coming together for this cause of being in service. It's bigger than even just playing together." Be sure to check out the rest of our artist interviews from Crossroads 2026.