I’ve been friends with Eric Ross for 27 years. We met by providence in 1995 when I joined Substructure, a Chattanooga, TN, based alt-rock band. Over the next decade, we played music, built airplanes, tried to start a small composite company, and had lots of late-night coffee shop talks. I so often crashed on his couch that his fantastic wife, Bethany, eventually cleared out a guest room for me. Eric and his growing family moved away from the South in the mid-2000s to pursue work in Illinois for many (too many!) years but eventually moved back to the Rome, GA, area.

In February 2022, I got a call from Eric that they had lost their home to a fire. The result was a total loss of everything, including his guitars. Insurance has been a hassle for him, but they thankfully will be able to rebuild. However, it has been a slow process, and he and his family will be in temporary housing for some time.

Just about the same time as this devastating house fire, I began building electric guitars with my friend, Scott Jones. Our company is called Slow Train Guitars. Scott and I decided to build a guitar and amplifier as a gift of encouragement so Eric could enjoy music again during the long rebuild. It’s a gorgeous guitar/amp combo that we are very proud of, and we’re asking for help to cover some of the cost. This has been a labor of love for us, and we hope to catch the attention of anyone who could imagine what it’s like to lose all your tools for making music.

Please consider a donation to cheer and motivate this absolutely awesome guy. Also, please spread the word!

Thank you for your time and consideration,

Joel Bostrom