Erik Hokkanen
Encyclopedia
Erik Hokkanen is a fiddler, electric guitar player, and composer living in Austin, Texas
.
Born into a musical family, Erik began his musical training at age four on piano
. Over the following years, he learned mandolin
, guitar
, and string bass. At age twelve, Erik began studying old-time music
and classical music
on the violin
.
Today, Erik is known for performing and composing an array of musical styles, including gypsy music, western swing
, surf rock, rock music
, rockabilly
, bluegrass music
, and classical. He moves effortlessly among instruments, often playing violin while an electric guitar
hangs down his back.
It has been said that pound for pound, Erik is the most talented musician in Austin. He is a three time winner of the Kerrville Folk Festival
Music Awards' "Instrumentalist of the year" and was 1993's "Performer of the Year."
A third generation Finn raised in Florida, Erik has toured extensively through Finland, playing major festivals and clubs with top Finnish musicians. In 1998, Erik taught as a Professor of Music in the Folk Music Department at the prestigious Sibelius Academy
in Helsinki
, Finland
.
In Texas, Erik regularly teaches Rock n’ Roll Summer Camp in Austin with the help of his son Luke. In his off time, Erik enjoys learning about Native American spirituality and practices survival skills
in the Texas Hill Country
.
Bands he has founded include:
Bands he has been a member of or participated with include:
Austin, Texas
Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of :Texas and the seat of Travis County. Located in Central Texas on the eastern edge of the American Southwest, it is the fourth-largest city in Texas and the 14th most populous city in the United States. It was the third-fastest-growing large city in...
.
Born into a musical family, Erik began his musical training at age four on piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
. Over the following years, he learned mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
, and string bass. At age twelve, Erik began studying old-time music
Old-time music
Old-time music is a genre of North American folk music, with roots in the folk music of many countries, including England, Scotland, Ireland and countries in Africa. It developed along with various North American folk dances, such as square dance, buck dance, and clogging. The genre also...
and classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
on the violin
Violin
The violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
.
Today, Erik is known for performing and composing an array of musical styles, including gypsy music, western swing
Western swing
Western swing music is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the West and South among the region's Western string bands...
, surf rock, rock music
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
, rockabilly
Rockabilly
Rockabilly is one of the earliest styles of rock and roll music, dating to the early 1950s.The term rockabilly is a portmanteau of rock and hillbilly, the latter a reference to the country music that contributed strongly to the style's development...
, bluegrass music
Bluegrass music
Bluegrass music is a form of American roots music, and a sub-genre of country music. It has mixed roots in Scottish, English, Welsh and Irish traditional music...
, and classical. He moves effortlessly among instruments, often playing violin while an electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
hangs down his back.
It has been said that pound for pound, Erik is the most talented musician in Austin. He is a three time winner of the Kerrville Folk Festival
Kerrville Folk Festival
The Kerrville Folk Festival is a music festival held for 18 consecutive days in the late spring/early summer at Quiet Valley Ranch near Kerrville, Texas. The event has run on a yearly basis since 1972. In November 2008, the Kerrville Folk Festival and Kerrville Wine & Music Festival were acquired...
Music Awards' "Instrumentalist of the year" and was 1993's "Performer of the Year."
A third generation Finn raised in Florida, Erik has toured extensively through Finland, playing major festivals and clubs with top Finnish musicians. In 1998, Erik taught as a Professor of Music in the Folk Music Department at the prestigious Sibelius Academy
Sibelius Academy
The Sibelius Academy is a university-level music school which operates in Helsinki and Kuopio, Finland. It also has an adult education centre in Järvenpää and a training centre in Seinäjoki. The Academy is the only music university in Finland. It is among the biggest European music universities...
in Helsinki
Helsinki
Helsinki is the capital and largest city in Finland. It is in the region of Uusimaa, located in southern Finland, on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, an arm of the Baltic Sea. The population of the city of Helsinki is , making it by far the most populous municipality in Finland. Helsinki is...
, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
.
In Texas, Erik regularly teaches Rock n’ Roll Summer Camp in Austin with the help of his son Luke. In his off time, Erik enjoys learning about Native American spirituality and practices survival skills
Survival skills
Survival skills are techniques a person may use in a dangerous situation to save themselves or others...
in the Texas Hill Country
Texas Hill Country
The Texas Hill Country is a vernacular term applied to a region of Central Texas featuring tall rugged hills consisting of thin layers of soil atop limestone or granite. It also includes the Llano Uplift and the second largest granite monadnock in the United States, Enchanted Rock, which is located...
.
Bands he has founded include:
- Erik and the Offbeats
- Erik and the She-Wolves
- Erik and the Hip Replacements
- Erik and Erik (with singer/songwriter Erik Moll)
- Lumisudet
Bands he has been a member of or participated with include:
- Mad Cat Trio (featuring Danny BarnesDanny BarnesDanny Barnes is a banjo and guitar player whose music is influenced by country, jazz and punk. Born in Temple, Texas and raised in Belton, Barnes was exposed to music at a young age: he recalls picking up a love of country and bluegrass from his father and grandmother, Delta blues from one brother...
and Mark Rubin of the Bad Livers) - Bad Livers (studio fiddler)
- Baby Gorillas
- Don WalserDon WalserDonald Ray Walser was an American country music singer. He was known as a unique, award-winning yodeling "Texas country music legend."- Music career :...
- Junior BrownJunior BrownJamieson "Junior" Brown is an American country guitarist and singer. He has released nine studio albums in his career, and has charted twice on the Billboard country singles charts. Brown's signature instrument is the "guit-steel" double neck guitar, a hybrid of electric guitar and lap steel...
- JPPJPPJPP is a group of Finnish folk musicians, mainly fiddlers, hailing from Kaustinen. The name originally meant Järvelän Pikkupelimannit, the small fiddlers of Järvelä, but today the group only uses the abbreviation JPP...
- Wayne HancockWayne HancockWayne "The Train" Hancock is a country musician.Hancock began writing songs at the age of 12, and at 18 won a talent contest called the "Wrangler County Showdown." Immediately after the contest, he was shipped to recruit training and served four years with the United States Marine Corps. In 1994...
Discography
- Erik and the Offbeats (1987)
- Blue Corn (1989)
- Erik & Erik (1992)
- Earth Swing (1994)
- Kaustinen, Texas (1995)
- Swing the Night Away (1996)
- Barnes, Hokkanen and Rubin: Mad Cat Trio (1998)
- In the Heart of the Waking Dream (1999)
- Scout Fiddle Blues: Souvenir Album (2000)
- Erik and the She Wolves (2002)
- Erik and the Hip Replacements, Gypsy Twan (2002)
- Erik and the She-Wolves, Melodrama Sweetheart (2005)
- Erik and the Hip Replacements, Alive in Austin (2005)
- Cosmic Meltdown Vol. 1 (2008)
Soundtracks
- DOA (1988)
- Texas Chain Saw Massacre III (1990)
- Michael (1996)
- The Newton Boys (1998)