Album Notes

ERIC CARLSON


Eric Carlson is a Singer/Songwriter and Artist out of Turtle River City, MN. At a young age, Eric grew up with various kinds folk artists such as Greg Brown, Valdy, Peter Ostrushko and Joni Mitchell that his parents played around the house often. When he was 10 years old his parents encouraged him to join choir and take piano lessons, which he at first resisted. So his parents decided to make him to join these subjects, which he is very grateful for to this day. At age 15 he was singing and dancing in the show choir and was performing in a select Madrigal group year-round. Singing proved to be a good fit for the young teenager, dancing not so much. It was in these groups he met Brian Miller, who was also 15 and playing in various rock and roll bands at the time.

Eric and Brian found that they had a common interest in contemporary folk music. They began to piece together and perform folk music by such artists as Martin Sexton, The Indigo Girls, Bob Dylan, Valdy and Greg Brown. Soon they started to write, compose and perform their own songs and style of music. Both Eric and Brian sang and song-wrote. They found a very positive and supporting response from the community of Bemidji, MN. They performed at a large open mic gathering hosted by the Northwoods Folk Collective every first Friday of every month. They performed at coffee houses, art festivals, music festivals, school talent shows and assemblies. They produced their first CD album as "Brian and Eric" entitled "Friday". The CD earned the boys a good profit and they were invited to perform in New York at the People's Music Network Festival.

Meanwhile the boys had been attending the Winnipeg Folk Festival annually and were being exposed to new and exciting forms of folk music. Brian became fascinated with the Irish and Celtic music that was being performed there and set out to put together a small band of musicians in the Irish tradition. He suggested to Eric that he purchase a bodhran which a man by the name of Pat Ryan, a drummer of a local irish group called "Faire Wind" had for sale. He also asked Karl Espe, a friend and very talented fiddle player to join. Soon the three were playing jigs and reels outside of the local playhouse before play performances as the irish trio, "The Gaels". The Gaels have gone on to play all over the Midwest and down to Colorado, an eight-year venture that has seen the production of many original compositions and three popular albums.

Eric continued to pursue his own music with weekly solo performances at the Northern Inn in Bemidji every Wednesday night starting at 9:00 PM while he was going through college. The weekly gig helped him financially and he decided to save his money to do a trip around New Zealand. He played enough gigs in New Zealand to pay the rent for his small apartment in Havelock North. When he returned he put together a small demo of original music landing him some gigs in the Twin Cities area where he now lives. Music has become an exciting adventure and a spiritual vent that roots itself in his childhood as he continues to explore and grow with it.

"My music comes from a very personal place, often dealing with the relationships and people who have had profound affect on me in my life. The natural beauty I grew up in often surfaces in my songs. I feel a similar reverence for the stillness of the woods as for the ebb and flow of the musical experience."

?"Eric Carlson


Visit Eric's website: http://ericcarlson.efoliomn.com/