Craig Erickson International Guitarist

News

DECEMBER 2006
Lots of releases and activity planned for 2007.

NAMM 2007 January in Anaheim, CA. Craig will be performing for Vigier Guitars. Other Vigier endorsers include Guns N Roses guitarist "Bumblefoot"!

New Releases for 2007 include:

A live record with "EMC" a jamming jazz funk group featuring Dennis McPartland. The record features Craig on guitar, vocals, keys and loops covering Hendrix, Bob Marley and others.
A Guest appearance on Scarlet Runner's Grooveyard Records debut, "Groove Thang". Craig sits in for two heavy guitar jam trade-offs with Jason Leroi. They cover "Who Knows" and came up wtih a two lead harmony song that sounds like Allman Brothers meets Robin Trower.
Also just being completed at press time, Craig's first full-on blues/rock CD with vocals since "Shine". Tentatively titled "Big Highway". This is an epic record that mines heavy 70's influences and breaks new ground. Stylistically, it crosses into realms recalling Hendrix, Trower, ZZ Top, Rory Gallagher, Eric Johnson, Frank Marino, Allman Brothers, Paul Rogers, King's X, Jeff Beck, Scott Henderson, Eric Gales, Cry of Love, Storyville, Doyle Bramhall Jr., Cream, Tommy Bolin, Grand Funk and more. A wild journey through classic rock and ripping blues and fusion rock.

A European tour in France, Holland, Belgium and others is scheduled for Spring 2007 wiht dates to be announced.

Following the tour 3 more CD projects are to be recorded in the summer and fall of 2007 with various gigs and guest appearances in the works!

AUGUST 2006
Craig and Al's trip to Austin for "NAMM" was awesome. Highlights included checking out the local hot Blues Guitar guy Alan Haynes at "Nuno's", eating great food and a long walk to a fantastic record shop. Austin is a great city which plays a lot of emphasis on locally owned and operated business.

Craig and Al jammed on a Jimi Hendrix tune for a crowd at the Salwender/Vigier booth in the Austin Convention Center.

Friday Craig was featured at "The Troubadour" (right next door to "Coyote Ugly" on 6th St. in Austin.

Other guitarists included Vigier fretless guitarist Ed Degenaro and fusion lefty from florida Chris Nix. An awesome 6-string bassist from Baton Rouge named Trip Wamsley and a smokin drummer from Florida added to the wall of sound. Songs by Miles, Ray Gomez, Ed D., and Craig's "Attitude Cat" were featured.

Other attendees, performers at the NAMM Show included Dug Pinnick, Andy Timmons, Symour Duncan, Vicki Genfan, Jay Roberts, Monte Montgomery, and a ton of hot Austin and Nashville studio players.

Much smaller and more intimate than the Anaheim show, it was definately an amazing time from all accounts.

Other news for Craig includes a great July show opening for Chris Duarte which later tuned into a jam with Craig, Chris, and a hot local band, "The Instigators." Jam songs included, "Superstition," "Crimino" etc. There was some absolutely insane funk and fusion guitar interplay between Chris and Craig. - It definitely should have been recorded!

Craig's song, "I'm a Businessman" was recently part of the background music for a documentary on CBS called "Mind of a Demon." This is a fascinating show in which Jacques Costeau's son Fabien Costeau got inside a submarine type structure (made to look like a real shark) and was able to hang out next to real sharks.

A pretty wild concept for sure! Craig was thrilled to have his music in any way involved with such a cool project, saying "I absolutely loved watching 'Jacque Costeau National Geographic' stuff as a kid, so what a great honor!"

And what about Craig's recent apprearance as a crowd extra in next year's baseball movie, "The Final Season"
"... Oh that, well I got my nose busted playing little league as a kid, but I hung out at "The Final Season" set because there was a free meal involved and stuff... so no song in that movie, but I do have some other interesting things coming up in 2007."

Stay tuned folks!