Today we’d like to introduce you to ERIK-G.
Hi ERIK-G, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I’ve been a musician since I was a toddler. My dad was a local percussionist, and my uncle was a world-renown percussionist for celebrity artists. Music has always a major part of my everyday.
My dad got me started early with private piano lessons during my elementary school years. And I was always involved with my school’s music programs (show choir, band, orchestra, jazz band, etc). I went to Burbank schools, where there was a lot of support by the major studios. And so many of the parents and students were in the entertainment business.
My very first professional credits where in high school, where the symphonic band got to play on the film soundtracks to Shrek 3, and Megamind (both by DreamWorks).
After that, I continued my music education into college (CSUN) where I got a degree in music education. All the while, I was hustling to play gigs and trying to make a name for myself as a working professional musician. I played everywhere I could, in any genre I could. From the most seedy bars, to big music festivals, to churches, weddings, corporate events, and everything in between. Pop, Rock, R&B, Hip Hop, Urban, Gospel, Funk, Reggae, Country, Brazilian, Latin, Jazz, Salsa, Reggaeton, EDM, Musicals, you name it.
For the longest time, I’ve had one foot in education and the other foot in the music industry. I became a pretty well-respected elementary school music educator in the surrounding school districts. At the height of my teaching career, I was working at the administration level, leading workshops to train teachers on best-practices for music instruction. But after almost a decade, I realized that if I kept diving further into this teaching career… My music dreams would keep getting pushed to the wayside.
When I turned 30, I found myself at a crossroad. I knew I couldn’t keep juggling both careers. If I were to do that, I was going to fail at both. So I chose music. As great as I was at teaching, my passion has always been, and will always be making music. I quit my teaching job, and immediately started hunting for work as a full-time musician. I made all the calls, sent all the emails, and started my instagram account to advertise myself.
Social media turned out to be my greatest asset in getting my name out there. I was starting to make content, learning as I went. I researched the best ways to utilize social media to my advantage to get eyeballs on me. And after a year of grinding, and putting myself out there. I starting getting calls for big opportunities that wouldn’t have happened otherwise.
It started with music production. I found myself doing intern odd jobs for a music producer in LA. I got to work in big commercial studios like EastWest, and United. It was really eye opening not just to learn how professional sessions are run, but also how to lead a group of the highest level professional musicians. All the things I learned from these major studios, I applied to my home studio. As a result of all this experience recording for artists, and recording for film, lead me to start writing music for television through sync licensing, which a hard business to get into. You kinda have to know somebody who is already in it. I was lucky enough to have music placed on a lot of reality shows on big networks like E! Oxygen! NBC, Tru TV, etc.
All this exposure for me just kept snowballing. As I was building up my credits/resume, I was also gigging for corporate entertainment agencies, as a bandleader/music director. It was great because I was getting experience touring for short periods at a time. A weekend here, a weekend there, flights and performances all around the country, getting to lead some of the best musicians in the business. Of course, I was always capturing my performances on camera and posting them on social media for the world to see. It was working!
Finally, in 2024, after about 20yrs in the music business with a good enough reputation… I got the call to be the new keyboard player for the REAL Frankie Valli & The Four Seasons. My first major celebrity tour! I got the call through word of mouth, and also a lot of online content to show for it. I had put myself out into the world, let my work speak for itself, and it finally paid off with the chance to work for a living legend.
I’ve learned so much from Frankie Valli this past year, not just about music, but about life. And our whole team is one big family out on the road. From the crew, to the musicians, to the dancers, to Frank himself. It’s been a wild ride playing in arenas and theaters all over the US, where the fans go crazy at every show. We are all in awe of Frankie’s ability to tour at his age and still manage to sell out shows!
Meanwhile, as I currently have this tour to keep me afloat in the business, I can afford to carve out more time and effort to continue my journey as a content creator. Making music for social media, collaborating with other artists, and building my online portfolio. The more I put myself out there, the more it will lead to bigger opportunities.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
The biggest hurdle has been having to pivot and learn new trades. It’s not enough to just be a musician. I learned to be a recording engineer, a producer, a director, a post production engineer, a camera operator, and lighting tech, and folley artist, a social media manager, a researcher, and most of all, a “finisher.” Someone who takes projects all the way to the end and publishes them. This is something that most musicians lack.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I’m a live music director, a studio music producer, and a touring musician. My primary instrument that I am known for is piano and keyboards. As a music producer, I play a few other instruments, but not to the level of my piano playing. I sing, I play latin percussion, a little bass, and drums.
I’m most proud of my ability to cultivate work for my self by utilizing all of my skills in both music, production, and content creation. All of my accomplishments are a direct result of my effort to expose myself to the world and to advocate for myself.
What sets me apart is that I walk the walk. So many musicians just daydream. But I set goals and accomplish them. When I say I’m going to do something, I do it. I believe that if you want something done right, you gotta do it yourself. So my strength here that sets me apart from the others is my follow-thru.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
I used to be obsessed with the Lion King (the original movie). And when I was a young kid, my dad took me up to the big rocky mountains of Chatsworth / Topanga Canyon where we climbed up to the top and pretending like we were lions on “pride rock.” Looking back on it, it’s kind of poetic. It was almost like he was showing me “everything the light touches is your kingdom” as Mufasa says to Simba.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erikgmusik/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@erikgmusik
- Other: https://jammcard.com/erikgmusik
