Today we’d like to introduce you to Eric Kalver.
Hi Eric, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I come from a family tree consisting of magicians, singers, actors, and dancers, so it feels like I was meant to be in the entertainment industry.
I grew up in Rhode Island and I started as a magician’s assistant to my father at age 5. By the time I was 11, I wanted to have my own entertainment identity. I had a love of The Beatles and I was drawn to how Ringo was different from the other members of the band. He wasn’t playing the standard guitar or bass, just like my family didn’t have an “ordinary job.” What really sealed the deal for me to pursue drums was the movie “That Thing You Do.” Guy Patterson wasn’t just the guy on the drums. He had ideas, a business mind and went with the flow.
After attending Berklee College of Music with a dual major in drum set performance and arranging, I moved to Los Angeles in 2009 to pursue my dreams of being a professional musician. Since then, I have been the music supervisor of Call of Duty, Tony Hawk Pro Skater 1+2, and Guitar Hero Live, orchestrated on features films such as Fast Five and Skyline, written songs that have been heard on Netflix, Amazon and CBS, published percussion arrangements that have been played by college ensembles, and played drums for artists such as Lindsey Stirling, Speelburg, the comedy improv group Baby Wants Candy, and comedian Todd Glass on a Netflix comedy special.
Currently, I am the Music Director of 2 popular animated shows: CoComelon, which is the number one YouTube channel for kids in the world, and Little Angel, which is a top kid’s show on Netflix and Hulu.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
When I first moved to Los Angeles, it was very intimidating. Similar to when I went from high school to college, I was a big fish in a small Rhode Island pond, and Los Angeles was an ocean.
The music work I wanted took eight months to find. I worked as a waiter, a production assistant, an extra on TV shows, an after-school teacher, and even a clown at a haunted maze. I did anything and everything to keep up the momentum.
I networked like crazy and stayed persistent with my leads for jobs. I learned over the years that literally anyone you meet has the potential of having a connection you may not know exists, but you need to be trustworthy and a good person first in order to gain the trust to be let into someone else’s network.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
For CoComelon and Little Angel, I oversee the creative strategy of the music direction. That means that I help determine what kind of songs we write, how we arrange the instruments to sound like the brand, and how to make them likable and catchy. I have a team of producers, composers, and lyricists across both shows that create the music.
Due to my entertainment background with my family, I feel like I was meant to do this job. All of my years acting and singing in musical theater, as well as learning how to perform as a magician, have trained me to understand how to entertain audiences (especially children) through music. Additionally, my three years old daughter loves being my personal focus group when I share ideas with her.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
I am lucky to have parents that have supported my music career since I was first interested in becoming a drummer, but 3 of my high school teachers were huge influences in my life: Mark Colozzi, Greg Arsenault, and Howard Chun.
Mark and Greg both treated music like a football team and not just a band. We worked hard because we were inspired by their leadership. We practiced a lot and learned about working as a team and a unit. I was exposed to great music and experienced playing music with others, that taught me valuable lessons that I take with me today. Howard was not a music teacher; he was my physics teacher that encouraged my interest in pursuing music (he is a viola player).
In Los Angeles, I’ve had some amazing mentors from many of my music supervising experiences such as Brandon Young, Gabe McDonough, as well as drum extraordinaire Dave Black. Teachers and mentors are extremely important to me whenever I need help in figuring out my direction in this industry.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.erickalver.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/ewicdwums?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/erickalver
Image Credits
Headshot: Billye Donya Photography
