About Me
Performer, Composer, Studio Musician, Scholar, Teacher.
Originally from Johannesburg, South Africa, Erick is a Performer, Studio Musician, Songwriter, Composer, Scholar and Teacher. Although he has been singing and playing guitar from a very young age (a bi-product of growing up in a musical household), Erick’s musical journey officially started in 2008 when he began studying music formally at the Campus of Performing Arts.
During his studies he enjoyed a great deal of musical growth – not only because of his education, but because of the people he met and the experience he gained along the way. But it was when he graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree (BMus Hons) in 2023, that his real challenge, and greatest period of growth, had begun – becoming a working professional in the music industry!
Success in the music industry (SA music industry in particular) requires a delicate balance of excellence and versatility. Hence, Erick’s skills have gradually extended to the following areas:
- Live Performance – performing to live audiences
- Studio Work – recording and/or producing music in a studio environment
- Writing & Composing – creating new music through creative expression and disciplined direction
- Scholarship – understanding music on an academic level and as a language that is written, read and “spoken”
- Music Education – passing on his knowledge and skills to others
As a guitarist and vocalist, Erick has played all kinds of music from Pop to Heavy Metal to Lounge Jazz. He has been performing live professionally since his first years of music studies, both for his own projects as well as for dozens of other artists and bands.
Some of his most notable performances to date have been on live television in front of hundreds of thousands of viewers and at a music festival in Germany attended by over 50,000 people. He has been involved with dozens of acclaimed South African artists and projects such as Jesse Clegg, Red Helen, Robbie Wessels, Karlien van Jaarsveld, and many more.
After his recent move to Northland, New Zealand in 2022, Erick has had to work his way back up from the bottom of the industry in a new country – networking with local artists and bands and taking opportunities as they come. He has also “gone solo” for the first time ever, performing covers of Rock, Blues and Pop songs from all eras in a loop-pedal fashion.
His eclectic style of guitar playing and singing, mixed with his formally trained musical expertise and over a thousand live performances, is evident in his execution and makes him stand out from many others.
Erick has recorded, produced and/or co-produced dozens of songs. His first studio experience was in 2009 when he and his fellow bandmates recorded their very first demo recording at a professional studio. Since then, he has released a full length album with his original project ‘Red Helen’, produced multiple singles both personally and for other artists, and worked as a session musician – both in professional studios and from his own home studio.
Erick has worked with acclaimed producers such as Clint Watts (Watts Productions), André Scheepers (“Sxeeps”), Dolf Brits, Dave Grevlar (Anti-Motion Studios) and more.
Having studied (and recorded) multiple styles of music, he brings a unique form of creativity to every song and prides himself in the precision, cleanliness and attention to detail of each recording he works on.
Since the young age of 12, Erick has been obsessed with creating music. He wrote his first “song” (more of a concoction of random noises, really) when he could barely play two chords.
Each new chord, riff or melody he learned from a friend or family member would fill him with the inspiration to write an entirely new piece of music from such tiny fragments.
Many years later, after lots of practice as well as formal training to forge more structure and direction with his compositions, Erick almost always becomes a main creative contributor to any project he is involved in. He has written everything from small one-part arrangements to full songs.
In his professional capacity, he has written guitar arrangements, multi-instrument orchestral compositions, intricate Progressive Metal compositions, catchy Pop singles, A Capella arrangements, jingles, backing tracks and more. Notable collaborations have been with artists like Jesse Clegg, Red Helen, and Cindy-Louise.
When you take a tweenage boy who’s excited about music and leave him to his own devices with no internet or guitar lessons, what do you get? Someone who had no choice but to learn songs mainly by ear for most of his early musical journey. As a result, Erick has developed an incredibly keen ear over the years.
Pair that with his formal education and working experience, and you get a man who not only has the ability to play almost any piece of music he listens to, but transcribe it into a professional piece of sheet music too.
Furthermore, you get someone who can analyse almost any piece of music and break down its theoretical counterparts into separate comprehensible, teachable concepts that can be applied to many other instances and contexts.
Erick is a well-versed guitar teacher with varied experience. He has been teaching guitar since 2012 to ages ranging from 9 to 70 years old and skill levels ranging from absolute beginner to highly advanced. He has taught in homes, studios, schools, lecture halls, and online.
Erick loves helping others achieve their musical goals, whether it be to become a professional guitarist, songwriter, producer, or just to play a few tunes around the campfire.
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Over the many years I've been working with Erick, he's not only become an important voice in my life and an irreplacable friend, but also my favourite collaborater in any musical endevour.
Whether you're hiring Erick for one of his meticulous transcriptions, to sing or play on your song, or write a new one from scratch, you can rest assured that he'll consistently elevate the quality of your music projects with his masterful ear, unmatched work ethic and emphatic focus on detail.
From tearing up club and festival stages across our home country and abroad with our metal band, Red Helen, sight reading musical theatre pieces in orchestra pits, and laying down warm, emotive soundtracks at weddings and corporate functions with our acoustic cover duo, Paper Strings. I've had hundreds of opportunities to watch and learn from this world class musician/composer and if I could only choose one person to work with, it would be Erick!
Bringing careful attention and his unique perspective to every project I work on with him. I know that any song we write or perform together will be stronger thanks to his input. He doesn't accept anything less than excellence and you can hear that clearly in his work.
Greg Van Kerkhof
Performer, Songwriter and Recording Artist
Get In Touch
Please reach out if you have any questions. I typically respond to most emails within a few hours.