Tim Eriksen | |
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 Tim Eriksen performing at the Iron Horse,Northampton, MA, Feb 29, 2008 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Northampton, Massachusetts |
| Genres | Traditional folk,folk punk,punk rock, |
| Occupation(s) | Musicologist, professor |
| Instrument(s) | Violin,banjo, guitar, vocalist, bass guitar,saraswati veena,bajo sexto |
| Years active | 1987–Present |
Tim Eriksen is an American musician,musicologist, and professor. He is the leader of the bandCordelia's Dad, a solo artist, and was a performer and consultant for the award-winningsoundtrack of the filmCold Mountain.[1][2][3]
Cordelia's Dad combines traditional/old-time music andpunk rock influences to create a uniquefolk-punk sound.The Village Voice describes the band as "semi-reformed punks turned shape-note singers...recently gone entirely acoustic, but buzzing with metaphorical electricity". The band has released nine full-length albums, played festivals such asThe Newport Folk Festival, and toured with notable bandsNirvana,Uncle Tupelo, andWeezer.[4]
Eriksen successfully defended his PhD inethnomusicology atWesleyan University in May 2015, having received an M.A. in the same discipline from Wesleyan in 1993, and has served as a visiting music professor atDartmouth College,Amherst College,Hampshire College and theUniversity of Minnesota.[5] He has also taught inPoland and theCzech Republic.[1] Additionally, Eriksen is a collector of variations of folk songs, and has conducted extensive research on traditionalYugoslavian music.[2][6] Eriksen shared his extensive knowledge of folk music while a consultant for the soundtrack of the filmCold Mountain.[1][2] In 2011, Eriksen taught a class on the history of theSacred Harp atSmith College.[7]
Eriksen performed on theCold Mountain soundtrack, singing withRiley Baugus on traditional songs such as "I Wish My Baby Was Born" and "The Cuckoo".[8] He was part ofThe Great High Mountain Tour, which celebrated the traditional music ofCold Mountain andO Brother, Where Art Thou?[9]
T-Bone Burnett, the producer of theCold Mountain soundtrack, had Eriksen teach performers the complex style ofSacred Harp singing.[10]
Eriksen has also released seven solo albums:Tim Eriksen;Every Sound Below;Northern Roots Live In Namest;Soul Of The January Hills;Star in the East;Banjo, Fiddle And Voice; andJosh Billings Voyage or, Cosmopolite on the Cotton Road. ThePop Matters review ofEvery Sound Below describes it as a "stunning mixture of traditional hymns, songs from theAmerican Civil War, and Eriksen's own compositions".[8]
The Sacred Harp documentaryAwake, My Soul's accompanying soundtrackHelp Me to Sing: Songs of the Sacred Harp features a song by Eriksen and one by Cordelia's Dad.Paste Magazine describes Eriksen's performance of Sacred Harp songs at an Atlanta concert as "stand-out" and said Eriksen "was best at adapting the raw power of Sacred Harp to his own arrangements."[1]
Eriksen has also been a guest on the radio showA Prairie Home Companion, where he performed the traditional folk song "O, Death" on October 29, 2005.[11] He also playedBosnian Pop music with the band Zabe I Babe.[10] In 2018, his arrangement, including an original tune, of the song "I Wish the Wars Were All Over" was recorded byJoan Baez on her albumWhistle Down the Wind.
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