Roky Erickson RIP
- Thread starter eleelandc
- Start date
Heitkotter77
Ikon Class
- Joined
- Oct 3, 2011
- Location
- the Woods of Briar
https://www.austin360.com/entertain...ckson-texas-psychedelic-music-legend-has-died
Also posted by his brother on Facebook. Not sure if you can see this without an account.
Also posted by his brother on Facebook. Not sure if you can see this without an account.
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2011
- Location
- Sydney, Australia
I saw him at the Whiskey A Go Go in LA in 1981, with the Explosives. A great band, but even then Roky needed assistance to sling his guitar strap and press his pedals. The other guitarist did that stuff for him. It didn't detract from one of the most awesome gigs I've ever seen. Only about 150 people were there. He came back onstage after the show to shake hands with the crowd. A good long shake spared for me, it was fantastic.
Roky Erickson in the snow in the front yard of his house in Austin. December 1984??? I can't remember. Photo by Peter Watt. Roky was wearing gloves and an overcoat, but also sneakers with no socks. He had just walked back from the local shops.
This is the back yard of where Roky lived with his mother. The steel structure was a planned extension to the house, built years earlier. They ran out of money to complete it so it remained like that. Photo by Peter Watt. There was a freak snow storm in Austin that day.
I can't help but thinking of our late garage forum mate Patrick Lundborg now.
When Roky played at Sweden's Hultsfred Festival (his first gig ever outside of US),
the place was PACKED.
I'm quite sure that the place would only've been half full without Patrick
constantly lobbying for his greatness and helping distributing, writing about
and promoting the Elevators and his solo stuff for YEARS in his homeland.
When Roky played at Sweden's Hultsfred Festival (his first gig ever outside of US),
the place was PACKED.
I'm quite sure that the place would only've been half full without Patrick
constantly lobbying for his greatness and helping distributing, writing about
and promoting the Elevators and his solo stuff for YEARS in his homeland.
soundog III
Tennalaga Class
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2011
- Location
- New York
I count myself as very fortunate to have seen Roky in concert a few times, the Ponderosa Stomp gig eargasm mentioned being a particularly great one. Cam King on guitar was beyond outstanding, a supercharged show in every respect.
At another performance in NYC I was fortunate enough to be have the opportunity to say hello to Roky, he remarked that hell was indeed low ! And then he graciously agreed to sign a funny EP. The weird Tales LP , while not a sonic masterpiece is a favorite, I believe it was recorded at a 1977 San Francisco gig. Some great performances on there as well.
At another performance in NYC I was fortunate enough to be have the opportunity to say hello to Roky, he remarked that hell was indeed low ! And then he graciously agreed to sign a funny EP. The weird Tales LP , while not a sonic masterpiece is a favorite, I believe it was recorded at a 1977 San Francisco gig. Some great performances on there as well.
Heitkotter77
Ikon Class
- Joined
- Oct 3, 2011
- Location
- the Woods of Briar
Mentioning Patrick, I can't believe that in just under a week, it will be 5 years since his passing.
Only six days apart .
- Joined
- Apr 12, 2011
- Location
- Sydney, Australia
Roky was for me the #1 singer of all time, 1965-67.
soundog III
Tennalaga Class
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2011
- Location
- New York
Let us not neglect the incredible run of 70's - early 80's 45's; Mars / Sponge / Rhino / Dynamic are amongst my very favorite works of his. The CBS stuff is certainly worthy but the above noted Grand Slam rate more than a notch or two higher in my estimation.
Dave Baldwin
Tennalaga Class
- Joined
- May 5, 2011
- Location
- Deep Texas
I lived in Austin for over 25 years and saw Roky many times both on stage and off.
Probably the best show I saw was an impromptu set he played with Doug Sahm's
band at my neighborhood bar circa 1976. As much as I liked The Explosives,
The Aliens and Erickson's later backing bands, it was incredible to see Roky
Erickson (my favouite Texas rock vocalist) with Doug Sahm (my favourite Texas
blues guitarist) and George Raines (my favourite Texas drummer) ripping through
a set of Roky's best originals like "Two-Headed Dog" and "Don't Shake Me Lucifer".
No ballads, no nostalgia, just high-energy edge-of-your-seat psychedelic rock & roll.
Doug Sahm really channeled his 1966 Avalon Ballroom feedback/distortion that night.
We're losing all the legends now...hang in there, Augie.
soundog III
Tennalaga Class
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2011
- Location
- New York
Thanks for that great recollection Dave, it really conveyed a sense of time and place. A wish list set list based on your recounting of the gig and my vague awareness of what likely would have been included in a mid 70's era set.
Quite a good obit in the Washington Post today, ( irrespective of what one might think of the WaPo.) I've appended a couple of quotes / observations that stood out for me, as well as a link to the entire story.
" The oldest of five sons, Roger Kynard Erickson was born in Dallas on July 15, 1947, and raised in Austin. His father was an architect and civil engineer who designed and built the family home. His mother was a soprano vocalist who trained as an opera singer.
From a young age, Mr. Erickson was known as Roky — pronounced “Rocky,” and formed by combining the first letters of his given and middle names. He took piano lessons starting at age 4, and was taught guitar by his mother, developing a love of music while listening to records by James Brown, Buddy Holly and the casts of “South Pacific” and “West Side Story.”
Here's my fave ---> "When asked where his melodies came from, according to the Texas Monthly profile, Mr. Erickson was elusive. “The very best ones are sent from heaven by Buddy Holly,” he said. “The rest take the better part of an afternoon to rip off.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/loca...945ae5db8fb_story.html?utm_term=.0743c7886f4d
Quite a good obit in the Washington Post today, ( irrespective of what one might think of the WaPo.) I've appended a couple of quotes / observations that stood out for me, as well as a link to the entire story.
" The oldest of five sons, Roger Kynard Erickson was born in Dallas on July 15, 1947, and raised in Austin. His father was an architect and civil engineer who designed and built the family home. His mother was a soprano vocalist who trained as an opera singer.
From a young age, Mr. Erickson was known as Roky — pronounced “Rocky,” and formed by combining the first letters of his given and middle names. He took piano lessons starting at age 4, and was taught guitar by his mother, developing a love of music while listening to records by James Brown, Buddy Holly and the casts of “South Pacific” and “West Side Story.”
Here's my fave ---> "When asked where his melodies came from, according to the Texas Monthly profile, Mr. Erickson was elusive. “The very best ones are sent from heaven by Buddy Holly,” he said. “The rest take the better part of an afternoon to rip off.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/loca...945ae5db8fb_story.html?utm_term=.0743c7886f4d
Dave Baldwin
Tennalaga Class
- Joined
- May 5, 2011
- Location
- Deep Texas
The Doug Sahm/Roky Erickson show that I mentioned was a four-song set in the middle of Sahm's show at the Rome Inn Restaurant.
The songs were "Two-Headed Dog", "Stand For The Fire Demon", "Don't Shake Me Lucifer" and another 'devil' song that I didn't
know at the time (possibly "The Beast Is Coming To Your World"). Roky looked like a possessed rock & roll Rasputin that night:
rail-thin with hair halfway down his back, a long beard and Rosemary's Baby eyes. He was dressed up in a 1976 'date night special'
outfit (blue blazer, YSL cotton dress shirt, white slacks, black platform boots) looking like he'd just come from the disco down the
street where all the Iranian students at U.T. hung out every weekend. "Every demon crazy 'bout a sharp-dressed man..."
