1974–1985 Erikson formed the rock band
Spooner in 1974 with two fellow musicians in
Madison, Wisconsin. Erikson sang lead vocals, played keyboards and guitar, and became the band's principal songwriter, his compositions being described by
City Lights as "strangely seductive" and "immediately draw[ing] in the listener". Spooner became a quartet when
Butch Vig joined them on drums. Spooner released two well-received albums,
Every Corner Dance and
The Wildest Dreams, and toured across the Midwest. In 1983, Erikson helped Vig and
Steve Marker establish
Smart Studios in Madison, where he helped to design the studio interior and where he has carried out
engineering, production and
remixing work for a series of local and international rock artists.
1986–1993 In 1986, Erikson collaborated again with Vig to form the
garage-rock band
Fire Town, in which he played guitar and contributed
vocals. The band released two albums,
In the Heart of the Heart Country and
The Good Life, the latter on
Atlantic Records.
Rolling Stone praised their debut as "a striking, thoughtful album" with "killer harmonies". While Fire Town had disbanded by 1989, Erikson co-wrote the band's seven albums, contributing guitar, keyboards, and bass. The albums have sold more than 17 million copies worldwide. Though sometimes a taciturn presence in the band, Erikson has been known to contribute an air of dry humour to media interviews. During a discussion in 1996 about the interpersonal chemistry within Garbage, he deadpanned: "We have a little room where we go and cry." Erikson's other projects include the production of other artists. He produced the single "If You Go" by the Greenlandic singer
Simon Lynge, which received regular
airplay in Britain during 2011 after being added to the
BBC Radio 2 playlist. Erikson is on the
board of directors of the acclaimed UK independent record label
Lo-Max Records, which is home to
The Wrens,
The Go-Betweens,
Kevin Ayers, and
Simon Lynge. In 2017 he co-produced and worked extensively on
sound restoration for the
American Epic series as well as co-producing the music for
The American Epic Sessions. Erikson's daughter, Roxy Erickson, is a photographer based in London, England. ==Discography==