Erik Koskinen Band: Guys That Don’t Complain

By Jeannette Madden
Staff Writer

Erik Koskinen, a musician living and working in Minneapolis/St. Paul, opened for Trampled by Turtles recently at The Venue at the Hub.
I first saw him when he did a song with Alison Scott at her CD release party. I ran into him outside and was so impressed that when he invited me to his regular Wednesday night gig at Nye’s Polonaise Room in downtown Minneapolis, I went. Erik plays there with Molly Maher, as band leader for Molly Maher and her Disbelievers.

Later, I met Erik at the historic Turf Club in St. Paul. We started with Erik explaining to me where Michigan is.

Erik Koskinen: Well, there’s two parts to Michigan. There’s downstate Michigan, which is across from Wisconsin, directly east.

High Plains Reader: The Peninsula.

EK: I lived in the Upper Peninsula, which is kind of north and northeast of Wisconsin, so it’s connected to Wisconsin.

HPR: Tell me how you write your music.

EK: Probably, every way possible. If I have an idea in mind, a song lyrically, every once in awhile I’ll sit down and write it in like ten minutes and kind of write the music with it or afterward. Sometimes I get a melody in my head and write the melody off of a hook line and you kind of sit there and throw words around until something starts to come together. Sometimes, I can use a drum track and put music and words to it at the same time and that will inspire me to write a certain kind of way.

HPR: Do you feel like you are creating all the time? When did the CD that you gave me, when did you release that one?

EK: July, released it in July. It took a long time to come out. I moved here and I said I was going to put a record out and it took four years. It actually took the last year but it took three years of working…working on everybody else’s records. I have a studio so I work on other people’s records. So, by the time I actually got to it, it didn’t take very long. It was probably good I waited, too.

HPR: Why?

EK: Just because I wrote a bunch of songs right before I recorded it and I like them and they’re better than the ones they replaced, I guess you could say.

HPR: Who are your influences?

EK: Well, we’re in Minnesota so I’ll say Bob Dylan. A lot of Texas music. We just did a gig with this group called the Texas Tornados, the Sir Douglas Quintet, my dad gave me their records when I was a kid. Polka music, the right kind of Polka music I’m into. It has to swing, it has to groove or it has to move. Rock and roll, Chuck Berry. One of the best song writers, ever, simplest and the best. I shouldn’t say simple because his lyrics are simple but nobody else can write them and he kind of invented rock and roll. My parents would take me to a lot of country music festivals and folk festivals and when I say country music it would be old country music. Old school picking groups and folk music. Everything, I guess. Cajun music, love Cajun music. Motown, Detroit, Michigan.

HPR: Basically, you’re influenced by almost everything.

EK: Yeah, basically if it was created in this country and that’s how I write songs. Modern music that is based off of old American music. The history of it is pretty intriguing to me.

HPR: So, you opened for Trampled By Turtles in Fargo. Did your whole band go?

EK: The band went, which is great. I got a buddy of mine, Frankie Lee, playing bass and singing harmony parts. He’s a local boy from Stillwater who’s traveled around the country, great songwriter, guitar player. He learned how to play bass going on tour with Tim O’Reagan, from the Jayhawks.

Paul Bergen on guitar. He’s one of the baddest, or best, guitar players in this town. Bobby Vee is his uncle, from Fargo. So is his cousin, Robbie Vee, he’s toured with him a bunch. Great guy, great guitar player, great guy to be in the van with. He’s the one guy that never complains. Actually, I always pick guys in the band that don’t complain. You can be good, you can be not as good, but you can’t complain or you gotta stay home.

Our drummer is Noah Levy and locally, everybody knows Noah. Plays with the BoDeans, played with Peter Frampton, played with Five For Fighting, played with the Honeydogs and probably one of the nicest guys in town and the most professional. Shows up to a studio and nails it every time.

So, I’m more than lucky and honored that these guys came up to Fargo with me.

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If You Go

What: Erik Koskinen Band
Where: Legion Hall, Lanesboro, Minn.
When: Sat, Oct 16, 7:30pm
Info:  507.467.2446

Where: Nye’s Polonaise Room, 112 E Hennepin Ave, Minneapolis.
When: Wednesdays, 10pm
Info: 612.379.2021