Erik Brandt's Bio:
"The Long Winter by Erik Brandt is a beautiful album. What really blows my mind and influenced my thinking is the continuity of the performance. A "must buy" album."
John Shelton Ivany. May 2012
Erik Brandt has been the ringleader of the award-winning eclectic Twin Cities-based Urban Hillbilly Quartet since 1995. By night, he plays music. By day, he teaches English at Harding High School in St. Paul. He’s played in venues all over the USA, Canada, Australia, and on various street corners throughout Europe. He’s also taught high school Shakespeare, rudimentary grammar, haikus and standardized test prep.
On stage, Erik performs mainly original material drawn from the Americana vein. Most of his original tunes can be found on the nine albums he’s recorded with the UHQ and his three solo albums, including his latest, The Long Winter. When choosing covers, he pulls liberally from the catalogs of Bob Dylan, The Flatlanders, Johnny Cash, and other Americana heroes. As a multi-instrumentalist, Erik switches between acoustic guitar, piano and accordion during performances.
His music has been influenced by and compared to: Americana powerhouses The Jayhawks, Gillian Welch, and Uncle Tupelo; Georgia’s Vigilantes of Love; Britain’s The Waterboys; Australia’s Paul Kelly; Canada’s Bruce Cockburn; and folk/jazz pioneers David Grisman, Paris Combo and Tin Hat Trio.
Though Erik mostly performs solo, he is often joined by guests from UHQ and other bands on stage. The combination of his different instruments, songwriting talent and musical guests makes his live performances dynamic and unique.
RECORDINGS
1997: Living in The City (Fundamental/Hymn 13)
1998: St. Paul Town (Fundamental/Hymn 16)
1999: Beautiful Lazy (Fundamental/Hymn 19/TrueTunes Records)
2000: Lanky But Macho (Independent)
2001: Hot and Now (Bert Records)
2002: (Erik Brandt & UHQ) Amelia’s Boot (Fundamental 1 A.D.)
2003: The A-List (Fundamental 2 A.D.)
2006: Green Eyed Alone (Mercy Recordings)
2008: Bring in the Sails (Mercy Recordings)
2009: Sometimes (Mercy Recordings)
2012: The Long Winter (House of Mercy Recordings)
2019: South of Dark (House of Mercy Recordings)
