Skerik

Eric "Skerik" Walton (born November 19, 1964) is an American saxophonist from Seattle, Washington. Performing on the tenor and baritone saxophone, often with electronics and loops, he is a pioneer in a playing style that has been called saxophonics.

He is a founding member of Critters Buggin, Garage a Trois, Ponga, Tuatara, Lorbo and Skerik's Syncopated Taint Septet. He is also an original member of both Les Claypool's Fancy Band and Frog Brigade. Skerik also worked with grunge band Mad Season.

History Skerik, born Eric Walton, began playing saxophone in the fifth grade. His father's love of jazz was an early inspiration. He played saxophone, keyboards and percussion in a rock band called Uncle Jam. He has cited The Rolling Stones and Pink Floyd as bands from that time period who brought saxophone into rock music well. In the 1980s he travelled to London, Paris and the South Pacific working day jobs and playing in a variety of bands. His friendship with Leif Totusek introduced him to South African music and Zaire soukous bands in London where he first began playing music full time.

Skerik returned to Seattle in the late 1980s where he played with Sadhappy. In the early 1990s he joined three ex-members of New Bohemians to form Critters Buggin Projects since that time have included Ponga (Wayne Horvitz and Bobby Previte), Tuatara (Peter Buck, Scott McCaughey and Craig Flory) and solo works of Stanton Moore as well as Garage A Trois (also including Charlie Hunter). Beginning 2000 Skerik was a member of every incarnation of Les Claypool's Frog Brigade and Fancy Band. In 2001 Skerik played the Pacific Northwest portion of Roger Waters' tour, reproducing the sax lead in "Money".

Skerik won the award of "Northwest Jazz Instrumentalist of the Year" at the 2003 Earshot Jazz Golden Ear Awards.

Skerik has expressed support of music education for young people In interviews he has discussed creative integrity and spontaneity. He has also provided music workshops.

Various projects

Skerik is a founding member of Critters Buggin, Garage a Trois (which has included Stanton Moore, Charlie Hunter, Mike Dillon, and Marco Benevento), Crack Sabbath, and The Dead Kenny G's. Skerik is an original member of Les Claypool's Fancy Band and Frog Brigade, Bobby Previte's Ponga and Coalition of the Willing and Joe Doria's McTuff. In the 1990s, he was also a member of Tuatara (with Peter Buck) and Seattle-based Sadhappy.

Skerik has toured with Fred Wesley, Mike Clark and The Headhunters, Wayne Horvitz (Zony Mash), Mad Season and Roger Waters. He has performed with Pearl Jam, Bonnie Raitt, He is a founding member of Seattle's Crack Sabbath. He is also a member of Seattle-based McTuff.

In New Orleans, he is a member of Maelstrom Trio; the trio includes long-time mates keyboardist Brian Coogan and drummer Simon Lott. The Maelstrom Trio combines disparate elements such as free jazz, funk, metal and textural music. Skerik and percussionist Mike Dillon have toured as a trio with New Orleans bassist James Singleton as Illuminasti.

Skerik and Dillon also perform as a trio called The Dead Kenny G's with alternate third members. National tours have included keyboardist Brian Haas and bassist Brad Houser. With Houser they have also toured as "Critters Buggin Trio"; further, in 2009, they released a debut CD entitled Bewildered Herd. As the band's name implies, there is an expressed disdain for smooth jazz 1999: Hairy Apes BMX Expatriape (AW/VR) 2000: Suicide Jack Honky Tonk Suicide (Sujack) 2000: Wayne Horvitz Four Plus One Ensemble From a Window (Avant) 2002: Calm Down Juanita Undertown (Independent) 2002: Tuatara Cinemathique (Fast Horse) 2003: Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey Symbiosis Osmosis (Kufala) 2003: Jacek Kochan New Expensive Head (Gowi) 2003: The Mackrosoft Journey to Vaginus (Independent) 2003: The Clinton Administration One Nation Under a Re-Groove (Magnatude) 2004: Barrett Martin The Painted Desert (Fast Horse) 2007: Hella There's No 666 in Outer Space (Ipecac) 2008: Kayo Dot Blue Lambency Downward (Hydra Head) 2008: Todd Sickafoose Tiny Resistors (Cryptogramophone) 2008: Good Guys The Social Engagement (In the Dark) 2009: McTuff Volume 1 (McTuff/Joe Doria Music) 2012: Zony Mash + Horns (Wayne Horvitz) Live at the Royal Room 2014: Eyvind Kang Alastor: Book of Angels Volume 21 (Tzadik) 2014: Dionvox Your Name (RZY) 2014: Omaha Diner Omaha Diner (independent) 2015: DRKWAV The Purge with John Medeski-keys, Adam Deitch-drums, Skerik-saxophones and electronics 2016: Khu eeX The Wilderness Within with Bernie Worrell, Preston Singletary, Stanton Moore, etc. 2017: Khu eeX They forgot they survived with Bernie Worrell, Preston Singletary, etc. 2020: Khu eeX Heen with Bernie Worrell, Preston Singletary, etc. 2020: Nels Cline Share the Wealth with Cyro Batista, Trevor Dunn, Scott Amendola, Brian Marsella, Skerik