Music
Press
"Rik's appearance on our live special was one of the highlights of the year! He's got a great ear for a tune and a great eye for human detail - and the instrumental and vocal talents to do them real justice. His respect for the musical and storytelling traditions he's drawing on, his sense of humor, his energy, and his music are all contagious."
KZSC-FM Radio, Santa Cruz, CA - KZSC-FM, Santa Cruz
Saturday, September 13, 2003: Mission of Music.
" . . When the sound checks were finished, the musicians milled about, engaged in the easy patter of artists comfortable with each other and with their surroundings. No sense of competition; rather an expectant anticipation of being performer one moment and spectator the next.
When the music began, that same atmosphere filled the hall. It was fun to see the familiar faces of the regulars in the audience. Then there came Michelle and Rick of Open Book with their easy harmony and melodious guitar work. Ina May Wool, bedecked all in fringe, dazzled us with swirling bluesy vocal riffs and charmed with her easy humor. Rik Ekstrom weaved haunting spellbinding modal melodies on his guitar, counterbalanced by his hard and moody vocals.
" . . My thanks to all the wonderful volunteers at Music at the Mission for all their hard work. We look forward to returning soon, both to play and to listen. " - Gary Paul Hermus
Discography
"The Philosophy of Brown," The Orchard, 2000.
"Milk White Trousers," scheduled for release in 2007. Tracks available for audio or download at www.myspace.com/rikekstrom
Photos
Bio
Rik Ekstrom is a songwriter and guitar player from Virginia who has made his home in New York City since 1991. Rik's music draws on northern European and early American traditions, but never strays far from the Grand Epoch of American r&r. As an accomplished finger-style and slide guitar player, Rik interprets music with crafty hands. Simple ideas are rendered with an eye to the details. Rik's songwriting delivers narratives based in plain, unromantic realism and pointed irony. His characters stumble between folly and quiet heroism, and sometimes into homicidal revelation. Rik's playing is said to combine elements of the Piedmont blues ( Rev. Gary Davis via Jorma Kaukonen) and Celtic/American traditional music (Martin Simpson, Kelly Joe Phelps) with a bit of southern Californian folk/pop (Peter Case). In addition to his work as a solo artist, Rik regularly works as a side man and has recorded and performed with a number of artists, including Jenn Clapp, K.P. Devlin, and Joe Rathbone.
Rik Ekstrom has performed at Irving Plaza, the Mercury Lounge, the Living Room, and a number of smaller clubs and listening rooms in New York City. He has been featured at Beacon NY's Corn, Strawberry, and Pumpkin festivals, the Northampton Music Festival, and at Rutgers University. Rik has been a showcase performer at the North American Folk Alliance National Conference and at the New England Folk Alliance Conference. Rik Ekstrom is a member of ASCAP.
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