Born and raised in Charleston, Illinois, Erik has been drumming since birth. As a kid, he made his parents proud by tapping, banging, clanging and crashing anything that would make a noise.

His talents truly have no bounds, as Erik is also a very accomplished air drummer, and a first class steering wheel/dash board percussionist. These frequent yet elusive "side acts" can be witnessed daily, if you happen to be in his path, on the streets of Bloomington, Illinois.

Erik humbly admits that, "On a real kit, I'm still learning every day, but people seem to enjoy the sound more from that [a real kit] than the steering wheel."



When he was a bit younger, Erik was greatly impressed by Neil Peart's (Rush) red Tama kit, and in his words, "I have got to get me one of those!" And he did.

Since then, Erik has come to the realization that great gear does not a fantastic drummer make. Although he still has and plays his Neil Peart-inspired red Tama kit, he now lives by the adage of "use what you need to get the job done." With that said, Erik's weapons of choice are as follows:

10", 12", 14", 16", and 22" Red Tama Artstars

Evans heads on all drums except for the kick drum batter head

Aquarian SKII on the batter head of the Kick (Says Erik, "Nothing else even comes close, the thing is a CANNON!!")

Yamaha Anton Fig Snare, First edition

70s Ludwig Acrolite

Bell Brass Tama snare

Zildjian and Paiste Cymbals

Pearl Eliminator Double Kick Pedal

Iron Cobra Tama Highhat Stand

Gibraltar rack ("For all my goodies.")

Roland TD-10 electronic drum kit