|
-
Ez
Jon Erikson
-
Vocals, guitar, harmonica and percussion
Ez Jon Erikson has
been described by his fans and critics as something
of a cross between Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie
and Elvis Presley. As a very charismatic
and flamboyant singer, songwriter and performer, Ez
has been heavily influenced by the aforementioned
and by a diverse range of musical styles and artists
such as Billy Joel, Big Country, Kiss, The
Beatles, Buddy Holly, Bon Jovi, David Lee Roth, Hall
and Oates, George Michael, Duran Duran and
Bee Gees to name only a few. They’re all in
there, as if they’ve been placed in a huge pot,
mixed, and left to simmer on a low heat, although Ez
believes in being innovative rather than immitative.
Ez, also affectionately known as Ezza, or EJE,
complete with trademark shades and bandana or ski
hat over his shaved head, is a very energetic and
unpredictable performer and generally brings a kind
of softer, folk pop feel to Detours' music.
However, to appreciate the true depth and
versatility in Ez's songwriting it is essential to
study his own solo work. His lyrics contain a clever
mixture of humour, observation, analysis, fear,
isolation, rejection, hope, unity, anti-racism,
romance and love. There is almost a schizophrenic
quality to Ez's music, as he is able to balance
humour and energy (Fun In The Sun, Mama's Goin'
To The Ball Tonight, His Bark Is Worse Than His
Bite, That's The Way The Cookie Crumbles,
Snowballed, Fun In The Snow) with intensity (Half
The World, Live To Die, Fear Of The World,
Ramshackle World, To Feel Young Again, Escape (In
The Night), One More Time, Reality, Been Here Too
Long, A Dark Storm, Room To Breathe) and easy listening (Otiose).
Above all, his songs make sense and the average
person can easily relate to them, which is one of
the reasons why they are so good. There is also a
strong sense of melody and a variety of musical
style in Ez's music.
Ez met fellow Detours member Julian Flindle
at school, and the two have shared a close
friendship ever since, writing and recording many
great songs together. Their first group was as a duo
Vis-a-Vis, which became Erikson Flindle.
Then Ju joined Sam's group
Diversion Ends
as keyboard player until their split in the early
nineties, when Ez and Ju recorded the demo album Ez Jon Erikson
- Eztravaganza. After that they wrote the odd
song together, but tended to write and record
separately. Sam had started to develop a friendship
with, and record with producer/musician/sound
engineer Paul Adshead, whom he had met whilst in
Diversion Ends. Sam introduced Ez to Paul, which
led to the recording of the EJE albums Summers Of
My Life, Ramshackle World and Ezposure (The
Acoustic Performancez) before Ez formed
Detours.
Whilst studying Ez's solo work it is impossible to
overlook the strong Detours connection as
many songs were cowritten by Ez and Ju, and also Sam
and Ju appear on each album. In fact five of Ez's
solo songs have even been covered by Detours
on their first two albums and their Christmas EP,
and are still performed in their live shows.
EJE's solo CDs are currently available to purchase online through
Detours Music Store, from Detours' live
performances, and by digital download from
iTunes
and
TuneTribe.com.
-
|
