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.2 3
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 Buggin4 (who have remained active through 2008).5 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".6
In 2002, Skerik formed Syncopated Taint Septet with fellow Seattle musicians. After touring nationally, their 2006 studio release Husky received very positive reviews.789
Skerik won the award of "Northwest Jazz Instrumentalist of the Year" at the 2003 Earshot Jazz Golden Ear Awards.10
Skerik has expressed support of music education for young people 11 and support for activism such as the voting project HeadCount.12 In interviews he has discussed creative integrity and spontaneity.1314 He has also provided music workshops.15
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,16 The Meters, Galactic, Dumpstaphunk, Johnny Vidacovich, Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey, and Ween.
In Seattle, Skerik leads Seattle-based punk-jazz band Skerik's Syncopated Taint Septet.171819 He is a founding member of Seattle's Crack Sabbath.20 He is also a member of Seattle-based McTuff.2122
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 Haas23 and bassist Brad Houser. With Houser they have also toured as "Critters Buggin Trio";24 further, in 2009, they released a debut CD entitled Bewildered Herd.25 As the band's name implies, there is an expressed disdain for smooth jazz26 and commercialism. Skerik has described The Dead Kenny G's as a "free-jazz version of The Melvins."27
With Critters Buggin
With Les Claypool
With Stanton Moore
With Bobby Previte
With Sadhappy
With others
"Creative Necessity: A Conversation with Skerik". 26 March 2021. https://postgenre.org/conversation-skerik/ ↩
Andrew Clark, Skerik, Saxophone Journal Volume 27, Number 1, Sept/Oct 2002 ↩
"Skerik: Concept is All Anyone Cares About article @ All About Jazz". All About Jazz. 16 October 2006. Retrieved 14 March 2025. https://www.allaboutjazz.com/skerik-concept-is-all-anyone-cares-about-skerik-by-paul-olson ↩
Jonathan Zwickel Critters Buggin: Keeping it unorthodox with a monster jam session The Seattle Times, July 3, 2008 http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/entertainment/2008031771_critters04.html ↩
Olson, Paul (October 16, 2006). "Skerik: Concept Is All Anyone Cares About". All About Jazz. Retrieved 2019-06-24. https://www.allaboutjazz.com/skerik-concept-is-all-anyone-cares-about-skerik-by-paul-olson.php ↩
Malone, Andrew Lindemann (September 1, 2006). "Skerik's Syncopated Taint Septet: Husky". JazzTimes. Retrieved 2019-06-23. https://jazztimes.com/reviews/albums/skeriks-syncopated-taint-septet-husky/ ↩
de Barros, Paul (August 18, 2006). "Seattle saxophonist's funky, artful septet". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2019-06-22. https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/20060818/jazz18/seattle-saxophonists-funky-artful-septet ↩
Bill White Sax player Skerik has another reason to toot his own horn seattlepi.com, February 17, 2004 http://www.seattlepi.com/pop/160841_earshot17.html ↩
Rocktober: Get Out And Vote! HeadCount, JamBase, October 2, 2008, Retrieved December 29, 2008 http://www.jambase.com/Articles/15215/Rocktober-Get-Out-And-Vote!/3 ↩
The Kayceman Skerik | Serving the Music JamBase, October, 2001, Retrieved December 29, 2008 http://www.jambase.com/headsup.asp?storyID=1615 ↩
“SKERIK: RECORDING CHAOS AND ACOUTRONICA CONCEPTS” pyramind.com, September 2009 http://www.pyramind.com/community/calendar/view/20/85.html ↩
Trent Moorman Skerik: Psychic Rushdie Saxophone thestranger.com, January 31, 2008 http://lineout.thestranger.com/2008/01/skerik_psychic_rushdie_saxophone ↩
Who, When, Where thestranger.com, September 2005 http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/who-when-where/Content?oid=22934 ↩
Christopher DeLaurenti Classical, Jazz & Avant thestranger.com, August 21, 2006 http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/classical-jazz--avant/Content?oid=55909 ↩
Court Scott Behind the McTuff Exterior All About Jazz, October 2008 https://archive.today/20120717134527/http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/news_print.php?id=24659 ↩
Christopher DeLaurenti and Jonathan Zwickel Jazz/not Jazz thestranger.com, October 17, 2007 http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/jazznot-jazz/Content?oid=419056 ↩
Sam Prestianni, Mike Rowell Jazz cats the Dead Kenny G's stick it to everyone's favorite wuss sfweekly.com October 5, 2005 http://www.sfweekly.com/2005-10-05/music/jazz-cats-the-dead-kenny-g-s-stick-it-to-everyone-s-favorite-wuss-dmbq-drops-a-bluster-bomb-on-12-galaxies/ ↩
Adam Brown 6th Annual Flowmotion Summer Meltdown whatsup-magazine.com, September 2006 http://www.whatsup-magazine.com/index.php?navarea=Archives&storyid=400 ↩
Tom D'Antoni Dead Kenny G's at the Goodfoot with David Ornette Cherry Archived 2010-11-29 at the Wayback Machine oregonmusicnews.com, October 20, 2009 http://oregonmusicnews.com/blog/2009/10/20/dead-kenny-gs-at-the-goodfoot-with-david-ornette-cherry/ ↩
Calm Down Juanita (CD Liner). Calm Down Juanita. Seattle, Washington, US: Echo. 1998. inside front cover.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) /wiki/The_Echo_Label ↩
Undertown (CD Booklet). Calm Down Juanita. Seattle, Washington, US: Gizmo and Toony. 2002. inside front booklet.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link) /wiki/Seattle,_Washington ↩