Mike Errico, a soft-spoken established singer/songwriter from New York City, has performed with mainstream acts like Rusted Root, Semisonic, Dido, Vertical Horizon, Soulive, Run DMC, Bob Weir, Moxy Fruvous, Derek Trucks, Jill Sobule, Freedy Johnston, Dar Williams, and Jeffrey Gaines. In 1999 he played a brief set at Woodstock and his intense live shows have earned him a strong following in the region.
His shows are a dynamic journey of catchy and funky grooves, fierce wit and mental liberation. He just released his first live CD Tonight I Drink You All. His fifth album titled Skimming comes out in July. Errico will perform at Scott E. Moore’s Writer’s Hang at The Goldhawk in Hoboken on June 5. We recently caught up with Errico.
EM – Who are your influences?
ME – Ani DiFranco, Stevie Wonder, among many others.
EM – Why did you become a musician?
ME – I don’t know, really. But it’s pretty fun.
EM – Where have you performed?
ME – All over the country, with all kinds of people, since 1999.
EM – What is your favorite day of the week?
ME – Tuesday.
EM – What are the last three CDs you bought?
ME – Cursive’s The Ugly Organ, Massive Attack’s 100th Window, and Rick Henrickson’s Reaching for a Gun.
EM – How would you describe your music?
ME – Urgent, soulful, high-stakes storytelling.
EM – Are you looking for mainstream exposure?
ME – I’m looking to do the best work I can. I would like people to react positively, but the words "mainstream" and "exposure" deal with forces that are out of my control.
EM – What professional plans do you have for the future?
ME – My plan is to have a body of work, and music is one part of It. I have goals that are literary, journalistic, photographic, even theatrical. I hope to get to most of them.
EM – What is the best part about your job?
ME – Feeling the air coming out of my body when I sing. It’s indescribable.
Errico will perform with Greta Gertler at The Goldhawk at 936 Park Ave. in Hoboken on June 5 at 8:30 p.m. Tickets are $8. q