Bassist. Musician. Columnist. Teacher. Student.

Dec

Live album released!

Damian has released a recording of his band performing at Portland State University earlier in 2011

You can listen to samples and purchase this recording here:

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/damianerskineproject

Damian is joined by his long time bandmates:

Reinhardt Melz (drms)

Ben Darwish (pno)

John Nastos (sax)

Apr

Peter Erskine New Trio CD, “Joy Luck” AVAILABLE NOW!

The new album, “Joy Luck” from the Peter Erskine New Trio featuring Vardan Ovsepian (pno) and Damian Erskine (bs) is NOW available to purchase!

AUDIO SAMPLE:

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Jan

“So To Speak” : New Album released Feb 1st, 2010 !!

The much anticipated new album from Damian is now available Feb 1st!! It will be hitting CDBaby first and spreading from there (and can, of course, always be picked up at any of Damian’s shows). 8 original compositions with an absolutely killing band. Check it out!!

Track Audio Samples

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Featuring:

Damian Erskine: Bass

Reinhardt Melz: Drums, Percussion

Ramsey Embick: PIano

Chris Mosley: Guitar

Rafael Trujilo: Percussion

John Nastos: Tenor

Jason Dumars: Soprano

Paul Mazzio: Trumpet

Derek Rieth: Percussion

Places to buy the album

Feb

Trios – Instrumental Latin jazz trio with a salsa groove.

This is one of bassist, Damian Erskine’s Portland, OR based trios with additional tracks by the Toshi Onizuka Trio with Damian playing bass.

The primary trio consists of Salsa and Jazz phenom, Ramsey Embick on Piano and virtuoso Portland drummer, Reinhardt Melz. The band speaks for itself…both fiery and spontaneous, it’s always all about having fun with the music and seeing where it can take you.

Equally versed at solidifying grooves, blowing lyrical solos, and providing chordal textures on his 6-string bass, Damian Erskine showcased his extraordinary level of musicianship with the release of Trios, his debut as a leader, in February, 2007. As the nephew of world-renowned drummer Peter Erskine (Weather Report), Damian spent much of his childhood surrounded by many legendary musicians. In addition to the degree he earned from Berklee College of Music, Erskine has studied privately with bassists including Marc Johnson, Victor Wooten (BNC 2001), Reggie Hamilton, and Kai Eckhardt. Erskine maintains an active presence in the club scene and performs regularly at festivals throughout the country. Besides touring and recording as a sideman, Erskine offers private instruction from his studio in Portland, Oregon and via webcam through MusicVirtuosity.com. He has also taught seminars at the National Guitar Workshop, SF Bass Weekend and Berklee’s Guitar Week. (~Cliff Engel • www.instituteofbass.com)

Track Audio Samples

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Places to buy the album

get in touch

Notreble.com Column

Circle Theory: A Look at the Circle of Fifths Reference App for iOS February 6, 2012
Spending time exploring the circle of fifths is a useful exercise for seeing the relationships between notes and key signatures. Circle Theory, by Artsiness, is a great iOS app for referencing and visualizing the circle of fifths. The app’s interface has the primary circle displaying the current Tonic note/key signature. The additional information options ar […]
Damian Erskine
Speakers and Power Amps: Don’t Blow That Cabinet February 1, 2012
Q: I’ve been thinking about getting a new amp head, and I want to make sure that it will work properly with my current cabinets. How do I make sure that the head I’m getting won’t blow a speaker or ruin my shiny new head? A: While I’m not a super “techy” guy, I have... […]
Damian Erskine
Stuck On A Song: How to Finish that Composition January 25, 2012
Q: I’m struggling with some new compositions. I have some solid parts I like, but overall I feel that the melody or changes (or both) don’t work everywhere in the tune. It also feels that it may need more movement. How do you approach fine-tuning a tune? A: While I have written and arranged music,... […]
Damian Erskine
Rhythms and Transcriptions: A How To Guide to Notating Rhythmic Patterns January 18, 2012
Q: I have a question about transcribing. I’m a pretty skilled player and can read, but I have a lot of problems writing down the rhythms that I hear either in my head or from a particular song. Any suggestions on how I should go about learning to notate more difficult rhythms? A: Rhythms can... […]
Damian Erskine
Lazy Horns and Keeping Time January 11, 2012
Q: I’ve started rehearsing with a big band and while I’m finding it a lot of fun and a good challenge, I’ve been having a hard time keeping the time. The horns seem to play way behind the beat much of the time and it just feels uncomfortable no matter what I do. If I... […]
Damian Erskine
ChordBot: A Look at the Songwriting and Accompaniment Tool for iOS and Android January 9, 2012
ChordBot is a wonderful, easy to use app which is equally powerful for songwriting as it is for accompaniment. The app allows you to develop and play chord progressions in a number of styles. ChordBot features 60 different chord types (including slash chords), 50+ comping styles, a song generator, as well as the ability to... […]
Damian Erskine