Country Music

Music Monday Artist Highlight: Erik Shicotte

by
Lindsi Rian
July 19, 2021

Fans of Johnny Cash will love the young, twenty-eight-year-old baritone voice from Milwaukee, WI that is Erik Shicotte. Recently signed to Shooter Jennings record label, Black Country Rock Media, Erik recently debuted his first EP- Miss’ry Pacific. As his first go at being a solo artist, Erik says he’s learning a lot from Shooter and is really counting his stars for how the music has really come together. He notes that he’s “nervously optimistic” about releasing his music, but the process and thought of having the world hear these songs that are so personal to who he is is exciting, to say the least.

In his full-time job, Erik loves working in construction, primarily building fire training towers for military and first responders. Erik adds that he has come to truly love his line of work, moving around from job to job, working all over the country, being able to work with his hands during by day, and then be able to sit down in a hotel and write songs at night. Currently healing from a hand injury, Erik is soaking in the release of Miss’ry Pacific and relaxing before hopefully hitting the road on his first solo tour this fall.

Shicotte says, “Miss’ry Pacific was serendipitously and unironically slapped together like the far-flung cars of a freight train. The talents and time of so many have built this sound and put’er into motion. She rolled from Oregon to Tennessee, California to Wisconsin; and all the little towns in between. Making a record while working out on the road is a shitshow to begin with, toss that upon the absolute chaos of the year 2020, and that climb looks even steeper. That said, I am tangibly proud of this damn thing.

Without the ability to be present during different parts of tracking, the challenges of achieving a coherent sound as a collective were subdued by the ears of each player and guided tactfully by Aaron Goodrich, hearing my own songs fleshed out this way has been nothing short of a privilege. My sincerest wishes to the listener…hope y’all can hear the special bits and pieces that went into this record, and that it echoes sweetly for ya.”

“These songs weren’t written with the intent to reach any one person except myself. The fact that these are coming out and people seem to be enjoying them is flattering; they’re an accurate representation of who I am as a person. I am looking forward to telling some stories that aren’t mine down the road though. I know quite a few people who deserve to have something written about them.”