Erik Hokkanen

Who is Erik Hokkanen?

Erik Hokkanen is a fiddler, guitar player, and composer living in Austin, Texas. Erik is known for performing and composing an array of musical styles, including gypsy music, western swing, surf rock, rock music, rockabilly, bluegrass music, and classical. He moves effortlessly among instruments, often playing violin while an electric guitar hangs down his back. A third generation Finn raised in Florida, Erik has toured extensively throughout Scandinavia, playing major festivals and clubs with top Finnish musicians.

Born into a musical family, Erik began his musical training at age four on piano. Over the following years, he learned mandolin, guitar, and string bass. At age twelve, Erik began studying old-time music, jazz, and classical music on the violin. At age eighteen, Erik won first place at the Florida State Fiddle Contest.

In 1984, at age 21, Erik moved to Austin, TX and joined Gary P. Nunn's band and toured throughout the Southwest. By 1986, Erik had formed his own group called "Erik & the Offbeats" and recorded his first album. Another big breakthrough came in 1987 when Erik toured Finland for the first time and performed at the Kaustinen Folk Festival. After this initial success, Erik returned to Kaustinen in 1988 and toured extensively, often performing at blues and rock festivals with famed Finnish rocker Dave Lindholm. In 1989, Erik returned to Finland with his brother Niles, an accomplished mandolinist, where they performed and lead workshops in both Kaustinen and Haapavesi. In 1994, Erik returned to Finland to form the all-star group "Lumisudet" with Arto Järvelä, Petri Hakala, and Tapani Varis. They recorded "Kaustinen, TX," the first of their three albums. Guest stars included Mauno Järvelä, Napparit, Janne Viksten, Janne Haavisto, Dave Lindholm, Kimmo Pohjonen, and Timo Alakotila. Journalist Pirkko Kotirinta, of the Helsinki Sanomat, declared the recording 1995's "Album of the Year." The Kaustinen Folk Festival Institute released Erik's song "Kaustinen, TX" as a single, which receive much radio airplay throughout Finland. Erik returned in 1996 for a follow up tour with Lumisudet and performed on television and radio, as well as the festival circuit.