Erik Brandt

Erik Brandt has been the ringleader of the award-winning eclectic Twin Cities-based Urban Hillbilly Quartet since 1995. By night, he plays music. By day, he teaches English at Harding High School in St. Paul. He’s played in venues all over the USA, Canada, Australia, and on various street corners throughout Europe. He’s also taught high school Shakespeare, grammar, haikus and standardized test prep.

On stage, Erik performs mainly original material drawn from the Americana vein. Most of his original tunes can be found on the nine albums he’s recorded with the UHQ and his three solo albums, including his latest, The Long Winter. When choosing covers, he pulls liberally from the catalogs of Bob Dylan, The Flatlanders, Johnny Cash, and other Americana heroes. As a multi-instrumentalist, Erik switches between acoustic guitar, piano and accordion during performances.

His music has been influenced by and compared to: Americana powerhouses The Jayhawks, Gillian Welch, and Uncle Tupelo; Georgia’s Vigilantes of Love; Britain’s The Waterboys; Australia’s Paul Kelly; Canada’s Bruce Cockburn; and folk/jazz pioneers David Grisman, Paris Combo and Tin Hat Trio.

He’s the DJ and host of “Good Acoustics” on 88.5 KBEM-FM and also accordionist for the Roe Family Singers.

Though Erik mostly performs solo, he is often joined by guests from UHQ and other bands on stage.