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Batman has his Batcave and Chuck Norris has Oklahoma, but Toy Gun Cowboy has his garage. With modest recording gear and an open garage, this indie/electro lone ranger from Lakewood, California, has created his own musical laboratory, the G-Hatch. Don’t be fooled by the sparse equipment, this cowboy makes a big bang with the smallest bullets.
Unlike Batman or Norris who fight crime, wear funky suits and beat up the bad guys, Toy Gun Cowboy (a.k.a. Matthew Erickson to the outside world) has his music to reach a greater awareness of the good, the bad, and the ugly in society. Using a little cynical social commentary as his ammunition, he spreads his music to his listeners factory fresh, straight from the G-Hatch.
“I do all the music and recording myself in order to make the finished product as personal as possible,” says Erickson. “The same way that only one painter paints a painting, or only one writer writes a book.”
Toy Gun Cowboy - "I've Got To Do Something"
Using his background in architecture as a guide to his composition, Erickson builds his music from one idea as a foundation for the rest of the piece to flourish, and the final product is of “layering, building, adding, subtracting, and rearranging, self doubting, and adding some more.”
Erickson’s process from start to finish becomes a story in itself, and he has a lot to say.
After his first two releases, Star?...Or No Star? EP (2006) and Reload EP (2007) on Gutter Groove Records, Toy Gun Cowboy brings the big guns with his newest full-length release, Big Blue, out May 13, 2008, on Gutter Groove Records.
Inspired by a Jet Blue flight that had malfunctioning landing gear, this concept album tells the story of humankind’s voyage from the Garden of Eden to the melding of souls on the semi-defunct plane.
“As I watched the plane flying past my house, it made me think about all the people on board of different races, faiths and backgrounds,” Erickson reveals. “They were probably reflecting on their lives and praying to their different deities. So I wrote these songs with that in mind, except that I thought about the life history of the human race.”
Toy Gun Cowboy might not have super powers or special crime-fighting gadgets, but his music speaks confidently, boldly and reflectively true. This lone-ranger will continue to roam freely and tell his story. “I just let what happens musically happen,” says Erickson. “My music tends to go in different directions, but that’s how I like it.” Charismatic and wild. Just how a cowboy should be.
Did You Know?:When played in reverse order (tracks 13 to 1) Big Blue is a musical journey that depicts mans banishment from the Garden of Eden and route to present day America.
Using his background in architecture as a guide to his composition, Erickson builds his music from one idea as a foundation for the rest of the piece to flourish, and the final product is of “layering, building, adding, subtracting, and rearranging, self doubting, and adding some more.”
Erickson’s process from start to finish becomes a story in itself, and he has a lot to say.
After his first two releases, Star?...Or No Star? EP (2006) and Reload EP (2007) on Gutter Groove Records, Toy Gun Cowboy brings the big guns with his newest full-length release, Big Blue, out May 13, 2008, on Gutter Groove Records.
Inspired by a Jet Blue flight that had malfunctioning landing gear, this concept album tells the story of humankind’s voyage from the Garden of Eden to the melding of souls on the semi-defunct plane.
“As I watched the plane flying past my house, it made me think about all the people on board of different races, faiths and backgrounds,” Erickson reveals. “They were probably reflecting on their lives and praying to their different deities. So I wrote these songs with that in mind, except that I thought about the life history of the human race.”
Toy Gun Cowboy might not have super powers or special crime-fighting gadgets, but his music speaks confidently, boldly and reflectively true. This lone-ranger will continue to roam freely and tell his story. “I just let what happens musically happen,” says Erickson. “My music tends to go in different directions, but that’s how I like it.” Charismatic and wild. Just how a cowboy should be.
Did You Know?:When played in reverse order (tracks 13 to 1) Big Blue is a musical journey that depicts mans banishment from the Garden of Eden and route to present day America.
