Tim Eriksen is acclaimed for transforming American tradition with his startling interpretations of old ballads, love songs, shape-note gospel and dance tunes from New England and Southern Appalachia. He combines hair-raising vocals with inventive accompaniment on banjo, fiddle, guitar and bajo sexto – a twelve-string Mexican acoustic bass – creating a distinctive hardcore Americana sound that ranges from the bare bones of solo unaccompanied singing on his album "Soul of the January Hills" (Appleseed 2010) through the stripped-down voice and bajo sexto Christmas album "Star in the East" (timeriksenmusic 2012), the old-time "Banjo, Fiddle and Voice" (timeriksenmusic 2012), to the lush, multi-layered arrangements on "Josh Billings’ Voyage," an upcoming album of northern roots American music.

Eriksen’s own compositions, which NetRhythms UK described as “strange and original works,” have been featured in in films like the Billy Bob Thornton vehicle "Chrystal" and the upcoming documentary "Behold the Earth." Eriksen's other notable work has included extensive contributions to Anthony Minghella’s 2004 Oscar-winning film "Cold Mountain" as well as collaborations ranging from hardcore punk and Bosnian pop to symphony orchestra and the 2010 Grammy-nominated album "Across the Divide" with Afro-Cuban world-jazz pianist Omar Sosa.

The former frontman of the prophetic groups Cordelia's Dad (folk-noise), Northampton Harmony (shape-note quartet) and Zabe i Babe (Bosnian folk and pop), Tim Eriksen is the only musician to have shared the stage with both Kurt Cobain and Doc Watson, and his media appearances have ranged from Prairie Home Companion to the Academy Awards. Having graduated from early shows at punk mecca CBGB in the 1980s, Tim’s more recent performances have included his Carnegie Hall debut as a soloist in Evan Chambers' symphonic work “The Old Burying Ground” and two week-long stints at the Blue Note Jazz Club with Omar Sosa. In the studio, he has worked with producers including Joe Boyd, T-Bone Burnett and Steve Albini.