For immediate release:
The Roky Erickson Trust (also known as TrustRoky) is
happy to announce The Roky Erickson Birthday
Celebration and Trust Benefit will be held August 6,
2005 at 6:00 PM at Ruta Maya in South Austin, Texas.
This is a very special evening as Roky will be
performing and mostly all of the musical groups will
be playing only Roky’s songs. The Social is presented
by and benefits the Roky Erickson Trust.
Admission is $20.00 at the door.
The lineup is:
Roky Erickson and the Explosives
Shiva’s Head Band Experience
Blood Drained Cows (former members of the Angry
Samoans and the Aliens)
Freddie Steady 5
Tommy Hall Schedule
John David Bartlett
Troy Campbell
Summer Wardrobe
Hellapeno
Guppies From Outer Space
The Texcentrics
Pocket Symphonies
Loose Cannons
Roky merchandise and memorabilia will be on sale.
Legendary rock n roll pioneer Roger Kynard "Roky"
Erickson hails from Austin, Texas. He is, in the
words of music writer Richie Unterberger, one of "the
unknown heroes of rock and roll." As singer,
songwriter, and guitar player for the legendary
Austin, TX band The 13th Floor Elevators, the first
rock and roll band to describe their music as
"psychedelic", Roky had a profound impact on the San
Francisco scene when the group traveled there in 1966.
While bands such as The Grateful Dead and The
Jefferson Airplane had the their roots in traditional
acoustic folk music, the Elevators unique brand of
heavy, hard-rocking electric blues pointed to a new
direction for the music of the hippie generation. The
Elevators only had one chart hit, the Roky-penned
You're Gonna Miss Me, but their influence was far reaching. R.E.M., ZZ Top,
Poi Dog Pondering, The Judybats, T-Bone Burnett, Julian Cope, The Jesus and Mary Chain,
The Cramps, The Minutemen, Television, The Cynics, The Lyres, Teisco Del Rey,
The Fuzztones and Radio Birdman have
all either recorded or played live versions of Roky's songs. In addition
to these performers,
Roky is an acknowledged influence on such diverse musicians as Robert Plant, Janis Joplin,
Patti Smith, Henry Rollins, Mike Watt, Sonic Youth, The Butthole Surfers, Jon Spencer,
The Damned, Red Krayola, Pere Ubu, and current indie
hit-makers The White Stripes. His songs have appeared on the
soundtracks to the movies High Fidelity, Drugstore
Cowboy, Boys Don't Cry, Hamlet (2000), and Return of
the Living Dead. While he may not be a household
name, Roky has enjoyed the support of a small but
fiercely loyal cult following throughout his career.
Unfortunately, Roky's struggles with drug abuse and
mental illness took aserious toll. His 1969 arrest in Texas for
possession of a single marijuana cigarette led to his
being committed for three years to Rusk State Hospital
for the Criminally Insane, where he was reportedly
subjected to Thorazine, electroshock therapy, and other experimental
treatments. Most agree he was never the same after
his release. Roky has had prolific periods of
creativity in the intervening years, but unscrupulous
managers and record label executives often took advantage of his
condition, leaving Roky to live in poverty while others profit from his music.
Happily, today we find Roky in the process of being
his own miracle and making an astounding recovery from
nearly a two-decade long period of almost total
tragedy. His youngest brother, singer/songwriter and
former Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra
Principal Tubaist Sumner Erickson, was appointed
Roky's legal guardian in June, 2001. Sumner has
established The Roger Kynard Erickson Trust to address
Roky's living expenses, medical bills, and other
financial needs. From June, 2001 until July, 2002,
Roky lived with his brother in Pittsburgh, where he
finally began to receive the treatment and care he
needs. Roky is now back in Austin, where his health
continues to improve dramatically. In March, 2005, Roky made his
first public performance in 10 years performing 3
songs at the Roky Erickson Psychedelic Ice Cream
Social at Threadgills in Austin. He was backed by the
Explosives. In September, he is scheduled to play the
Austin City Limits Festival (again with the
Explosives) which will mark his first full concert
appearance in almost two decades! Celebrate as the
miracle continues! More information is available at
the trust's official web site: