Eric Erlandson is an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 musician known as the co-founder, former songwriter and lead guitarist of alternative rock

Alternative rock

Alternative rock is a genre of rock music and a term used to describe a diverse musical movement that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1980s and became widely popular by the 1990s...

 band Hole

Hole (band)

Hole is an American alternative rock band that originally formed in Los Angeles in 1989. The band is fronted by vocalist/songwriter and rhythm guitarist Courtney Love, who co-founded Hole with former songwriter/lead guitarist Eric Erlandson...

.

Early life and career

Erlandson was born and raised in San Pedro

San Pedro, Los Angeles, California

San Pedro is a port district of the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. It was annexed in 1909 and is a major seaport of the area...

, California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

. He is of Swedish/German/Irish descent and related to Martin Luther

Martin Luther

Martin Luther was a German priest, professor of theology and iconic figure of the Protestant Reformation. He strongly disputed the claim that freedom from God's punishment for sin could be purchased with money. He confronted indulgence salesman Johann Tetzel with his Ninety-Five Theses in 1517...

. During his college years, he worked for the now-defunct Licorice Pizza record store chain. He has a Bachelor of Science

Bachelor of Science

A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...

 degree in economics with a minor in marketing from Loyola Marymount University

Loyola Marymount University

Loyola Marymount University is a comprehensive co-educational private Roman Catholic university in the Jesuit and Marymount traditions located in Los Angeles, California, United States...

, where his father, Theodore Erlandson, served as Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

In the early days of Hole, Erlandson worked for Capitol Records

Capitol Records

Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...

, where he managed Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney

Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE, Hon RAM, FRCM is an English musician, singer-songwriter and composer. Formerly of The Beatles and Wings , McCartney is listed in Guinness World Records as the "most successful musician and composer in popular music history", with 60 gold discs and sales of 100...

's, Tina Turner

Tina Turner

Tina Turner is an American singer and actress whose career has spanned more than 50 years. She has won numerous awards and her achievements in the rock music genre have led many to call her the "Queen of Rock 'n' Roll".Turner started out her music career with husband Ike Turner as a member of the...

's, and various other artists' royalties. In 1988, Erlandson travelled Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

 for a number of months "trying to decide what he wanted to do with his life."
...

Hole and later disputes

In mid-1989, Erlandson responded to an advertisement placed by Courtney Love

Courtney Love

Courtney Michelle Love is an American rock musician. Love is the lead vocalist, lyricist, and rhythm guitarist for alternative rock band Hole, which she formed in 1989, and is an actress who has moved from bit parts in Alex Cox films to significant and acclaimed roles in The People vs...

 in Recycler, a local classified ad paper. Erlandson describes the band's first rehearsal session — which featured original bassist Lisa Roberts — as:

these two girls show up dressed completely crazy, we set up and they said, "okay, just start playing something." I started playing and they started screaming at the top of their lungs for two or three hours. Crazy lyrics and screaming. I said to myself, "most people would just run away from this really fast." But I heard something in Courtney's voice and lyrics.

Love, Erlandson and Roberts were later joined by drummer Caroline Rue and third guitarist Mike Geisbrecht and this line-up performed Hole's first live performances. A new line-up, consisting of new bassist Jill Emery

Jill Emery

Jill Emery is an American artist and former musician based in Los Angeles, California. Best known as the bassist for the alternative rock band Hole from 1990 until 1992, Emery left the band after the subsequent tour for the band's debut album, Pretty on the Inside and was replaced by Kristen Pfaff...

 and the departure of Geisbrecht, recorded their debut album, Pretty on the Inside

Pretty on the Inside

Pretty on the Inside is the debut studio album by American alternative rock band Hole. Released August 23, 1991 on Caroline Records, it was Hole's first major label release after their formation in 1989 by vocalist/rhythm guitarist Courtney Love and lead guitarist Eric Erlandson...

, in 1991. Receiving underground success in the United Kingdom, Rue left the band in April 1992, preceded by Emery who quit in February 1992. Recruiting new members Patty Schemel

Patty Schemel

Patricia Theresa Schemel is an American drummer, most notably known as the drummer of the alternative rock band Hole from 1992 until 1998.-Early music career:Schemel learned to play drums after her father bought her a drum kit at age 11...

 and Kristen Pfaff

Kristen Pfaff

Kristen Marie Pfaff was an American bass guitarist, best known for her work with Hole.-Early life and career:Pfaff was born and raised in Buffalo, New York, attending Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart. She spent a short time in Europe and briefly attended Boston College before ultimately...

, respectively, Hole signed a contract with their new label DGC

DGC

DGC can refer to:*Discontinuous Gas Exchange Cycles*Geffen Records*DGC Records*Deutsche Gesellschaft für Chronometrie*DARPA Grand Challenge*Digital gold currency*Di Gi Charat*Distributed Garbage Collection*Durban Girls' College...

 in 1992 and a year later, began touring and recording for their sophomore and major label debut, Live Through This

Live Through This

Live Through This is the second studio album by American alternative rock band Hole. It was released by Geffen Records on April 12, 1994, just four days after frontwoman Courtney Love's husband, Kurt Cobain, was found dead in their home....

. The album, ranked by Time

Time (magazine)

Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...

magazine as one of the top 100 albums of all time, received unanimous critical acclaim and is Hole's most successful record to date. Pfaff died of a heroin overdose in 1994 just weeks before the band's appearance at the Reading Festival and Canadian bassist Melissa Auf der Maur

Melissa Auf der Maur

Melissa Auf der Maur is a Canadian rock musician from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Her career has included 5 years as bassist with the band Hole and she later toured with The Smashing Pumpkins for their 2000 tour. Her second solo album, Out of Our Minds, was released on March 30, 2010. She is also a...

 was recruited on suggestion of Billy Corgan

Billy Corgan

William Patrick "Billy" Corgan, Jr. is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist and occasional poet best known as the frontman and sole permanent member of The Smashing Pumpkins. Formed by Corgan and guitarist James Iha in Chicago, Illinois in 1987, the band quickly gained steam with the...

. After a reported hiatus in 1996, Hole released their third studio album, Celebrity Skin

Celebrity Skin

Celebrity Skin is the third studio album by American alternative rock band Hole, released worldwide by Geffen Records on September 7, 1998 and one day later in the United States...

, in 1998. More pop-orientated than their previous albums, the album was a commercial success and was the last material by Hole to feature Erlandson. Auf der Maur left the group in 1999 to pursure other musical projects and on May 22, 2002, Erlandson and Love disbanded Hole through their official website noting that they would "no longer record or tour together."

In 2009, Love announced that her upcoming solo album, Nobody's Daughter

Nobody's Daughter

Nobody's Daughter is the fourth studio album by alternative rock band Hole, released worldwide on April 27, 2010 through Mercury Records. The album was originally conceived by Hole frontwoman Courtney Love as a solo project titled How Dirty Girls Get Clean, following her poorly-received solo debut...

, was being released under the name Hole and described the band's reunion, which included Love's guitarist Micko Larkin

Micko Larkin

Michael Joseph "Micko" Larkin is an English musician of Irish background, most notable as the lead guitarist of the indie rock band Larrikin Love and more recently, Hole.-Early life and career :...

 replacing Erlandson. Auf der Maur was first to respond to the news, describing it as "jeopardis[ing] a real Hole reunion" and Erlandson stated that he and Love "have a contract", which was later revealed to be a contract preventing either from reforming Hole without mutual involvement. In a later interview, just days before the expected release of Hole's Nobody's Daughter, Erlandson explained how "[Courtney's] management convinced me that it was all hot air and that she would never be able to finish her album. Now I'm left in an uncomfortable position." Neither Love nor Erlandson have commented on the reunion further.

Other musical projects

During Hole's reported hiatus in 1996, Erlandson formed a short-lived side project, Rodney & the Tube Tops

Rodney & the Tube Tops

Rodney & the Tube Tops were a short-lived American alternative rock band from Seattle, Washington. The band — which was more of a side-project — included members of Hole, Sonic Youth and White Flag and were eponymously named after frontman, legendary DJ Rodney Bingenheimer.-Origins and career:The...

, in 1996 with Thurston Moore

Thurston Moore

Thurston Joseph Moore is an American musician best known as a singer, songwriter and guitarist of Sonic Youth. He has also participated in many solo and group collaborations outside of Sonic Youth, as well as running the Ecstatic Peace! record label...

 of Sonic Youth

Sonic Youth

Sonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...

 and various other musicians. Releasing one single, "I Hate The '90s", the project dissolved shortly afterwards. Following Hole's disbandment, he wrote songs with actress Bijou Phillips

Bijou Phillips

Bijou Lilly Phillips is an American actress, model, and singer. Phillips began her career as a model but soon transitioned herself into acting and singing. When she was 13, she started as a model and became one of the youngest people to grace the cover of Interview Magazine and Italian Vogue....

 and contributed to Melissa Auf der Maur's debut solo album Auf der Maur

Auf der Maur (album)

Auf der Maur is the debut album from former Hole and The Smashing Pumpkins bassist Melissa Auf der Maur.Formed following her successful stints as bassist for both Hole and The Smashing Pumpkins, Melissa Auf der Maur's solo project Auf der Maur released their self-titled debut album after Melissa's...

, playing guitar on the track, "Would If I Could." He toured with his friend Bill Bartell's band, White Flag

White flag

White flags have had different meanings throughout history and depending on the locale.-Flag of temporary truce in order to parley :...

, and wrote, produced and performed two shows with a group including singer/songwriter John Wolfington and drummer Blackie Onassis from Urge Overkill

Urge Overkill

Urge Overkill is an alternative rock band, formed in Chicago, United States, consisting of Nash Kato , and Eddie "King" Roeser . Their cover of Neil Diamond's song "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon" appeared prominently in the movie Pulp Fiction, and became a hit in 1994...

. In 2007, Erlandson formed an improvisational music project, RRIICCEE

RRIICCEE

RRIICCEE is an American experimental band founded by artist Vincent Gallo and former Hole guitarist and co-founder Eric Erlandson.-History:RRIICCEE was formed in 2007 by Gallo and Erlandson, and members have included Gallo , Erlandson , Cory Lee Grant , Rebecca Casabian , Simon...

, with his neighbor Vincent Gallo

Vincent Gallo

Vincent Gallo is an Italian-American film director and actor. Though he has had minor roles in mainstream films such as Goodfellas, he is most associated with independent movies, including Buffalo '66, which he wrote, directed, did the music for and starred in; The Brown Bunny, which he also...

. The band toured the United States and Canada, and performed at the Fuji Rock Festival

Fuji Rock Festival

Fuji Rock Festival is an annual rock festival held in Naeba Ski Resort, in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. The 3 day event, organized by Smash Japan, features more than 200 Japanese and international musicians, making it the largest outdoor music event in Japan...

 in Japan. Erlandson has since left the group. In 2010, he noted that he has "new musical projects in the works."

On 31 October 2010, Erlandson performed with a new group, Empty Bird, at Show Cave in Los Angeles, California. The group — including Stephen Papke, Erin Broling, Jon Shere, Marie de la Maria and frontwoman Mikie Shioya — performed the show as a tribute to Japanese avant-garde

Avant-garde

Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....

 filmmaker J.A. Seazer.

Erlandson has written songs with folk icon Donna Carson of Hedge and Donna fame for her upcoming solo album.

Other endeavours

Erlandson has studied Creative Writing

Creative writing

Creative writing is considered to be any writing, fiction, poetry, or non-fiction, that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, and technical forms of literature. Works which fall into this category include novels, epics, short stories, and poems...

for the last several years, and is set to release a book in 2011. He practices Nichiren Shoshu Buddhism and visits Japan often.