Eric Schermerhorn (; born April 11, 1961)[1] is an American guitarist, composer, and voiceover artist. As a musician, he has worked with David Bowie,[2] Iggy Pop,[3] Ric Ocasek, Richard Butler, The The, They Might Be Giants, Melissa Etheridge, P!nk, Christina Aguilera, Seal, and Sheryl Crow. As a voiceover artist, he has had minor roles in Family Guy and American Dad!.
| Eric Schermerhorn | |
| Birth Date: | 11 April 1961 |
| Birth Place: | Springfield, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Occupation: | Musician, composer, voiceover artist |
| Instrument: | Guitar |
| Years Active: | As musician: 1980–present As voiceover artist: 2011–present |
Eric Schermerhorn was born on April 11, 1961, in Springfield, Massachusetts.[4] He would spend time listening to his older sister's Beatles records, and those were formative musical experiences in his early childhood. Schermerhorn attributes his keen interest in the electric guitar to an early experience listening to Led Zeppelin's 1969 song "Whole Lotta Love". He first started playing guitar in the summer of 1972, as an 11-year-old going into 6th grade, and constantly practiced in his bedroom as a teenager. He learned how to read guitar tablatures while taking music classes in high school. While attending high school, Schermerhorn was in a band called Crystal Raaven; the band eventually shortened its name to Raaven, but the band was short-lived.[5]
In 1979, Schermerhorn moved to Boston and attended the Berklee College of Music.
In 1980, Schermerhorn formed a band called Ooh-Ah-Ah! with two of his fellow students at Berklee College of Music, lead singer Cindy Lager and bass player Akio Akashi. Akashi had brought a Roland TR-808 drum machine from Tokyo, and Ooh-Ah-Ah! were among its early users. The band was never signed to a label, but they had recording sessions at Syncro Sound in Boston; David Robinson, the drummer for The Cars, produced those demos.[6]
Ooh-Ah-Ah! broke up soon after, and Schermerhorn graduated from Berklee College of Music in 1982.[7] Schermerhorn joined a band called Adventure Set in 1983, which was active until 1985. They were also unsigned, and they released a 4-track EP in 1985, produced by William Garrett. One song from that EP, "Blue Is For Boys", received significant airplay on WBCN.
Cindy Lager and Eric Schermerhorn played together again in another band called East of Eden, which formed in 1986. They were signed to Capitol Records in 1987, and they released one self-titled album in 1989. The album was produced by Roy Thomas Baker (known for his work with Queen and The Cars). They toured with The Psychedelic Furs as a supporting act in autumn 1989, before they broke up in 1990.
When East of Eden broke up, Schermerhorn relocated to New York City, and started finding work as a session guitarist for TV commercials. In spring 1991, another fellow student of Berklee, Reeves Gabrels, called Schermerhorn and asked him to audition for David Bowie's group, Tin Machine. Schermerhorn traveled to Los Angeles to audition, and he ended up touring with Tin Machine on the It's My Life Tour, which lasted from October 5, 1991, to February 17, 1992.
By the time the tour with Tin Machine ended, David Bowie's road manager approached Schermerhorn, letting him know that Iggy Pop was looking for a guitar player, and Schermerhorn agreed. After the tour was over, Bowie asked Schermerhorn which musician he wanted to work with; Schermerhorn modestly replied Chrissie Hynde, knowing she was looking for a guitarist. Through Bowie, he briefly met Hynde in London, where she let him know that if he wanted to work with her, he would have to move to London because she wanted a London-based band. Schermerhorn rejected it, in favor of staying in New York and working with Iggy Pop. He wrote and recorded with Iggy Pop from 1993 to 1995, and his songwriting and guitar work can be heard on the albums American Caesar and Naughty Little Doggie.
Schermerhorn also played on Ric Ocasek's fourth studio album, Quick Change World, released on September 28, 1993. This connection came about through his early association with The Cars' drummer, David Robinson.
Schermerhorn had met Richard Butler when East of Eden toured with The Psychedelic Furs in 1989; through this connection, Butler invited Eric to write and record with his new band, Love Spit Love. Love Spit Love released their debut self-titled album on August 2, 1994. He co-wrote and played acoustic guitar on the song "Codeine".
Through a connection with manager and former 'Til Tuesday drummer Michael Hausman, Schermerhorn met Matt Johnson, who was in New York, looking for a guitar player for The The. Schermerhorn remembers meeting Matt in 1993, but he joined to replace Johnny Marr in 1995. Schermerhorn's work with The The can be heard on the albums Hanky Panky and NakedSelf. He left The The in 2002.
In 1995, through a connection with Robert Quine, Schermerhorn met John Flansburgh, and he joined They Might Be Giants. He played with the band until December 1996, and his work as a lead guitarist with They Might Be Giants can be heard on the albums Factory Showroom[8] and Severe Tire Damage.[9] Through this connection, he also played with Flansburgh's side project Mono Puff until 1998, where his work can be heard on the album It's Fun To Steal.
In 1996, Schermerhorn toured with Paula Cole for a promotional tour, and he appeared in the music video for "Where Have All the Cowboys Gone?". He also played with Maria Gabriela Epúmer in 1998, performing with her band A1 on the Señorita Corazon album, released in 1998.
Schermerhorn met Eagle-Eye Cherry in 1998, and he wrote and recorded for the album Living in the Present Future, released on March 6, 2000.
Schermerhorn moved to Los Angeles, California, in late August 2001. He moved primarily to write and record songs for other artists. There, he formed a music production company called CHIMP, with producer Pete Min; separate from Schermerhorn's songwriting for other artists, CHIMP provided incidental music for television and film until 2012.In 2001, through his connection with record producer Bill Bottrell, Schermerhorn played with Shelby Lynne during a promotional tour.
A connection with Jason Mraz came about through Schermerhorn's publishing company, Kobalt Music, in 2001. He composed and performed on Mraz's debut album, Waiting for My Rocket to Come, released on October 15, 2002.
In February 2002, Schermerhorn played with Marianne Faithfull once, at the opening of an exhibit centered around the work of Andy Warhol at the Tate Modern in London.[10]
Schermerhorn had a connection with Linda Perry since 1999, and he frequently collaborated with her, doing session work. His connection with Perry led to him meeting P!nk and Christina Aguilera in 2002. He worked with P!nk on the 2003 album Try This, and he worked with Christina Aguilera on the 2006 album Back To Basics. Schermerhorn's connection with Linda Perry, as well as his connection with Rick Parashar since 2001, led to him working with Melissa Etheridge. His work with Etheridge can be heard on the album Lucky, released on February 10, 2004.
In 2003, through his connection with Earl Harvin while playing in The The, and through a connection with bassist Chris Bruce, Schermerhorn worked with Seal. His work can be heard on the System album, released on November 12, 2007, as well as the live albums and DVDs Live in Paris, released in April 2005, and One Night to Remember, released on March 27, 2006.
In 2005, Schermerhorn's longstanding connection with former The The drummer Brian MacLeod led to him working with Sheryl Crow. He wrote and recorded on the Detours album, released February 5, 2008.
In 2009, through a connection with musician Dave Levita, Schermerhorn toured with Lucinda Williams for a year. He stopped touring in 2010.
When he stopped touring, he decided to focus on recording music for various sessions and raising his children, but he also started working as a voiceover artist, recording from his home studio.[11] As a voice actor, he has found work in the animated sitcoms Family Guy and American Dad!, as well as providing voiceover for The Doctors, and for various advertisements. He has semi-retired from voice acting, though he still provides the occasional recording for friends and acquaintances.
Pete Min founded Colorfield Records in 2021, and Schermerhorn is due to release an album through the label in 2025.
Schermerhorn currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife and two children.
With East of Eden
With Christina Aguilera
With David Bowie
With Eagle-Eye Cherry
With Iggy Pop
With Jason Mraz
With John Fischer
With Love Spit Love
With Maria Gabriela Epúmer and A1
With Mono Puff
With P!nk
With Ric Ocasek
With Seal
With Sheryl Crow
With The The
With They Might Be Giants