Biography
Biography:
Classically trained on Piano as a child, Tristan Eckerson has grown into a multifaceted Composer, Songwriter, and Producer who has embraced a myriad of musical and cultural influences in order to create a style that is completely his own. Born and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio, Tristan began taking piano lessons at a young age, and quickly excelled as a performer. In middle school he switched over to trombone, and proceeded to explore other instruments, joining punk band The Scoundrels as lead singer, and teaching himself to play the drums. Towards the end of high school Tristan returned to study of the piano, his musical palette having been broadened by the influences of Jazz, Funk, Rock, and Blues. Tristan continued to study on his own, and went to College of Charleston in South Carolina in 2000 to study Jazz Theory and Piano Performance.
Upon arriving in Charleston Tristan immediately joined local Funk/Fusion group Doublestack as Keyboardist and began touring with the group, sharing stages with the likes of Karl Denson, Topaz, and Umphrey’s Mcgee. Upon the group’s separation in 2003, Tristan moved back to Cincinnati to form a Jazz Fusion group with two of his old friends. The trio formed in the winter of 2003 and called themselves Trifectafunk. The group quickly picked up steam, garnering local and regional press and a nomination for “Best Funk/R&B Band” at the 2005 Cincinnati Entertainment Awards. After a few more years of touring regionally and producing and self releasing an EP, Tristan decided to disband the group in favor of moving to San Francisco, California to continue his career on the west coast. Just before moving Tristan produced a self titled solo EP with Erwin Musper at Bamboo Room studios in Cincinnati. Gary Winters wrote horn arrangements for a few of the tracks, and the personnel for the session included musicians who had played with the likes of Ray Charles, The Spinners, Fred Wesley and the J.B.’s, and The Coasters.
Just a few months after moving to San Francisco in 2008, Tristan was already performing live as a solo artist. One of his performances caught the attention of Robby Cronholm, who invited him to join his new group Taxes. Tristan joined the group in 2008, and also performed with various other Bay Area groups, along with forming his own trio, which he called the Tristan Eckerson Band. He went on to perform in venues throughout the Bay Area, including performances at SXSW Music Festival in Austin,Texas and the San Francisco Noise Pop Festival. Tristan also composed String Arrangements for the Taxes album "It's always Something," which were recorded at Tiny Telephone Studios by Minna Choi and her Magik* Magik Orchestra.
During his time in San Francisco, Tristan also enrolled in the Music Production and Sound Design for Visual Media master's program at the Academy of Art University, as his interest in writing for film and other visual media had been steadily growing since moving to the bay area in 2008. Since then Tristan has written and produced original music for award winning films and commercials, both professionally and as part of his Master's thesis at the Academy. Tristan recently moved with his family to Seattle, Washington, where he continues to work professionally as a freelance Composer, Songwriter, Arranger, Producer, and Performer. Tristan is currently working on multiple projects with artists, film makers, and production houses from all over the world, as he continues to build his professional portfolio and further his already promising career in the Music and Entertainment industry.