Before releasing music under his own name, Erik wrote and recorded seven albums of original songs with Kill Henry Sugar, a “metropolitan folk duo” with drummer and producer Dean Sharenow. The Washington Post called the band masters of low-fi storytelling who “wed intriguing lyrics to little textured grooves that have a habit of getting under your skin.” Erik is one of the primary songwriters and provides vocals, guitar, and banjo for Hazmat Modine, a band that The New York Times described as a “category-defying blues-rooted group that can swerve into New Orleans brass-band, jazz, and ska.” In addition, Erik has appeared on over 60 rock, pop, and Americana albums, toured and recorded extensively with Joan Osborne, Natalie Merchant, and Joan Baez, and has worked with legendary music producer T-Bone Burnett. In 2024 Erik won two Drama Desk Awards for co-composing music and lyrics with David Yazbek for the Off-Broadway show Dead Outlaw.