Artists On The Edge: Erik Blackerby

Sun., Nov. 5, 2000

By Heather Lalley heatherl@spokesman.com

Don’t expect to hear Erik Blackerby’s music at The Met or Opera House.

In fact, you’ll need a computer and Internet connection to listen to his spacey, ethereal electronic songs.

Blackerby, a software training manager at Gonzaga University, creates complex computer-generated tunes in his off hours. He posts the songs on MP3.com, under the name Digital Moodz, and has become one of the biggest hits on the music Web site.

“It was a big surprise,” says Blackerby, who at first only put his songs on the Web so family members around the country could hear them.

Since he first went online in July, sales of his downloadable music have earned him about $4,500. (Top artists on MP3.com can make some $20,000 a month.)

Several of his songs have risen to the top of MP3.com’s electronica and general Latin charts - no small feat on a Web site with some 100,000 artists and 600,000 songs.

He’s now collaborating via high-speed Internet connection with a vocalist in Sweden, and has been asked by a Canadian company to produce music for video games.

“Being on the edge with my music means creating new sounds and fusions of electronic music with the latest in digital music technology, computers and synthesizers while embracing new means to distribute or promote the music,” Blackerby said.

It takes the 32-year-old father of three about a month of evenings and weekends to complete one song. He has no formal musical training and composes his songs by ear using a synthesizer and some high-tech software.

He creates the tunes in layers, building up from backbeats and synth sounds to horns, flutes, strings and vocals. He melds all those tracks together with the help of a sequencing program.

Blackerby started his musical career as a military brat, working as a DJ in German clubs. As a student at Eastern Washington University, he spinned tunes at frat parties and at clubs around Fairchild Air Force Base.

But his latest venture has allowed him to reach a much broader audience.

“It’s kind of neat because it’s global,” he said. “I’ve sold CDs to people in Japan and Belgium and Canada.”

Artists on the edge Experience artists’ work in many ways

Local journalism is essential.

Give directly to The Spokesman-Review's Northwest Passages community forums series -- which helps to offset the costs of several reporter and editor positions at the newspaper -- by using the easy options below. Gifts processed in this system are tax deductible.

Meet Our Journalists

Jesse Tinsley

Meet Jesse Tinsley. As a certified drone pilot, this veteran Spokesman-Review photographer often can be seen capturing beautiful aerial photographs of our region. Sometimes though, the job requires getting down with the dogs.
Jim Meehan

Jim Meehan is no stranger to Zag Nation. As the lead writer covering the Gonzaga men’s basketball team, he tells the stories behind the game and gets fans a bit closer to their favorite players.
Molly Quinn

There is no artist in Spokane like Molly Quinn. Her whimsical style is instantly recognizable to readers of The Spokesman-Review. She has painted gorgeous illustrations that instantly elevate the journalism accompanying it. She brings to life the stories that defy photography. She makes our pages better.
Rob Curley

Spokesman-Review editor Rob Curley loves to talk with people and learn about their lives, whether it's a best-selling author or a stranger he meets downtown on his walk to lunch. It's that inquisitive nature combined with a playful sense of storytelling that helps make our newspaper different than most.