Users/thelonepiper555

Joined on Dec 17, 2007

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Users/thelonepiper555, Erik J. Leiken

Quick info:

Name: Erik J. Leiken Nationality: A Euromutt, basically. If you want specifics, primarily Ashkenazi Jewish from Belarus, Ukraine, Poland, Austria, the UK, and Hungary. Location: Davis, CA Age: 22 Sign: Pisces

Piping at Point Reyes, 2004.

After High School Graduation, 2004.

With the Kevin R. Blandford Memorial Pipe Band, 2007.

Putting it on the line, with piper Aaron Shaw of The Wicked Tinkers judging on his birthday, 2008.

Victory is mine!!! Me winning the Heywood Memorial trophy for the second time, San Diego, 2008.

Erik Leiken, a (virtually) lifelong Davis resident, is known for walking aimlessly through town at virtually any hour, working graveyard at Long's in West Davis, hanging around the music shops, and for terrorizing the town with the sound of the bagpipes. He still can be heard most nights practicing the bagpipes in his North Davis home, and often at the Yolo Bypass and wherever large groups of people don't congregate.

Born on March 7th, 1986 in Berkeley, Erik lived the first weeks of his life in nearby Lafayette. His family relocated to Davis in May of 1986, and have remained there ever since. Erik spent five months in 2006 living in El Cajon, CA, but returned in Late December of that year. He continues to reside in Davis.

Erik attended the following schools:

Davis Community Church Nursery School (1989-1991)
West Davis Elementary, now Chavez (1991-1995)
West Davis Intermediate, now Willett (1995-1998)
Emerson Jr. High (1998-2001)
Davis Senior High School (2001-2004)
Sacramento City College, Davis Campus (2004-2006, 2008)
Woodland Community College (2007)

Performing at a highland dance competition at a highland games in Salinas, in the Dunvegan Pipe Band uniform. 2003.

Erik has been playing the bagpipes since 1994, and aside from playing at various events throughout Davis and the Western US, he has achieved a level of success in solo and band competitions. He currently competes in Grade 1 in solos, and plays with the Kevin R. Blandford Memorial Pipe Band based out of LA. Erik also plays with his instructor's band, the Dunvegan Pipe Band from Redwood City, CA, and teaches the Alameda County Sheriff's Pipe Band hailing from Dublin, CA. He is available to play for weddings, funerals, and any sort of occasion that may be enhanced by bagpipe music. Erik also is available for bagpipe instruction.

Dunvegan Pipe Band http://www.highlandnet.com/info/band/b027.html

Alameda Co. Sheriff's Pipe Band http://www.acspb.com/

Kevin R. Blandford Memorial Pipe Band http://www.blandfordbands.org

The Byzantines band practice, 2003.

Aside from bagpipes, Erik also plays the bass, guitar, trumpet, tin whistle, didgeridoo, ukulele, viola, and he just started playing the Galician "Gaita," a bagpipe from Northwestern Spain. Erik also composes music, primarily for the bagpipes, and has composed well over 500 pipe tunes, including marches, strathspeys, reels, jigs, hornpipes, slow airs, and piobaireachd. One of his tunes, a 6/8 march called "The Last Dram for Mal Malloy," is becoming better known in California's piping community.

Download the tune! malmalloy.bmp

His non-musical hobbies are writing, driving all over the place, playing with his pets, bowling, art, loitering, taking day trips, camping, hiking, and sleeping, among other things.

9th birthday bash at the M.U.G.A. 1995.