Rik L Rik (Richard Elerick)

Rik L Rik
Add a Photo Rik L Rik performing
Born	(1960-09-30)September 30, 1960 Covina, California
Died	(2000-06-27)June 27, 2000
Genres	Punk rock hardcore punk
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1977–2000
Labels	Posh Boy Records Upsetter Records Happy Hermit / IRS Records
Associated acts	F-Word Negative Trend Slaves Holy Riders Garbage Hearts (with Steve Soto Electric Frankenstein The Celestials

Rik L Rik has been cited by many as a major influence on the early southern California punk scene. His band F-Word was the first California punk bands to release an album. Also, they were a strong musical influence on such bands as The Germs and others.

Rik L. Rik, born Richard Brian Elerick in Covina, California, Born 30 September 1960 and died from brain cancer 30 June 2000 at the age of 39. Rik was highly influential in the original Los Angeles and Orange Counties Punk Rock scene; called a "Pioneering Punk" by the LA Times, for forming one of the first southern California Punk bands when he was a teenager (F-Word) and releasing one of the very first southern California Punk albums Like It or Not Live. Rik was a co-founder of the influential L.A. punk band F-Word in 1977 with guitarist Paul Sercu (a.k.a. Dim Wanker). As 16-year-old high school kids, they made their debut at the Masque club during fall of ’77 (F-Word and the Zeros from Chula Vista were the two youngest bands from the Masque’s first wave). Many people who would later form their own early California punk bands attended their shows at the Masque, among them Derby Crash of The Germs. Rik was mentioned quite a bit in The Germs biography that came out a couple years ago. . F-Word also inspired some of the first wave of O.C. teen punk bands such as the Adolescents and Social Distortion, as well as Red Cross from the South Bay. The late great LA punk scene hero. Rik was a true original, parading around LA barefoot, living at his parents' house well into his 20s, and generally not giving a fuck in pure punk fashion. His records are essential for all fans of the '70s/'80s LA scene!

Career History

Titled Like It or Not, F-Word’s only full-length album was recorded live and put out against the band’s wishes by their manager early in ‘78. Whatever its sonic shortcomings, it lays claim to being the first Class of ‘77 indie punk album in L.A. County. Rik’s subsequent tracks on the Beach_Blvd compilation (Poshboy Records, 1979), backed by the Bay Area’s Negative Trend, are also essential for connecting the early transitional L.A.-to-O.C. punk dots; along with the Simpletones from Rosemead and the Crowd from Huntington Beach. Known for performing barefoot, Rik also frequently walked around L.A. shoeless, and sang in a voice often compared to Iggy’s, especially in the baritone range. He was a key figure in punk’s spread to such suburbs as Orange County, where it grew into commercial and critical prominence.

After F-Word called it quits in late 1978, Rik would leave for San Francisco and join Negative Trend (who later became SF band Flipper_(band)). That band’s sole recorded output would be one 7″ and a couple tracks on the Tooth and Nail compilation. After he quit Negative Trend, he went solo and put out a 7″ on Posh Boy Records, and was also on the Beach Blvd compilation. It was at the recording session for this single that those Negative Trend tracks were recorded for the Tooth and Nail compilation and were remixed by Chris D (of Flesh Eaters fame, who released the comp on his label, Upsetter Records). Years later, Posh Boy would release The Lost Album by Rik L Rik which was a collection of songs he recorded in the early 1980s. Besides F-Word, Rik was in Negative Trend, Slaves, Holy Riders, Garbage Hearts (recording an EP with Steve Soto), later Electric Frankenstein, and finally The Celestials. He was in the process of recording a record with The Celestials before he died but it never got finished before his untimely passing.

Rik sang on a couple of film soundtracks: the film Nightmares (1983) used the songs Mercenaries and I Got Power. Both were credited. Also, the film Stoked: The Rise and Fall of Gator (2002) used the song Laurie's Lament

In 1990, Rik released an album with The Slaves, featuring the songs Dominique and Soul Power.

In 1995, Electric Frankenstein recorded the F-Word song (You) Out There and in 1996 Rik sang this song on stage with EF. In 1996, Rik came out on the East Coast and did 2 shows, at the Court Tavern in NJ and at Coney Island High in NYC, as vocalist (doing both EF songs and F-Word/Negative Trend songs) In 1997, the Court Tavern show was recorded and released as 7" EP on Munster Records of Spain (1999), featuring the live songs: 1. Do the Nihil, 2. I Got Power, 3. Out There, 4. Meat House. Rik recorded an album of original songs with Electric Frankenstein, the record was first released as an EP called Monster on Au-Go-Go Records (1997), and then later that year a full length version with added live songs was released by the same label as Rock & Roll Monster. In 2023, the album Rock & Roll Monster was re-issued on Dead Beat Records with more extra songs added as Rock & Roll Monster (Revisited) .

Rik's latest music project (1999/2000) was with the band The Celestials with John Carlucci-bass, Curt Carson- Lead & Rhythm Guitar, LuLu Carson- Vocals, Tiger Bela- Vocals, Dale Daniel- Drums, Rock Vodka- Acoustic Guitar, Percussion & Vocals, John Carlucci- Bass . They were in the middle of a recording project when Rik took ill earlier this year. They had everything ready to go, all the tracks, but vocals. Rik never got well enough to finish the vocals for the bulk of songs, but they did finish one song, a recorded version of the Elvis Presley staple, "The American Trilogy". This would be considered the last complete recording from the great Rik L Rik.

Rik Rik Discography can be found at: https://www.discogs.com/artist/787344-Rik-L-Rik

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