Musician Will Erickson Vying for Spot in 'Rock Boat' Competition

He's a self-taught guitar player making a name for himself in Tampa Bay's music scene, rocking out at venues like Jannus Live and the Soho Tavern.

Now, South Carolina native Will Erickson is competing in a competition called "Rock Boat Lucky 13" that could land the 33-year-old larger-scale recognition and allow his "alt-country" tunes to reach the masses.

We caught up with the south Tampa resident, who is working on his third album, to chat about the competition, how people can vote and what he thinks of Tampa Bay's music scene.

On when he began performing and what attracted him to music: I started performing live for the first time my junior year of high school. They did a battle of the bands. At least one member had to go to the high school. I was singing and I had a guitarist. I was so nervous.  We came in third. Before that, I did a lot of poetry. I was published in a thing called Southern Sampler. It featured kids from kindergarten to middle school. I had binders and binders of poetry. It went from writing poetry to writing songs.

What he thinks his music says about him: I think it’s a good way for me to just express myself. I am a real happy-go-lucky guy around people. This allows me to explore some emotions I can't normally get out. I’m not your typical musician.

Tell us about Rock Boat. It’s a free competition. You sign up through a third party website called Our Stage, and you set up a profile, upload whatever songs you want to upload, and pick one and enter it into the contest. I tried to pick one that was fun. It's for a booze cruise. I picked "The Beer Song." After that, you try to get people to listen to your music.

On Tampa Bay's music scene: I think people really appreciate music. I think the scene is lacking a little bit. I think people really do appreciate live music in the Tampa bay area. Everybody's gotta get on the same page. I really feel like there could be so much more. It’s the same as what it was. It hasn’t progressed.

His favorite artists or bands: I listen to a lot of Amos Lee, Will Hoge. I listen to stuff on the radio, too. People try to be so anti-radio. That’s ridiculous. You need to know what people listen to. That’s like the newspaper for musicians - the radio.

To reach Erickson, go to http://willerickson.com/. On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/willericksonfanpage. Here's the link to vote for Will and get free download of the Beer Song: http://www.willerickson.com/index.php/voter-login.