When two lawyer fathers and their teacher sons find something they love to do together it creates something wonderful- a local band called the Crazy Gringos that plays everything from classic rock to country to Jason Mraz.
The Crazy Gringos is made up of two father-son teams. Steve Erlsten is on drums and percussion and his son John Erlsten, who is a Language Arts teacher at Galion Middle School, is on bass. Meanwhile, the Tilsons both play a myriad of instruments aside from sharing rhythm and lead guitar duties. Father Steve plays the banjo and ukulele while his son Eric plays the harmonica and saxophone along with being the lead vocalist of the group.
Though all members have been in other bands before, they have managed to remain together for roughly 11 years because their unique set-up allows them to truly enjoy what they do. They agreed that “not many fathers and sons have interests that allow them to connect” and after stumbling upon their mutual love of music they have become much closer to each other.
The band has always been a family affair, with its beginnings rooted in first playing together at gatherings and then their first gig together as Tilson and Friends at Galion’s Music in the Park event in 2003. In fact, Steve Tilson maintains that shows are “almost like a family reunion every time we play” because they have so much support and sincerely enjoy playing at get-togethers for relatives and friends.
Along with family ties, the warmhearted band as a whole has a deep sense of camaraderie. In fact, their name comes from Woodridge High School Spanish teacher and vocalist Eric walking into a practice fresh from studying and time in Paraguay joking, “You’re all just a bunch of crazy gringos!”
The Crazy Gringos play a wide span of music and events. Their repertoire has a bit of everything including blues, modern rock, classic rock, reggae, latin, country, Motown, jazz, and they will happily learn anything that is requested. The players attribute such a broad span to the fact that they are “all in different decades so we’ve grown up with different music.” For instance, Steve Tilson’s favorite to play is music from the 1950s, while John Erlsten’s is ‘70s.
This same age disparity leads to a difference in playing techniques, which gives an even more unique sound. In addition to covers with their own flair added, Eric has an “amateur recording studio in his basement that he sneaks off to when his 3-year-old falls asleep” to record his own solo vocal tracks (available on iTunes), and the band intends to produce their own original songs in it this month.
Gigs range from festivals like the Bratwurst in Bucyrus and Galion’s Oktoberfest to private parties to playing in restaurants. However, the Crazy Gringos especially like to play events focused on their local Galion area community.
Most recently they performed during the Galion fireworks celebration. They frequently attend Music In The Park, celebrated the opening of Galion Middle School, have played at fundraising events benefiting the Galion Booster Club, and their first official gig as the Crazy Gringos was at a Galion Community Foundation scholarship benefit in 2005.
The two fathers especially heavily focus on philanthropy with their music, as Steve Tilson is President and Steve Erlsten is a fellow of the Ohio State Bar Foundation, a charitable arm of the Ohio State Bar Association.
In the end, the group says their music about bonding together and having a good time. Steve Tilson exclaims, “We’re not trying to get to Carnegie Hall … we wouldn’t even want to be there!” while John Erlsten chimes in, “It’s really all about having fun with our families and playing music we like. We’re just lucky enough to have gigs and get paid to do it.”
To stay up to date on upcoming events or contact the band for bookings find them on Facebook, visit their website, or contact Steve Tilson at guitartil@yahoo.com or (419) 295-4261.
