Family, music, teaching filled Eric Erlandson's life

To Eric "Ric" Erlandson, the world really was a stage. By day, he was a teacher at Carnation Elementary School. At night, he stepped out as singer and guitarist for a classic-rock band, The Dambreakers.

"His main love outside his family was playing music," said Kelly Owen, a band mate and fellow teacher. "He loved to be the front guy. He sang the majority of our songs."

Mr. Erlandson, 51, died Monday (June 2) after a yearlong battle with cancer. Despite his illness, he taught up to the second week of May. He was a public-school teacher for 27 years.

As a musician, Mr. Erlandson loved strapping on his vintage Stratocaster electric guitar and pushing The Dambreakers through rockabilly songs such as "Stray Cat Strut," "That'll Be The Day" and "Honey Don't," said Owen, the band's bass player.

The band's favorite venue was The Brick in Roslyn, a tavern made famous by the TV show "Northern Exposure," set in the fictional town of Cicely, Alaska, but shot in Roslyn.

The Dambreakers, who played together for 14 years, took their name from the Tolt River Dam, which was near where they practiced. Guitarist Paul Censullo, technology director for the Riverview School District, said members of the band — which had been called Lungs and Noses, and Middle-aged Mutant Teachers — joked that if they played too loudly, they would break the dam and flood the area.

All four band members worked for the Riverview School District in Carnation.

"Because all of us were connected to the school district, people who hired us thought we were safe," said Owen. Every year, the band played at Carnation Elementary School and Tolt Middle School.

One of the band's biggest fans is Kathy Spokus, an education assistant at Carnation Elementary School. Spokus, who worked in Mr. Erlandson's classroom one year, said he was as good at teaching as he was at playing music.

"He just had a rapport with the kids that was special. He seemed able to reach kids who had trouble learning or had reputations as troublemakers. Our school is like one big family, and it's like the loss of a brother," she said.

Censullo said Mr. Erlandson was a good role model for boys because he was athletic, a rock musician and "very learned, with a master's degree in English literature."

Mr. Erlandson went to high school with Ann Wilson, of the famous Seattle band Heart, Censullo added.

Whether on stage or in the classroom, Mr. Erlandson was demanding of himself and others, colleagues said. "He had high standards and was very hard-nosed," Censullo said. "We were more lax about the band than he was. He was the driving force in that regard."

Band mates and other musicians will host a musical tribute to Mr. Erlandson June 19 at the Raging River Saloon in Fall City.

In addition to Ronda, his wife of 27 years, Mr. Erlandson is survived by his daughters, Rachel and Robin, and his father, Jack Erlandson. A memorial service will be held at Sammamish Hills Lutheran Church, 22818 S.E. Eighth St. in Sammamish at 4:30 p.m. tomorrow.

In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the American Cancer Society or Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Bob Young: 206-464-2174 or byoung@seattletimes.com