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Actual Wolf
Actual Wolf aka Eric Pollard on drums as a member of Sun Kil Moon, (Mark Kozelek, Eric Pollard, Vasco Espinheira) Paris 2014
Actual Wolf aka Eric Pollard on drums as a member of Sun Kil Moon, (Mark Kozelek, Eric Pollard, Vasco Espinheira) Paris 2014
Background information
Birth nameEric Pollard
Genres
Instruments
Labels

Eric Pollard, (born March 21, 1980) known professionally as Actual Wolf, is an American singer-songwriter and instrumentalist best known for his instrumental work in Retribution Gospel Choir, Sun Kil Moon, Low [1] and as the leader and songwriter for his eponymous band Actual Wolf. [2].

Early life and education

Eric Michael Pollard was born on March 21, 1980 and raised in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, which is located in the Iron Range region of the state. His father worked for Itasca County Minnesota and his mother was a nurse and flight attendant. He has one sister. All three of his immediate family members are musical, though he is the only one who has pursued music as a profession. [3]Eric Pollard went to high school and participated in early bands with future Trampled By Turtles bass player Tim Saxhaug. [4]. After High School he attended the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire, where he would meet Justin Vernon, who would later produce the second studio recording Eric Pollard would record under the Actual Wolf banner. [5] Eric Pollard would adopt the professional name Actual Wolf while rebuilding his personal and professional life following a felony arrest for selling marijuana. [6]

Career

Pre Actual Wolf years

Eric Pollard was the drummer and a vocalist for Retribution Gospel Choir. RGC, which had begun as a collaboration between Low guitarist & songwriter Alan Sparhawk and Red House Painters & Sun Kil Moon founder Mark Kozelek (who left early in the band's history) were signed to Sub Pop. [7] He also toured as a keyboardist with low. [8] Shortly thereafter he would become a touring member of Sun Kil Moon. [9] He also contributed vocals to the Sun Kil Moon album April.

Actual Wolf

In 2011 Eric Pollard was charged with five felony counts of selling marijuana. [10] Eventually he was able to plead these charges down to an extended probation, but the effects of these charges took him off the road and forced him to move back to his home town and reevaluate. It was during this period his career transitioned from a strictly instrumental sideman into the songwriter/singer/band leader. In the three years of travel restrictions that were part of his legal troubles he wrote 70 songs. While he completed his legal penalties a friend invented the new stage name/pseudonym of "Actual Wolf", in part due to his authentic "outlaw" credentials and in part due to the preponderance of popular bands of the period with "Wolf" in their commercial names. [11].

In 2012, under his new pseudonym, Actual Wolf self released the ep "Lightning and the Wolf", which featured vocals by Haley Bonar. This led to a residency at the Turf Club and a show on the main stage at the famed First Avenue in Minneapolis. He was placed at #6 on the annual "Picked to Click" list by the Twin Cities alternative weekly City Pages. [12]

In 2013 Actual Wolf released an eponymous full length debut on the Chaperone record label. [13] Once his probationary restrictions were lifted he moved to Nashville to continue his music career. [14] While in Nashville Eric Pollard aka Actual Wolf returned to his roots as an instrumental sideman, touring and recording with the likes of Nikki Lane [15] and JP Harris. [16]

2015 saw the release of the cassette only collection of Actual Wolf songs "Itasca", the title of which refers to the Northern Minnesota county of Itasca County. [17] Shortly afterwards Actual Wolf relocated to Oakland California to pursue work in the burgeoning legal medical marijuana industry while still continuing his songwriting/musical career.

In 2016 Actual Wolf began work on his second full length, self produced LP, later to be titled "Faded Days" with Minnesoata based musicians Jeremy Hanson of Tapes 'n Tapes, Jacob Hanson, Steve Garrington (bass player of low), vocalist Al Church and Nashville pedal steel player Ditch Kurtz. The album would be released in 2017 on the Red House Records label. [18] [19] During this period Eric Pollard aka Actual Wolf was still living in Oakland, California. It was there that he began to assemble a regular full time touring band, eventually recruiting Bay Area lead guitarist Misisipi Mike Wolf, pedal steel player Ian Taylor Sutton [20] , keyboardist Kirby Hammel (formerly a touring member of Sun Kil Moon, drummer Andrew Griffin ( Cake, Camper Van Beethoven) [21] [22] and bassist Ted O'Connell.

  1. ^ https://www.argusleader.com/story/blogs/scotthudson/2015/10/22/actual-wolf-channels-dylan-am-country-radio/74333362/
  2. ^ http://www.citypages.com/music/actual-wolf-perfects-a-rootless-roots-rock-with-faded-days/444010883
  3. ^ https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/lifestyle/4313273-those-faded-days-actual-wolfs-latest-album-chronicles-post-probation-period
  4. ^ https://www.grandrapidsmn.com/news/dukes-of-hubbard-move-onward-and-upward/article_9298a767-cc9c-530a-9df0-5a1aff3a4fa3.html
  5. ^ http://www.citypages.com/music/actual-wolfs-eric-pollard-captures-his-creative-spark-6771444
  6. ^ http://www.citypages.com/music/actual-wolf-is-thankful-for-the-minnesota-music-scene-and-that-hes-not-in-jail-6626713
  7. ^ https://www.allmusic.com/artist/retribution-gospel-choir-mn0000954634/biography
  8. ^ http://www.citypages.com/music/actual-wolf-is-thankful-for-the-minnesota-music-scene-and-that-hes-not-in-jail-6626713
  9. ^ https://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2008/07/in-this-edition-of-the.html
  10. ^ https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/lifestyle/4313273-those-faded-days-actual-wolfs-latest-album-chronicles-post-probation-period
  11. ^ https://glidemagazine.com/185415/song-premiere-actual-wolf-makes-american-music-worldwide-ears-baby-please/
  12. ^ http://www.citypages.com/music/actual-wolf-is-thankful-for-the-minnesota-music-scene-and-that-hes-not-in-jail-6626713
  13. ^ https://www.discogs.com/Actual-Wolf-Actual-Wolf/master/882186
  14. ^ http://www.citypages.com/music/actual-wolfs-eric-pollard-captures-his-creative-spark-6771444
  15. ^ https://www.radiok.org/features/specialty-shows/otr/sksw-guest-blog-actual-wolf/
  16. ^ https://www.savingcountrymusic.com/album-review-jp-harriss-sometimes-dogs-bark-at-nothing/
  17. ^ /www.argusleader.com/story/blogs/scotthudson/2015/10/22/actual-wolf-channels-dylan-am-country-radio/74333362/
  18. ^ http://www.citypages.com/music/actual-wolf-perfects-a-rootless-roots-rock-with-faded-days/444010883
  19. ^ https://www.duluthnewstribune.com/lifestyle/4313273-those-faded-days-actual-wolfs-latest-album-chronicles-post-probation-period
  20. ^ http://thebaybridged.com/2017/04/17/actual-wolf-prepares-new-album-shows/
  21. ^ https://www.moderndrummer.com/2010/07/andrew-griffin/
  22. ^ https://www.sfgate.com/thingstodo/article/Andrew-Griffin-3216489.php
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