Roky Erickson has left the building. The Austin psychedelic rock icon and founding member of The 13th Floor Elevators passed away last week at the age of seventy-one.
Tributes and remembrances of the man and his music have been pouring in ever since, none more poignant than the offering from singer Chelsea Wolfe. She’s shared a stark reading of “Night of the Vampire,” taken from Erickson’s 1981 full-length, The Evil One. Listen to it below.
In addition to the video, Wolfe penned a personal tribute to Erickson on her Facebook page:
“I’ve been stuck in a bit of a personal cage lately, feeling like I couldn’t share things that didn’t feel highly polished… it was starting to become a source of anxiety for me, as I have a new album I’m announcing soon, and wanted to be able to share intimate moments from the creation of the record in my home, as well as stripped down versions of the songs, but haven’t felt like any of it was ‘good enough.’ Today I got home from a long drive after hanging out with good friends until four in the morning, and learned that Roky had passed. He’s always been one of my favorites, and this song has been on my mind to cover for a while now, so it just seemed right: record it, share it. Don’t overthink it, don’t worry about it being perfect. Yea, I could do a more polished version, but this is the way it came out naturally, and I was shaking afterward, always a sign that I’ve opened myself up to something beyond myself. Thank you Roky, for setting me free.”
