by Erik Carlson | Aug 5, 2016
One of the greatest aspects about Lighten Up Gear is that I get to meet and connect with a lot of great people. Ben Walters (AKA Illijam) and I met via social media networking and our friendship blossomed from there. As my kids got older, they took a strong interest...
by Erik Carlson | Jul 27, 2015
Stress happens. It’s something that happens to us on a day-to-day basis, and everyone deals with it in a variety of ways. Call me strange, but I’ve been dealing with stress in a couple of polar opposite manners: baby photos and heavy metal. I work in a...
by Erik Carlson | Nov 27, 2014
I used to be a huge Caedmon’s Call fan. I was a card carrying member of the Caedmon’s Call Guild, owned all their albums and would travel within a 250 mile radius to their shows. So this morning I woke up humming “Thankful” by Caedmon’s...
by Erik Carlson | Apr 16, 2014
Tonight I listened to a beautiful duet of Lori Chaffer and Sandra McCracken singing “It’s Alright.” (I’ll post it below in case you want to also listen to this great song) Then it got me thinking. If you were going to name your top 5 favorite...
by Erik Carlson | Mar 1, 2014
After taking in 5 metal bands in one night, my ears were still ringing well into the next day. My head was throbbing. And my throat was a little soar from singing (or screaming) along. I haven’t been to a concert that loud in a long time. And for me, loud can be...
