A Quick Hello
I am Norman Wilkerson. I'm an independent American singer, songwriter, poet, musician, vocal actor, illustrator, graphic designer, game developer, and storyteller. If you don't know me, that's ok because there's a huge ocean of people out here. Let me start with saying, if you're reading this then you found me and I thank you for taking the time to read about me.
I have mostly been known publicly as the founder and front man of the 2008’s Arkansas based heavy metal band Black Suit Karma, we had a great run with SXSW 2009, and opening for some cool bands such as Straight Line Stitch and more. I am also the founder and front man for the 2010’s Arkansas based poetic alternative rock band Between Crows & Thieves, a more art-like project that had a great run as we played with bands such as She Talk Pretty and others. So I've been dabbling in music and poetry for over 20 years and find myself to be a versatile vocalist/musician.
My passion has always been art; any type of art I could get into, with my experience over the last 30 years stretching from comic artist to now video game pixel artist and design. I like to blend my unique background in art and music in ways for creative, unique works, that I hope fans will enjoy. Now let me update you with what's been going on with my projects.
The Albums and The Books
The first release of Illusions of Grandeur on July 23, 2019 was to be the promise of starting a new path, letting out a work of art that had been visited over and over again throughout the course of 10 years. A gift to give to the public and fans of past works, while being a stepping stone for me moving forward as an artist.
However in late 2019, I found myself in the hospital over my heart. The stress of work, finishing college a few years before, and life's hits of losing loved ones and other things had placed a weight on me that broke me, but left me at the end of the day thankful for being alive. However, it had me asking the question where do I go from here? I continued to release the things I had already finished, but I started reflecting on my work and the things I missed doing, and the person I dreamed I would be by now.
In early 2020, COVID became the new talk. This lead my mother in asking me to turn a page, she asked me to write a song of hope, something positive, a clear side step in music from what I had always wrote. Don't get me wrong I have always believed sharing my life conflicts worked as a positive, it lets people who may feel the same way to know that: one, they're not alone and two, I'm still fighting forward so they can too; we are here together. Through this I wrote something outside the poetic metaphor. I wrote from a place of light looking at darkness, not standing in darkness looking at the light.
So, "Love Out Live" was written and recorded from my home and I released it next to Illusions of Grandeur. However, when you're an Indie artist it's hard to be seen, so truthfully sales and reach of Illusions of Grandeur, Canto Edition, Sixty Second Villain, and Love Out Live were not even a drop in the ocean of music out there. With concerns of my health (heart) and other projects such as my venture into video game development calling for the majority of my time, I decided to pull away from media, reduce my music projects' efforts as I focused on my health, and my dream of being a game developer. Don't get me wrong, my music projects are still here waiting for their audience, however it was time to create good company for those music projects. A healthy me, an artwork that is digitally playable (Ghostly Thoughts) and other surprises on the way.
The News and Updates
So now....
Here we are, 2021,...the end of 2021 to be exact and I'm updating Illusions of Grandeur with adding Love Out Live to the main album, and including a digital booklet for the Bandcamp digital download, turning Illusions of Grandeur into the "Dèjá Vu" edition (a joke of something old new again, yet the same). Also updating the Canto Edition of "Illusions of Grandeur" with some of the same type of features. "Wolves Among Me" the book of poetry is now a new Second Edition and "Strangers In War" as well, with both having updated art and layout. A new Deluxe Edition of "Wolves Among Me," that includes both books, cut poems from the original draft added back in, and photographs taken during the creation of the book years ago to round it out.
And now....last but not least, my proud moment to announce the launch of my company Eldridge Productions, which will house these projects along with the new focus on video game development! My first video game Ghostly Thoughts launches October 12, 2021 and serves as a new look on life and direction with good spirits in mind for moving forward with my art.
I do still have a second album planned and even a new book of poetry, because once a musician always a musician, right!? I have a lot of new things to share with many projects that are a departure from my band and poetry roots as I let my first loves (video games and comics) take center stage. I hope you find something to enjoy and I hope you stick around to see what I create next. I thank you for reading, listening, exploring, and stopping by. Until next time!