Erik Mendez

**Associated Acts:** | Tourniquet, 2050, 2050Bells, Undercurrents, Recon

**Erik Mendez** (born April 12, 1965) is a Pilipino musician that began his career in 1990. Mendez, after moving to the United States, began attending Sanctuary International Church, where one of the pastors, Roger Martinez, introduced him to Tourniquet. Mendez had also performed with 2050, 2050Bells, Undercurrents, and very briefly Recon.

## History

Mendez was born on April 12, 1965 in the Phillipines. At a young age, he and his family moved to the United States, residing in California. In the mid to late 1980s, Mendez was a part of the band Royal Priesthood, a glam metal band out of California. In 1990, he briefly joined Recon, filling the void left by Eddie Starline. However, Recon disbanded that year, which left Mendez without a band for a brief time. After attending Sanctuary International Church, Mendez met with Pastor Roger Martinez (ex-Prophet, Vengeance Rising), who introduced him to Victor Macias. The two eventually became friends because of Martinez, who then introduced them to Tourniquet. The two new friends joined the band and began recording their debut with the band, Tourniquet's sophomore album, *Psycho Surgery*.

Though Mendez did not have much writing input on the first album, he would begin to write for the third Tourniquet album, *Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance*, which was very well received. Mendez would also contribute vocals to the album. Following the album's release, Guy Ritter, the band's original vocalist, departed. Hiring Les Carlsen of Bloodgood to record with them, the band entered the studio to record *Intense Live Series Vol. 2*, much to Mendez's chagrin. By the end of 1993, Mendez departed from the band due to drama with Ted Kirkpatrick. Mendez would remain out of music until around 2006, when he reunited with Macias and Gary Lenaire, Tourniquet's original guitarist, in the project 2050. According to Mendez, he had strife with Lenaire and most of the members of Tourniquet, but by this point, they had mended fences. With the project, the band recorded the song "Darfur". After the song, however, he remained musically silent until 2015, when they released "In Remission". Jason Campbell, formerly of Mortification and Erase, would reach out to Mendez to record guitars for his project Undercurrents. Mendez recorded guitars for the band's album, *Empty Throne*, which has yet to be released.

In 2020, it was announced by Lenaire that he would be reuniting the original Tourniquet lineup the best he could, including Mendez and Ritter, alongside later Vocalist Luke Easter. Though no comment of Macias' return was made, Lenaire announced the hiring of David Husvik of Extol as the drummer.

## Bands

**Current**

* 2050 - Guitars (2006-present)
* Unnamed Project (2020-present)

**Former**

* Royal Priesthood - Guitars
* Recon - Guitars (1990)
* Tourniquet - Guitars (1990-1993)
* 2050Bells - Guitars (2006)

**Session**

* Undercurrents - Guitars (2015)

## Discography

**Tourniquet**

* *Psycho Surgery* (1991)
* *Pathogenic Ocular Dissonance* (1992)
* *Intense Live Series Vol. 2* (1993)
* *The Slow Cosmic Voyage to Wisdom* (2020; Compilation)

**2050**

* "Darfur" (2006)
* "In Remission" (2015)

**Undercurrents**

* *Empty Throne* (TBA)

## References

1. ↑ "Erik Mendez". Encyclopedia Metallum. Retrieved on January 24, 2021.
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Mendez, Erik (July 10, 2016). "Erik Mendez of Tourniquet (Part One)". As The Story Grows Podcast. Interviewed by Travis Turner. Retrieved on January 24, 2021.
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Van Pelt, Doug (November 1, 1990). "Recon: American glam metal band seeking to glorify the Lord". Cross Rhythms. Retrieved on January 24, 2021.
4. ↑ "Former Tourniquet Members Rejoin Forces In 2050". Blabbermouth.net. August 24, 2006. Retrieved on January 24, 2021.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Mendez, Erik (July 17, 2016). "Erik Mendez of Tourniquet (Part Two)". As The Story Grows Podcast. Interviewed by Travis Turner. Retrieved on January 24, 2021.
6. ↑ Beard, Mason (August 24, 2020). "Bringing the Band Back Together". The Metal Onslaught. Retrieved on January 24, 2021.