Will Erickson took his happy-go-lucky roots-reggae-pop-rock style to South Carolina a few years ago, but returned relatively recently to Tampa Bay. Since then, he's put together a top-notch band of local musicians known as Local Roots, and the band has been plugging away at the local scene.

Erickson's material is frequently compared to Sister Hazel and Edwin McCain, but he's excited about the possibilities for the band -- like performing reggae with a violin. "It's very cutting edge and nontraditional, which we like because it's a break from the norm and something we can call ours," he said.

Along with guitarist Kyle Pierce (of Tailgunner Joe and the Earls of Slander), drummer Mike Rumore (Buffalo Strange), bassist Marc Koloziej and violinist Kiley Astle, Erickson has been performing plenty of his solo material, especially from his most recent album, Where Do We Go From Here?. But the band is developing new music as a fivesome, too.

"We are extremely excited about the new songs we have written lately that everyone has had a hand in writing," he said. "To hear those, though, you gotta come out and hear 'em at a show."

Fair enough. You can see Will Erickson and Local Roots at 10 p.m. Friday at the fourth anniversary of Tampa's Fly Bar.

LISTEN - Will Erickson, 'Free'