I have been fortunate to be involved with a few great non-profit groups and participate as an artist in contributing to these amazing causes.  The benefit shows that I perform are always very different, exciting and seem to bring out the best in everyone involved.  I think it’s because there is a heightened sense of purpose and contribution.  On my first record, I had such a great time doing all the photos for the CD layout because we had the Nature of Wildworks bring some adult and baby possums for the shoot in Topanga Canyon, CA that day.  They were all so wonderful, but I really fell in love with one particular possum named Beauty.  I was sad to learn that a possum’s life span is only about three years.  A while later, I was able to do an on-site visit at Wildworks and Beauty was about three when we were reunited.  I was able to hold her and spend quite a while with her that day, which was magical, but I knew that would probably be our last time together.  All of the animals at Nature of Wildworks, from mountain lions, skunks, a wolf and many birds of prey are so awesome to be up close with.  It really is an experience of a lifetime.

I knew that I wanted to raise some awareness and resources for Nature of Wildworks because this group gives kids and people of all ages an incredible up close experience with these beautiful animals.  We held the benefit at Froggy’s in Topanga Canyon and the founder, Molly, brought some of the animals for a cool demo and then my band played.  It was a great celebration and I was so honored to be a part of helping any way I possibly could.  To be able to combine my music with such a worthy cause truly gave me a different perspective about what I do and how art can play a part in helping.

I have had several people say that my music is like a west coast Americana Band.  Every time I hear this assessment, I feel very honored and complimented, mostly, because I am influenced by many different Americana artists, East, West and everywhere in between.  Whether it is John Mellencamp, Bruce Springsteen or Steve Earle from the east or western artists like Bonnie Raitt, Chris Isaak and The Killers.  Like most artists, I guess I found my earliest influences through seeing local bands at clubs, bars and concerts, so It’s probably safe to say that as a young artist trying to find my way that ‘west coast’ Americana had a major impact.

As a southern California girl, the western Americana Band scene drew me in with its earthy, yet free spirited feel.  Los Angeles artists like Ry Cooder, Fleetwood Mac and Credence Clearwater Revival blazed a trail for many of the great western Americana artists like Lone Justice and Los Lobos.  While both east and west explore many of the same themes of the classic American dream, they tend to look at it in different ways.  It’s great to feel like I have been equally influenced both by the more eastern point of view of the working man struggle and the more western concept of freeing yourself from society’s structures.

Sometimes as a songwriter, you go through periods when the writing is just not happening, so it’s been a great feeling recently to be writing lots of new Americana Songs.  Not only does it fill the void of creating for me as a writer, but it really does get my band into a wave of creative freedom and exploration as well.  One of my favorite parts of writing songs is to see how my band will respond and feel inspired to come up with creative parts for my new tunes.  I love the feeling of trying out different ideas and everyone working hard to get the best sound for each song.

The new Americana Songs I have been working on for my next record have really been fun to work on with my band to get ready to perform and record because we all have a new level of freedom and openness.  While I feel my best writing comes from somewhere inside and is generally something I do alone, after the songs are done,  I love the interaction that happens as other artists start to create their parts and I figure out the perfect balance to build a great song that the listener will be inspired by.

As a songwriter, it’s never been my purpose to discuss or write about what my songs mean or the motivations behind writing them. The reason for that is because I have always felt that it’s better to leave interpretation up to the listener so that they can derive from the song what they want and to determine what it means to them.  Recently though, I have had a lot of people asking about how I came up with the Johnny Depp Song from my second record, Trip To Horizon.  I’m not sure why this song has gotten more attention than any other song on the record, other than it does mention the famous actor and some of his movies by name.

Instead of simply talking about how the my Johnny Depp Song came about, I thought I would start with sharing a bit of how the song-writing process works for me.  Every songwriter has a different take on how to create, but at the end of the day, it’s the journey the artist goes through that really counts.  Sometimes a song may develop through a lyric idea or an isolated thing that you see or hear, even a single word or title idea can spark the beginning of a song.  Who knows, maybe Paul McCartney heard someone say “Hey, Jude!” and instantly thought of a song title.  Other writers find a particular chord progression or a simple riff that sets them off.  Keith Richards for example, woke up one night with the main guitar part of “Satisfaction” in his head and he was off and running to write this classic Rolling Stones song.

For me, songwriting is all about telling stories that when the listener hears it, the song means something to them.  That’s why it usually starts with trying to tell a story that means something to me.  In the case of the Johnny Depp Song, I had been watching an interview with director Wes Craven, who while discussing his movie A Nightmare on Elm Street, said it wasn’t until after Johnny Depp auditioned that his daughter saw the actor’s head shot and thought he was perfect for the role.  As an artist who has spent a lot of time in Hollywood as a musician and actress (and dealing with LOTS of rejection), I found it very funny that it was the picture that was so important.

I’m very influenced by writers like Warren Zevon and Joan Didion who can look at a subject and always find a unique, funny way of bringing it to light.  So, having spent my time in the trenches of Hollywood, (and hopefully channeling my best Zevon and Didion), the Johnny Depp Song came about as a tongue in cheek point of view on the whole ‘Hollywood thing’. Hopefully this article helps clarify some of the questions I have been receiving about the process I went through when writing my Johnny Depp song.

My favorite thing about great songwriters is that they can tell an entire story in a few minutes and it’s all set to music.  That is so cool.  It’s hard not to want to know when you hear a great story in a song, what the writer was writing about.  And it’s easy to ask, ‘wow, I wonder who this song is about’ or ‘do you think that this really happened’?  For me, I have always been interested in all the life that’s going on around me.  It draws me in, but not just how people interact and their stories intermingle.  The way each day ends, the changing of the seasons, the quiet and coolness of the autumn night air.  These kinds of things inspire songwriting and every art form.  It’s these circumstances that somehow come together and make me, as a writer, want to capture them in a story and put music to it.

No matter how many times I’ve seen them, it always amazes me when I see the work of artists like Van Gogh, Monet, Picasso and Rodin because they have this amazing ability to look at an object, person or even the wind and capture it in a totally different way, yet still manage to keep the essence of the life that’s in it.  Amazing.  I’m not a painter or sculptor, but I guess that’s what I try to do when I’m writing a song.  If you get a chance, let me know your thoughts on how you create.

Music has always gone through its fads and phases and it seems for quite a while now that we have been going through a period of big budget, heavily produced music.  With all the contest shows and ‘high concept’ music out there, you might think that the classic Americana Band has seen its day.  If there’s one thing I’ve learned though, it’s that musical fads may come and go, but like Shakespeare says, ‘the play’s the thing’.  The wonderful thing about music that comes from a good story concept, with thoughtful lyrics and great melody is that it will always transcend the most recent trends.

I am very happy to say that with the current group of great musicians, the americana and roots rock band tradition is alive and well and thriving in America today.  Artists like Lucinda Williams, Allison Krause and Ryan Adams, who continue to have great success both in music sales and touring, are helping to give many other americana artists hope and inspire us to write more songs that tell a great story.  Every time I hear a new song that has a great melody and strong lyrics, it makes me want to sit down and write, so that I can do my own small part in continuing this incredible tradition of the Americana Band.  It’s my hope that if you are a songwriter/musician, you will be inspired as well and add your voice to all of the americana artists who have brought us this amazing, inspiring music.

It’s always been an awesome feeling to write new songs and put them up in front of a live audience because you get instant feedback of how the songs are connecting with your fans.  This is especially gratifying for me because Americana Music is all about the song and if it is done right, there is such a sincere quality that really connects with people.  The best way for me to get to that level of honesty is to really try to observe life and see it for what it is.

While I have been writing a lot in preparation for my next Americana Music record and have about ten songs ready, one of my favorite new songs, Vibrant Neon came about through that exact kind of observation.  I had seen a band playing a gig and all the neon lights on the stage really caught my attention and got me thinking that it really gives off a magical glow.  I thought how vibrant and alive those lights are when you’re driving at night and how each town has a glow, that draws you closer to it.  I’ve always loved that feeling of coming to a new town and discovering a bit of its history and try to get a feel for its pulse.   I love how one idea can bring about an entire story that can be played out in a song.

I think I’ve been lucky because I get to write about all kinds of subjects through Americana Music, then get to find out if what I see in something has a similar impact on others.

All bands go through different combinations of musicians. There are a lot of factors that go into choosing the right people. While talent is always important, style of play and attitude are also critical. But to me the most important factor for building a great Americana Band is having a passion for the type of music. That’s why I am so thrilled to be working with my current band. They are all great musicians, with great attitudes, but most importantly they are passionate about the kind of music I write.

I had been looking for just the right gig to work our new sets and songs with my band, when a good friend told me he was playing at the Burbank Moose Lodge and to come in and check it out. I was immediately impressed with ‘The Moose’ and knew right away that it was the right spot for my Americana Band to get to work in a club after having focused for a while on the house concert scene.

I’m really excited about this band because I’m able to work with my long time lead guitarist, Mario Gorito, bring back the drummer I performed with to support my first record, Bobby McBride and find a great new talent, Jorge Orellano on bass. What’s been great about working with this Americana Band is having the familiarity of knowing each other’s style and at the same time learning new things from each other.

Erin’s Americana Band Performs “Yard Cow”

How I Dreamt of Putting Together My Own Americana Band

For me, there is nothing like playing great songs with awesome musicians.  When I see my favorite bands live, I am transported to another dimension.  That’s why when I decided to build my own Americana Band, I wanted to pay tribute to all those great artists I had seen before.  From early on, I played lots of live shows any chance I got and I’ve been putting bands together since before I was a teenager, so I believe that all these experiences have made me ready as a songwriter and performer to bring together all the right musicians for this current Americana Band.  There are a lot of elements to creating a great band, like musicianship, personalities, experience, and influences, but of greatest importance to me is the musician’s feel for the music and desire to play these specific songs.  Because, after all, they’re going to have to play them a lot.

I’m always so excited at the possibilities of performing quality, timeless music like some of my influences like Tom Petty, The Pretenders, Fleetwood Mac and Bruce Springsteen, that I knew I had to build this group from the ground up with the best musicians possible.  Because I know what it’s like to be moved deeply by a great performance (have you ever seen Springsteen?) I have always had a dream of building a great Americana Band to play my songs and a passion to give the audience a great show to remember.

A Quick Back Story About How I Wrote My Johnny Depp Song

I had nearly 30 songs ready to go for my second record, but still needed to make a lot of choices to pick the right ones for recording.  Some of the songs had taken some time to write, while other ideas came together pretty quickly. I wrote my Johnny Depp Song all in a few hours. It was the one song that fell into place lyrically and musically all at once.  I was really happy with the humorous lyrics, and found a great high energy chord progression and melody line and I had no doubt at all when writing my Johnny Depp Song .  After I had all the songs recorded in rough form, I gave them to my producer and some very good friends and fans.

I asked all of them to rank their most favorite 12 songs and the most interesting thing happened.  They all came back with “Johnny Depp” at the top of the list.  I knew then that it would be a stand out and it was so fun to write because there was an ease and joy about it.  The same ease of creation happened in the studio when we recorded my Johnny Depp Song  .  It’s not often that all the stars line up so well when creating a song, but I look forward to having that same kind of experience with a few songs for my third record.

I have been very fortunate as an Americana Music songwriter because of all the artists, writers, musicians and teachers that I have had impact me with their knowledge.  They have been every bit as influential in shaping me as an artist as any life experience.  I’m not sure if there’s truth that some people are destined to do what they do, but I was performing as early as grammar school.  Lots of kids I knew were taking piano lessons, but I couldn’t wait to get my hands on a guitar.  The first lessons were in summer camp as a kid.  Once I had some basic skills, I started getting serious and passionate about singing and songwriting.  Though I didn’t realize it yet, I was actually already on my way to becoming an Americana Music artist.

I started taking vocal lessons as a young teenager and I would lock myself away and sing for four to six hours at a time.  It was such sweet escape from the pressures of high school, grades and popularity.  It was as though I was beamed to other places every time I listened and sang along with all my favorite singers, like Dolly Parton, Ann Wilson Stevie Nicks, and Linda Ronstadt.  It was especially challenging to sing along with such legends because let me tell you, these gals could sing.  What made it even more amazing was that most of them had written these incredible songs.  It was then that I truly got inspired to really learn how to write Americana Music .  I began pulling apart song after song that spoke to me and worked to figure out how these great songwriters did what they did.  All these incredible artists taught me that as a songwriter, if you write from a place of honesty and passion, you will be able to draw the listener into the story with you.

Like the Shakespeare quote says, the play’s the thing.  Well the same is true about writing music.  The song’s the thing.  It’s not about instruments yet, or vocals, or anything else.  It’s all about the songs.  When it came time to decide what Americana Songs were best for my second record, Trip to Horizon, it was a tough call.  I had made the decision earlier that Sally Browder would be the perfect producer.  She had produced some very edgy artists like X, The Plimsouls and Young Dubliners.  Since my first record was more folk oriented, I knew she would be perfect to take my music into a more Americana/Roots Rock feel.

I had about 30 rough tunes to choose the best Americana Songs I could for the record and just a few weeks before the start of tracking.  After getting feedback from Sally and some trusted friends and fans, it was clear that about 6 songs were on everybody’s list.  That meant picking four more from the rest.  Not an easy task, believe me.  As we went to track the record, we had whittled it down to 14, but couldn’t decide which of the last four to cut.  After a while, we made a compromise and cut two.  I pushed hard that day and convinced Sally that All Around Me and There’s A Girl both had special meaning to me and had to be on the record.  So, the twelve Americana Songs were chosen and the exciting journey began to the “Trip to Horizon”.