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.

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.

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.

Erin O Bryan’s Americana Band Plays Trip to Horizon

After a number of shows, I kept having people urge me to do a live video of my Johnny Depp Song (it seems to be a lot of people’s favorite song). I had been thinking for a while of the best way to get some really great video of my band, so I started doing some planning.  First, I knew that to get really great sound and video, the location would need to be one that we could control. Clubs are tough because of all the craziness that goes with them. The answer was right in front of me.  We would do it as a house concert. We would be able to get the exact shots we want, sound, etc. and have a lot of fun too. I also thought, what a great way to say thanks to some of my strongest fans, by inviting them to my house concert and performing for them.

After setting up some stage lighting, hanging some drapes and string lights, we had a nice stage to work from.  We were pretty sure my Johnny Depp Song would be the one to put on the internet first, so I made it the lead off song of the set to get the show kicked off right.  We actually had to play the Johnny Depp Song twice because the audience kept requesting that we play it again.  It’s a great feeling to know that people like my music enough to request hearing it a second time.  We had such a great time at the house concert that we are having another one next month.

Whenever an artist decides to do a record, they know they will have to spend at least a year after it is finished promoting it by touring. As I was finishing up mixing my second record, “Trip to Horizon”, I knew I would have to have an incredible Americana Band to support the record for playing live shows.  I felt that the first person I had to find was a great lead guitarist. My music is very guitar oriented because for the most part, that’s how I write most of my songs.  After auditioning many lead guitar players, I came upon the most amazing young guitarist, Mario Gorito, who really seemed to understand the feel of my music right from the start and had the ability to play anything. It has been a great relief to  have such a wonderful talent in Mario and the right person for this critical role in my Americana Band.

I made a decision early on that the musicians in my band would have to not only be great players, but would have to be people I could trust and get along with because we would  be spending a lot of time together on the road and rehearsing.  That was a major reason for choosing my drummer, Bobby McBride, who had toured with me to support my first record.  Not only is he a fantastic drummer, but he is also a great songwriter and lover of Americana music. I knew that the final piece to my Americana Band, the bass player, would have to be able to match up to the quality of the other musicians. I am so glad that I found an incredible bassist, Luca Spanio, to round out the band.  It is critical in a band that the bass and drums be ‘in the pocket’ to allow the lead guitarist and vocalist to move freely in the music and Bobby and Luca have that gift.  It’s always difficult finding and keeping good musicians in a band and I am very happy to have the right players for my Americana Band.

There is a quality and depth to writing Roots Rock Music. It is very challenging because some amazing writers have set the bar quite high.  In roots rock, there is an honesty and sincerity that forces the writer to look more deeply into what the song is about. I guess you could say, ‘there’s nowhere to hide’ because of the raw, open nature of the music. I love roots rock because of the drive to always tell a great story and not just look at the subject of the song from one perspective. Roots rock developed in musical history from folk, blues and country which makes me as the writer strive to keep the song very grounded.

The very slice of life and observational point of view that Roots Rock Music has challenges me to not be drawn into gimmicks or ‘write for hooks’, but to stay focused on the main goal of telling a story and creating a melody line that the listener can be swept away by. I also love the challenge and reward of finding just the right mix of instruments to go with the lyrics and melody. It’s a great feeling to write a song and then be able to combine the feel of the guitars, with other colors like the warmth and drive of the B3 organ, the high wail of the pedal steel and lightness of the melodica. I find that Roots Rock Music gives me that perfect canvas as an artist to try to take the listener with me on a journey through the song.

I guess every songwriter has a story about the influences that shaped who they are as an artist.  For me, I was influenced very early on by some great Americana Music writers who had the ability to create great music within a wide range of musical genres.  I remember sneaking out my bedroom window to go see a Bob Seger concert with several friends.  One of my friends even made it up to the stage and shook Bob’s hand.  Well, that was all it took, I knew I had to be an Americana artist.  I couldn’t wait for the next Springsteen or Tom Petty record to come out and would be first in line to get my copy. 

I think the thing about Americana Music that gets me most, is the stories that the artist tells.  When Bruce talks about Rat meeting up with the Barefoot Girl across the Jersey state line in “Jungleland”, it’s like watching a movie in your head.  Or, in “American Girl” when Tom Petty sings about it being ‘cold that night as she stood alone on her balcony’, you can just feel the chill.

I had an assignment once in a photography class to take pictures of a live performance, so I went to see Emmylou Harris and Chuck Berry, a couple of great Americana legends, and got right up to the stage.  I am forever influenced by Emmylou’s amazing, angelic voice and Chuck’s showmanship.  I still have the pics and they are incredible!  I knew even as a young teen that if I wanted to write like these great artists, I would need to play guitar, so I worked hard with my guitar teacher on many great songs by music stars like Dolly Parton (Jolene), Roy Orbison (Blue Bayou) and Gary White (Long Long Time), which gave me the drive to try to create like they did.

I feel lucky to have been impacted by such amazing Americana Music artists and to have worked on their music with a great teacher because it helped make me the writer I am today.  Maybe we should work on some songs.

I recently had someone ask me what my top three favorite Americana Songs are.  That’s a tough one though, to break it down to just three.  When I thought about it, one of the first that jumped right to mind was “Second Hand News”, by Lindsey Buckingham off of one of the great rock records of the 1970′s.  Many people think of Fleetwood Mac as pop/rock, but Lindsey is as Americana as it gets.  This song made me want to be a singer-songwriter and artist.  As the opening song, it set the tone for the rest of the record.  I knew one day I wanted to write a lot of Americana Songs and Second Hand News made me want to achieve that.

As my second choice, I would say it’s a tie for every song Buddy Holly ever wrote.  This guy was a songwriting freak who wrote all classic Americana Songs, but I guess if I had to choose it would be “True Love Ways” or “Oh Boy”.  I did a version of Oh Boy and had so much fun with it.  When I work on a Buddy Holly song, it always inspires me to write and try to do my best.

Lastly, I would have to say “Ring of Fire”, performed by Johnny Cash and written by June Carter-Cash.  June Carter tapped into the total essence of Americana Songs when she wrote that.  When she writes, ‘I fell for you like a child, oh but the fire went wild’, I am completely swept away by this song.

Johnny Depp Song – House Concert Video