What's New Thought?  Hint: Not New Age. "For me, it's the idea that the Divine is within, not above. New Age is, well, that's more like Windham Hill music and stuff." Hear a range of Erin's singing styles.  "Flexibility is part of being a full-service professional musician - playing requests, not just songs to sell cd's; really singing in support of that service and that message."    Share music resources Erin connects with other musicians and directors, at conferences and via email to share music. See and hear songwriting samples Commission a song or ask her to dip into her library of unpublished originals.  Samples: "The Seed is Beloved" - pdf and demo mp3. Written for CSL Children's Choir for 2006 Mother's Day presentation at Benaroya Hall. "I Can Do That" - Pdf, and teaching midi.  Written for the ordination of Rev. Lynn Jardine. "All of These In You" - Pdf, and teaching midi. commissioned by the Center for Spiritual Living, for men's choir on Mother's Day 2004 See also her songbooks on this website.

If this debut cd, That Good Thing, is your introduction to Erin's music, then you know plenty about her already - she's got a deep love for 60's soul, R&B, and jazz music, and her messages are joyful, inclusive, and uplifting paths for practical praise.     But of course there's more.

Born in Texas and raised in the mid-Atlantic, Erin moved to the Northwest in 1989.   She's been a highly sought-after soloist in the Seattle New Thought scene for years, for her soulful and super charged live performances across an amazingly wide range of styles.  She's that rare singer who's as adept and at ease with classical as with down-n-dirty gospel.  She says it's about diversity:

"For somebody as pink and pointy as me, I got a real thing about diversity - spiritual, political, musical."
 
That could stem from a diverse education including public and parochial schools, many trips abroad, Sarah Lawrence College studying writing and music (BA), Wadham College, Oxford University studying the philosophy of science (Assoc. Fellow), Nairobi Kenya for wildlife ecology, and the University of Washington (MFA in Acting).   She and her husband both made their names as AEA stage actors in Seattle years ago before starting their family. 

"Theatre taught me to look stupid and survive it."

"I learned to risk my identity in order to grow," she says, "So many times we don't realize that it's safe to sing and dance and play.  God's not gonna send it back to the kitchen."   It was in theatre that she met Eric O'Del, who hired her to sing at the Center for Spiritual Living.  "What a gift - he started me on a really productive path."  Indeed - Erin worked as his assistant there before spreading out into voice coaching and choral conducting (member ACDA), then into songwriting and recording. 

She is currently on staff music directing at Seattle Unity, in addition to teaching and soloing at numerous other venues.  "Seattle is becoming a real hot spot for vibrant spiritual community, and I'm lucky to witness it.  New churches springing up and a new interaction between congregations, more interfaith activities, great local talent and original music flowing out of people all over the place." 

"We have folks we call church hoppers, who go to two or three different services on a Sunday morning, like barhoppers, only they go around getting all liquored up on God!"

It's lucky Seattle's got the goods right now; with two small children at home Erin doesn't have plans for a heavy cross-country tour schedule just yet.  "I take day trips to teach clinics, and I'd certainly travel farther if it's a fun trip that includes my kids.  I have family in D.C., Philly, and Florida so I'm always eager to go there."   

For now, Erin works as much as she can from home where she says her kids help her to write her songs and clarify her messages.  "Parenting has meant a creative explosion for me. Songs forming all day long, so much more to sing about than ever before. "

R E V I E W S