Feature Artist - Erin Frances

It was midnight mass on Christmas Eve. The church was dark and silent, full to the rim with people in the historic Fernie Catholic Church. The sound of an angel singing “Oh Holy Night” seemed to come from heaven itself as shivers raised on the arms or those in attendance, and tears sprung to their eyes.

Fast forward ten years and that same angel has written, recorded and produced a video for her first hit, “Dirt Awful” – a catchy rock song that can’t help but showcase Erin’s powerful vocal chords. Not yer 30, Erin has begun successfully climbing the deterring steps up the musical ladder. But if you know Erin, you realize that not only is she a talented musician and songwriter, she’s a tough and persistent Fernie girl, and we’re happy to finally feature her as our artist of the month!
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I began singing when I was really young. My mom would always bring me along to her church choir practices and that's where it all began. My parents played music in the house, and I was encouraged from a young age to be creative. So, I really have them to thank! Then I started to sing in the school choir and in musicals and began studying Opera. Once I was in High School I began writing my own music and playing guitar.

I've always written songs, feeling inspired by the littlest things. It’s funny to have written a song about something that seems so insignificant now, but at the time, wow! Was I a tortured soul. Still to this day, it’s one of my favorites. Just as priorities and inspiration change over time, so does musical taste. I am a product of the 90s so I love the Grunge/Alternative era of music, and I think my music is definitely inspired by that sound. But I also have always loved blues and classic rock and just love that wailing sound of blues singers and rock legends.

Trying to get into the music industry takes a lot of work but you have to love it, for it to love you. No matter where you are, you have to keep doing the work, writing, playing and performing. Labels and management just don’t 'sign' artists anymore, the artist is expected to create their own opportunities first and hopefully garner some attention from that. It’s actually really great for emerging artists because an artist can have control over how they want to be perceived and take the time to develop themselves.

While I’m out in Vancouver pursuing my dream, I feel so proud to be from Fernie and am grateful to have so many people reaching out and enjoying the music I have produced. The feedback and support from the community has been amazing, and through Internet networking I have been able to reach a wide base of fans much more easily than would have been previously possible.

Throughout the process, one of the major highlights has definitely been having the opportunity to record my first EP and have it produced by Dave Thompson of Digital Underdog Productions. He has been amazing and has really given me an education in the business. Not only does he expect hard work and honesty in the creative process, he’s also really taught me how to be a better artist.

It's also been exciting to have had the opportunity to shoot my first music video for the single “Dirty Awful”. It was an eye opening experience allowing me to meet so many talented people. I've also been fortunate to write and contribute vocals to a track on Pronobozo’s new project and co-write “The Show”, a tune that will be featured on my friend and fellow musician Ben G’s upcoming album.

From here I am focusing on finishing up the EP and beginning rehearsals with my band. Once the EP has been mastered, I hope to have it available on iTunes, and do some live shows!

I’m always writing new songs and collaborating with other artists, so it will be interesting to see how it unfolds.

Keep checking my sites for updates, and thank you all for your support.

www.erinfrances.ca
www.erinfrancesmusic.com
www.myspace.com/erinfrancesmusic
http://twitter.com/TheErinFrances
www.facebook.com/ErinFrancesMusic

Email: erin.frances@erinfrances.ca