Official Biography (courtesy of Erin Hunt)
Toronto singer-songwriter Erin Hunt writes timeless soul music – a rare achievement in this day and age. The newcomer has boldly crafted her debut EP Meet Me In The Middle, and without a doubt, has achieved what she set out to do.
"My marker’s always been, ‘Can this song survive with just me and a guitar? Does it still work and does it still mean something? Does it still touch people?’ If I play the song with one instrument and it doesn’t hold peoples’ interest, then it’s just not good enough to last."
Producer Tom McKay, formerly of Canadian rock band Joydrop, was up for the challenge. After seeing eriN perform at a local open-mic, they discovered a deep musical common ground, making their decision to work together a natural step. eriN sold her condo and used the profit to record the high-quality Meet me in the Middle.
They assembled a group of Toronto ‘s best musicians to help realize the vision: drummer Tony Rabalao (of Leh-Lo/ex Joydrop), keyboardist Dave "Soulfingaz" Williams (Divine Brown), guitarist Ricky Tillo (Esthero) and bassist Howard Ayee (Rough Trade, Strange Advance).
"It was necessary to use incredible musicians to give justice to the way we knew the music should sound…I had no interest in it just being Erin Hunt with a bunch of tracks behind her. It needed to be the best we could make it on every level, and it had to have a real human element to it."
eriN’s influences are found far and wide, from playing classical music as a child, to listening to her Dad’s jazz and folk records, to falling in love with the Bossa Nova.
"As a teenager, I listened to a lot of Joni Mitchell and Stevie Wonder. From Joni, I got that I could sing like a woman and not have to sound like a rock chick, and through her I learned how to play guitar in open tunings. My lessons from Stevie are not only in his amazing songwriting and vocal skills, but in the sheer joy he exudes while singing."
The combination of eriN ‘s unforgettably sultry yet powerful voice and her love of classic songwriting has given rise to timeless songs, built on experiences and emotions most can relate to.
From the deep-felt soul of "The Woman I Am" to the Latin-tinged pop groove of "My Friends," to the R ‘n B attitude of "Ain’t Nobody," Erin feels anyone who "meets her in the middle" and takes a listen – will be musically satisfied.