ERIN INGLISH
ARTIST Biography
Erin Inglish is a tour-de-force banjo chanteuse, a thoughtful wanderer steeped in the thick of California’s music scene. Inglish’s performances proffer passionate lyricism, toe-tapping grooves, and striking reflections about the state of the modern world. Her voice is both lush and raw, and her picking style on the five-string banjo is uniquely her own…expressive, sassy, dynamic. Erin’s current passion project is a class-act jazz trio focused on both popular and obscure jazz standards with killer Billie-Holiday-style vocals accompanied by banjo, guitar, and fretless-bass. Add drums and sometimes a horn section, they become the Erin Inglish Band and have performed for many audiences – from intimate settings to festivals – including headlining the Live Oak Music Festival main stage, Earth Day SLO, and the Women’s March Rally in the Mission Plaza. Her original music has been described as, “groove-laden, jazz-inspired, existential trance blues-grass” and will get your toes tapping and heart smiling!
Erin has spent several years living abroad (in India, Madagascar, Bulgaria and Serbia) – and her songwriting reflects her elation for life, creative and exploratory nature, and passion for creating positive change through community and art. Inglish’s newest album, Muse, released November, 2015, features nine tracks of original music lush with groove-laden, “blues-grass” banjo riffs, her honest and powerful vocal stylings – pure, soulful, and gritty at the same time – and a brilliant cast of guest musicians including hometown jazz maestra Inga Swearingen, Celtic-inspired duo the Stringtown Ambassadors, Steve Amadee of The Subdudes and many more. Heading back into the studio in 2019, Inglish anticipates releasing a new album in 2020 featuring the full sound of the Erin Inglish Band and a smashing array of new songs. Says a fan, “Her melodic optimism is a lighthouse calling the rest of us to pay attention to our highest pursuits.”
In 2013, Inglish released her first solo album titled, A Melody So Sweet, and then toured – by bicycle – the entire coast of California to celebrate Earth Month as part of what would become her annual Earth*Bike*Banjo tour. The next year, Earth*Bike*Banjo 2014 rode from Portland, Oregon, to San Luis Obispo, California, debuting a banjo puppet musical for kids called “The Good Folk Show.” Inglish is also the organizer the Banjo Babes Calendar & Album – an annual collaborative project among lady banjo players aimed at supporting and promoting independent artists – featuring a fully-produced compilation album and a fun, thematic calendar. Inglish’s heart and passion ring clear through her original compositions, the causes she lends her banjo to, and her choice of musical partners. She is also an emcee at the Live Oak Music Festival and loves to share the musical experience as an entertainer and host. For two seasons, Erin has toured with Duncan Phillips, son of Utah, as part of his “Long Memory” tour celebrating the life and times of the late and great Utah Phillips. For the sixth year, Inglish has the great honor of curating the internationally acclaimed Banjo Babes Compilation Album & Calendar. While at home in the countryside in California, Erin teaches banjo, guitar and ukulele to kids of all ages, and believes in trying to contribute to making the world a better place through music. Namaste.