EBB

Originally hailing from all the way over in Texas, Edinburgh-based musician Erin Bennett has been making a name for herself recently, catching the attention of many with her captivating music. And it’s safe to say her talents are clearly evident in her debut album – ReFlowered.

From the get go, Power Back hooks the listener in, being a highly memorable opening track which gives us our first taste of Erin’s dazzling vocal capabilities and gripping writing, further reinforced by great backing vocals and top notch drumming and electronics. Her writing abilities continue to shine through in You Will Not Escape This, which features provoking lyrics as well as superb guitar work. Never Give Up The Fight also stands out as an excellent and highly mesmerizing tune.

Over the course of the record, we are treated to a variety of more catchy numbers such as Elevate, thanks to it’s addictive bass lines and cracking chorus, and Ready To Play which has a really cool sound that is hard to resist tapping your foot to. We also have a selection of delightful, slower songs including Every Time I Breathe and What You Do To Me.

Capping off with Dying In My Love, this is an outstanding album from start to finish which undoubtedly cements Erin as a gifted singer, songwriter and guitarist. Also a lot of credit has to be given to the backing band, who all in one way or another bring something to the table and further add to the music.

Given the right exposure, she will certainly go far. It’s about time the world knows of the name Erin Bennett, for we have something real special on our hands right here. - Local Music Scene

Continuing with our ‘7 Questions’ series, 7ahead interviews award winning American power pop/rock & LGBT/Equality activist Erin Bennett.
1) Who are you! Can you tell us a bit about yourself?
My name is Erin Bennett. I am a power-pop singer song writer and guitar player. I grew up in Texas which is cool now days, but back when I was 14/15 and really came out of the closet it was hell..being a lesbian in South, even in the 2000s wasn’t the easiest thing, you can imagine. I moved to Britain later on when I was 18 or 19 and have loved moving around Europe and The UK on and off tour. I’m a firm believer in Pizza for breakfast.

2. We believe you’re originally from Texas but now Scotland based, why the move & how are you liking our lovely weather?

Yee haw! The move was a little bit of a long story, the more condensed version is: I was touring with an all female folk/rock trio called Syren back in the States in 2008. We moved to The UK on tour soon after we released our debut album and eventually wound up in The Netherlands after getting a lot of attention there. In 2010 after recording our 2nd album we came back to the UK (Scotland) to mix our album with a couple of old friends who have produced music for years, but during that time, Jo, my wife and Syren drummer was diagnosed with breast cancer and eventually died from the disease In 2012.
I stayed here while I figured out what I wanted to do musically and after a while I rebuilt a new band and started gigging under my own name.
The weather isn’t THAT bad. I really enjoyed the summer last week and have started building up my wood store for when winter sets in tomorrow.

3. What are your top 5 songs, of yours & of other people’s?

Ooohhhh….that’s really hard. Hrmm…

Yours:

1. Power Back – for its evil clown-like driving synths and bass…it’s about being exploited in the music industry.
2. Ready To Play- because it is the first song I’ve written which actively and openly addresses sex…
3. What You Do To Me- it’s so floaty and surreal, it’s like rocking on gentle waves in a boat made of candy floss…
4. Elevate- for its seriously pounding rhythm and the Middle 8 in which Suna, my backing vocalist speaks in Dutch about the subject matter. That’s kind of an homage to my love of Holland.
5. Don’t You?- because of the bluesy aspect of it. It’s really gotten me back to my Texan roots and I like that.

Other People’s:

1. Crazy on You by Heart. I love Anne’s vocals in that song and Nancy’s guitar playing is out of This world!
2. Grace by Jeff Buckley. His guitar and vocals are mind blowing and I find the song really predictive of his eventual situation proving the magic of music…to me anyway.
3. Lost in Music by Sister Sledge. Nile Rodgers’ guitar is without a doubt my favourite, and that song is personally very representative of my life.
4. Life by the Drop by Stevie Ray Vaughan. It’s probably one of his more stripped back emotional songs. And every time I hear him sing the words, ‘You went your way and I stayed behind’ my heart is torn apart. Love it!
5. You’re gonna hate me for this….but Hit Me Baby One More Time by Britney Spears….it’s got to be the most expertly crafted pop song, and let’s face it, we ALL thought Britney was hot!….also, and everyone can deny this if they want, but if you’re at a party and that song comes on, Everyone starts singing! Again, the power of music….lol…

4. How did you get hooked up with All Suns Blazing for this Edinburgh gig?

That actually came through a promoter I work with, Fortune Promotions. I was told about the vacant slot and I stepped up to do it. I’ve not met All Suns Blazing yet, but look forward to hearing their stuff live. What I’ve heard online sounds great!

5. How good a medium do you think music is for expressing your views on life & as a tool for promoting equality, of any kind?

Oh man, it’s a brilliant tool, if not the best. Everyone connects to at least one song in their lives or has that one track that defines them, you know? I mean, I personally write music about the things in life that move me the most. And it doesn’t always have to be ‘moved’ in a positive way. I write songs about how unfair it is that there is still inequality between genders, or in society over sexuality. But as a lesbian woman, I can’t help but use my music to express those kind of views.
Lesbian women still don’t have an OUT lesbian pop singer so that’s the space I’d like to occupy with my music, which means my music focuses on subjects of love of women. I don’t at all want to come across as preachy, though, so I typically leave people to draw their own conclusions about the meaning of my songs, which have a tendency to be pretty ambiguous anyway… But there is a certain respect you get as a musician for using your music to address ongoing political or cultural issues…and I guess that’s because we could be off writing about getting drunk and partying or going to work how much that sucks, or whatever, but instead we are trying to make a difference.
Most recently my writing has been centred around the last 3 years of my life and trying to rebuild a life after the death of my wife. I hope that my songs in that regard will be able to offer some sort of shoulder to people experiencing the same or similar stuff. I’ve written a song about falling in love with my now fiancé and again, hope that can be a couples ‘song’ one day. So there a lot of aspects of wanting to inspire that come with being a musician, and I think, a lot of responsibility as well. You have to be honest.

6. As a website & digital promoter we believe the internet & social media are a huge help to musicians, do you agree?

Yes I do! Whether unfortunate or incredible, it has become so quick and easy for people to access anything by the tap of a finger or click of a button. And making yourself available for them to access your music and info so easily can only be a good thing.
I do think it has made some people lazy, because it’s easier to sit at home and wait for someone’s crap mobile footage of the gig to come out than it is to actually get out and go see the gig yourself and that has taken its toll on the live scene a bit. But over all, online presence is a must in order to keep your fans and followers entertained and informed.
I’ve only just recovered from my Facebook addiction.

7. What’s the one thing you can’t live without on tour?

Non alcoholic Becks beer. I don’t drink at gigs and I think water is evil, so it’s nice to have something I can drink, that is beer shaped but means I can still perform. Also, it means the keyboard player isn’t going to nick my drink cos it’s got no alcohol in it.
- See more at: http://www.7ahead.com/blog/2015/04/7-questions-with-erin-bennett/#sthash.f8IbbUai.dpuf - 7 Ahead