The Erins
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The Erins

Band Folk Acoustic

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"File Under Singer-Songwriter: CDs from three strummy locals"

US-born New Zealander Erin Cole-Baker first caught our attention at a recent edition of Acoustic Café, the recurring concert/open jam event at the Spiritual Awareness Center on Franklin Ave.

2005’s Song for Roy, though slower, less bluegrassy and more ballad-prone than the full-band performance we caught, is a fair representation of Cole-Baker’s ringing vocals and acoustic guitar style. And, of course, all the songs are hers, so you get a sense of her introspective, naturalistic, romantic lyrical sense. In and of itself, the disc is a sparkling example of lazy daydream music.

Cole-Baker currently plays with Bend fiddler/vocalist Erin Zurflu in a duo called The Erins. Word is you can pick up Cole-Baker and The Erins recordings at the pair’s performances and Ranch Records. Sample the goods and check for show dates at www.myspace.com/theerinsband.

calendar@tsweekly.com - The Source Weekly


"THE ERINS HEAD EAST"

How many life changing things can you cram into one weekend? Erin Zurflu and Erin Cole-Baker are about to find out. The two Erins, who together form the Bend folk duo The Erins, are releasing their first CD, playing a show to celebrate that release and heading out on a tour across the country that will end in their new hometown, Washington, D.C., all in the next few days.

Zurflu, a Bend native, has been accepted to medical school at Georgetown University and must report to school by Aug, 7, Cole-Baker said. Cole-Baker, who grew up in New Zealand, moved to the states to play music and met Zurflu at an informal jam session last summer, has decided to go along. (Her husband Bruce is going, too.)

Along the way, they'll see the sights and play some gigs - some scheduled, some not. "At the beginning, we were trying to get a whole lot of gigs, but then we were just over it," Cole-Baker said. "We just want to have a holiday. We're going to play the gigs we've got and then maybe along the way pull up to some coffee shops and see if we can play some music for food and coffee, basically."

They're also going to go through Nashville to meet up with someone who is connected with the music industry and interested in helping The Erins, Cole-Baker said.

They roll out of town on Monday which means tonight's free gig at Riverfront Plaza, next to Mirror Pond Gallery in downtown Bend, is the last time to catch 'em locally. They'll play from about 7-9.30pm, and artwork by Joe Kimmel will be on display.

That's not all the band's news, either. They recently spent a day at Dennis Plant's Bon Vivant Studios in Tumalo recording their new album, "The Year of Hello and Goodbye." It's 13 songs of the band's trademark sound - guitar, banjo, violin, pretty melodies, and georgeous vocal harmonies. You can hear a few tracks at www.myspace.com/theerinsband.

The songs sound great, a product of a year of playing together. Cole-Baker hopes that will continue on the other side of the country. "Theire's a lot of opportunity for music over there, and I love playing with Erin," she said. "When she has any time available, I want to play with her. If not, I'm sure there will be some awesome musicians over there to hook up with."

-Ben Salmon
The Bulletin

- The Bulletin - June 22nd 2007


"Consider the Stone Stepped: Farewell, Erins"



Just about a year after their pleasant habit of playing music together began, The Erins are moving on from Bend. Both members of the acoustic act are moving to Washington, D.C. this spring. They plan to make a five-week trip out of the move, traveling across the country together in a VW pop-top bus and playing gigs along the way. (Classic!)



Erin Zurflu, 26, and Erin Cole-Baker, 25, met last June and jammed together with other players before they settled on the duo configuration that ultimately earned them fans and gigs aplenty in Central Oregon. The pair built their bluegrassy sound on vocal harmonies, Zurflu's fiddle playing and Cole-Baker's acoustic guitar.


Zurflu was raised in Bend, and Cole-Baker was born in the US and raised in New Zealand. Cole-Baker told The Blender that the other Erin (Zurflu) is making the move to our nation's capital to attend medical school, and that she (Cole-Baker) is following in the interest of moving to a larger city with expanded opportunities for musicians.

"Washington D.C. sounded like an awesome place," said Cole-Baker. "It's close to New York, and Nashville, and all that. The music scene seems to be pretty happening over there."

As for future of The Erins, Cole-Baker lovingly referred to Bend as a good "training ground" for the music business, and said the duo will continue playing together in Washington, D.C., at least when Zurflu "is available and not studying too much."

In the meantime, The Erins recorded a CD in Tumalo just last Monday, and hope to release it before their last show in Bend. Keep your eyes on the Source Weekly's Clubs and Live Music calendar for details, and tune your web browser to myspace.com/theerinsband for post-Bend details on the group.

Jeff Trainor

- The Source Weekly - May 2007


Discography

The Erins "The Year of Hello and Goodbye" 2007

Erin Cole-Baker "Song for Roy" 2005

Photos

Bio

Since heading stateside from New Zealand in 2005, Erin Cole-Baker has been bringing her heavenly vocals and home-cooked, handmade chord progressions to various venues on the west coast. After wandering into fellow Erin (Zurflu) in the sweet mountain air of Central Oregon, the two immediately bonded while dabbling in the local bluegrass scene. They played a mix of old standards, pop covers, and increasing amounts of original material by Cole-Baker. Their seamless vocal harmonies developed effortlessly and the instrumentation followed suit as Zurflu detoured her violin skills off the classical highway and followed Cole-Baker down the less trodden and often unknown road of the singer/songwriter. They agreed to call themselves The Erins, and thus the duo was born.

The Erins quickly gathered great press and a very loyal following and kept a busy schedule playing shows in Zurflu’s home town of Bend, Oregon. Shortly following the release of their first full length album, The Year of Hello and Goodbye, The Erins set out to move to the east coast, playing music, selling CD’s, and gathering a new fan base along the way.

The Erins have high hopes of making the world a better place, simply starting by sharing their music with everyone they can.

"The Erins (Erin Cole-Baker and Erin Zurflu) combined to form one of the most talented and imaginative acoustic/folk bands we've heard in a long time. The guitar and violin work is exact, yet unpredictable. There is an obvious musical-bond between these two. Their music is natural, not forced and their harmonies are a perfect match. The instrumentals are just as thought-inducing as their lyrics. "
Bendnights.com - 2007

"The Erins are a magical combination of beautifully crafted songs and gifted musical ability on their respective instruments.
Served on a platter of natural harmony, their music lifts the soul and is delivered with such a passion that it is very difficult not to utterly fall beneath their delightfull spell.
Once heard, never forgotten!"

Andrew White - August 2007