About Me
Erin Harkes is an original singer/guitar/piano player from upstate New York. Erin began writing songs at the age of 19 and has since released four albums of original material. The first album, "Bar Napkins and Magic Markers" was recorded at St. Andrew's college in North Carolina. The CD features nine tracks and was a learning experience for Erin, as she recorded the album entirely by herself.
BAR NAPKINS and MAGIC MARKERS
1. See You Again
2. Unrevealing
3. Let
4. Stoplight
5. Be A Man
6. Dependant
7. Off Again
8. Anna Bends The Light
9. Murphy
Her second CD was recorded live at the Elbow Room in NYC on September 21st, 2001 and contains 4 songs. Erin was solo that night with her acoustic guitar and voice. Two of the songs that she performed night "Knew" and "That Girl" appear on the studio CD "Rough"
LIVE at the ELBOW ROOM in NYC
1. Knew
2. Let
3. Stoplight
4. That Girl
The following year, she recorded first studio project with her band, The Rebound entitled "Rough".
The CD featured nine original songs.
ROUGH
1. Whiplash
2. That Girl
3. Murphy
4. Radio Off
5. Knew
6. Race Me to Stop
7. Just Like Me
8. Glitter in the Gutter
9. One Day in a Row
Erin currently resides in Albany, NY. When not performing with the band, she performs solo and has also performed another local band, Folding Sky. She teamed up with this band in early 2004, performing at the Empire State Plaza in front of thousands of people. Out of three bands, they received 60% of the votes to win the Northeast Blues Society's "Colossal Contender" contest in 2004, earning a position in the international finals in Memphis, Tennessee in 2005. Don Wilcock of the Troy Record wrote this about Erin's performance.
"…standing firmly on two feet, this dirty blonde banshee belted out her music with no vibrato, no soft feminine wiles, just a blast-furnace breath of fire that singed the hair of everyone in the last aisle at the top of the museum steps watching her performance."
Also, Greg Haymes from the Times Union wrote;
"……..and the gritty vocals of Erin Harkes, who managed to turn even James Taylor's generic "Steamroller Blues'' into a polished gem."
Though blues has been known as her forte, her original material bounces from one genre to the next for an alternative/folk/rock mix. She has opened for such dissimilar national acts as David Allen Coe (country), Melissa Ferrick (folk), Fred Eaglesmith (Alternative) and the Fleshtones (Rock); each time well received. She even sat in with the Fleshtones for a song, and John Suvannavejh from the Metroland had this to say;
"Harkes …was freed to let loose with her raspy, blues-inflected croon. Although it certainly doesn't hurt to have one of the finest garage bands in the land backing you, Harkes' deep-hearted rendition was absolutely mesmerizing, and even gave Mr. Van Morrison a run for his money."
Erin has appeared on several local radio shows such as 104.9 "Acoustic Kaleidoscope", 91.5 WRPI's "Curious Travels", 91.1 FM Saratoga, popular morning show 106.5's "Wakin' up with the Wolf" and 103.1 Big Break with Jason Keller. She also appeared on television Fox News Big Break in 2003 for a song and interview. Jason Keller had this to say about Erin's music.
"Erin's songs reflect the pain, humor and frustration that make up all of our daily lives. Her singing grabbed me the very first time I heard it, and from the response I've gotten; it did the same thing for my listeners."
In March of 2005, Erin received the coveted front cover of local Arts and Entertainment magazine,
THE METROLAND .
++++click here to read the article++++
Soon after, Erin released a live album with The Rebound
called "Special I Am" containing
seven new songs!
click here to get
ERIN HARKES and the REBOUND's
SPECIAL I AM CD from CDBABY!!!!
SPECIAL I AM
1. Rest Of Me
2. If You Should
3. Deadcat
4. Half
5. Just Like Me
6. Well With It
7. Anna Bends the Light
8. Whiplash
9. Special I Am
10. Glitter in the Gutter
11. One Day in a Row
As Erin's audience and playing area continue to grow, her set is becoming more original material and less cover tunes. She is known to bust out a few crowd favorites every once in awhile, giving her bit of an alter ego that can touch a wide and eclectic arrangement of fans, all the while making her original songs just as much the crowd favorite as any cover she might do.
Metroland's Best Female Solo Performer 2005
Metroland's Best Local Solo Musician 2008
"Erin Harkes has developed an enviable stage presence over her past few years of performing. Armed with a commanding voice and catchy, soulful tunes, Harkes captures her audience's attention and doesn't let go until she decides to. We've watched as she's built up and fleshed out a notable catalog of songs, and we love to see her perform them live."
