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Erin and the Wildfire set Charlottesville ablaze

The University alumna explains the roots of her rock

<p>University Alumna&nbsp;Erin Lunsford&nbsp;and her four-man band will play a show at The Southern Tuesday.&nbsp;</p>

University Alumna Erin Lunsford and her four-man band will play a show at The Southern Tuesday. 

The University has many notable graduates who are politicians, athletes or authors, but Erin Lunsford is an alumna who marches to the beat of her own drum, or rather, her own band. After its birth at the University, Lunsford’s band Erin and the Wildfire spread and played throughout Virginia as they explored different areas of funk, rock and soulful blues.

Though Lunsford and her four-man band are busy playing shows throughout the state, including a show Tuesday at The Southern, she set aside some time to share the group’s inspirations, hopes and origins with The Cavalier Daily via email.

Arts and Entertainment: As an alumna of U.Va., what are some fond memories you have of the school?

Erin Lunsford: So four out of five of us are U.Va. grads … I think our collective fondest memory is playing our very first show as a band at U.Va. — Sigma Pi Surf-n-Turf in 2011. [Band members] Nick and Matt were somehow shirtless about midway through the set, and I read lyrics from my phone for a few of the songs. The stage was warped and dry-rotted and I thought we were all going to fall through … I have fond memories of writing and rehearsing in the practice rooms in the basement of Old Cabell Hall, playing my guitar on the lawn and trying to force people to buy tickets to our concerts in the hallways of Newcomb. I still have first-year suitemates tell me they remember me playing too loudly in my first-year dorm room in Tuttle.

AE: Was it while you attended the University that you founded Erin and the Wildfire?

EL: The original members of the band met in the student-run recording label O Records at U.Va. I was the president at the time and I asked Nick and Matt to be in a band. Ryan joined in a little later and we've been together ever since!

AE: You're the head of a pretty large band. How does the creative process usually go? Are you the songwriter as well as the vocalist?

EL: The creative process is difficult, but fun. Typically I write songs and present them to the band and the guys help me arrange the songs and work on the feel or vibe. Some songs are easy and come together naturally while others take several sessions and lots of arguing over how it should sound. Worth it, of course.

AE: Some of your most popular music includes innovative reworkings of classic rock and R&B songs. Seeing as they're not very similar, what made you choose "Signed, Sealed, Delivered" and "Stayin' Alive" to grace with your unique style?

EL: We are always looking for covers to take and make our own. Some bands have had great success doing this and it's really fun to try. I guess as far as the Bee Gees go, we consider them to be pretty funky and soulful — "Stayin' Alive" was Nick's idea to cover. He came to us in practice with an idea of really slowing the song down, making it funkier and a little darker. The recording turned out really nicely and I think we are playing it even slower these days just for the hell of it.

“Signed, Sealed, Delivered” had a similar trajectory — I suggested we play it in the minor key instead of the major key and then the different time signature came in the next practice and it fell together immediately. It was one of those songs that was so easy to maneuver and we felt so passionately about it. We recorded it just a couple months later and I think it's our best recording to date!

AE: Is the recent release of singles an indicator that a new album is coming? If so, what should we expect from your newest work?

EL: Yes! Kind of! Our recent release of singles in the last two years has been an effort to get as much music out as soon as we could with whatever budget we had (none). We've been saving up for a couple years now and are planning to write and record a full-length album this December or January and release it in 2017. It's been a long time coming and we are stoked to present our sound in a cohesive and comprehensive album!

AE: Your recorded music carries an enormous amount of energy. Can your audience later this month expect that same sort of energy? What do you try to achieve in your live shows?

EL: You can expect lots of energy. Our live shows are our bread and butter and we leave it all on the stage. We will be especially joyful for a hometown show at one of our favorite venues, The Southern. I like to play each show like it's my last show.

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