Erin Hill is a singer, harpist, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, screenwriter, actor and science fiction geek. With electric harp as the lead instrument, Erin plays and sings with her band of bass, drums, pedal steel, cello and harmony vocals. The music is beautiful and psychedelic pop: "Hill is a songwriting angel. with tracks that fascinate and mesmerize the audience," (The Louisville Eccentric Observer). Erin Hill & her Psychedelic Harp are currently recording their debut CD, "Girl inventor."
Erin's first official music video is now out on YouTube (Aug 2011), for her song "Giant Mushrooms." Blogcritics and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer write "This is a talented singer and a promising songwriter. to say nothing of featuring the harp in a rock video. (The video has) a kind of creepy humor that meshes well with the eerie quality of the music."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ml-gr5QiLQ
In the film "Clear Blue Tuesday" (2010), she is a composer, screenwriter, and actor. The New York Times says: "Erin Hill, as a giddy, harp-playing Trekker, is a standout. The best and funniest scene in the film is Ms. Hill's." And from Variety: "A memorable number is "Reckless," penned by Erin Hill and delivered by her character, Etta, a sci-fi soundtrack-session harpist and one of the film's few solidly intriguing personalities."
On the Celtic side, Erin's 2009 album with her group Four Celtic Voices, "Four Leaf Clover," hit #1 on the Billboard World Music chart, charted in multiple Top Ten Heatseeker charts and in the Top 40 on the Independent chart.
She is also in The Dream Jam Band, whose major label debut is now out on EMI (August 2010), produced by Rick Chertoff (Cyndi Lauper, Joan Osborne, Ron Howard's The Grinch, etc.). As "Erin the Red," she plays bass, harp, keys, sings, and is a songwriter and arranger in the band.
Erin has opened for and toured with a-ha in Europe and London, where she played solo at the Royal Albert Hall (see the a-ha.com interview with Erin on a-ha's official site at http://a-ha.com/news/articles/behind-the-harp/
She has also sung and played with Enya, Cyndi Lauper, Kanye West, moby, Joan Osborne, Randy Newman, Dave Chappelle, Marshall Crenshaw, Martha Wainwright, Duncan Sheik, The Smithereens, Savoy, Julee Cruise, John Flansburgh (of They Might Be Giants), Lenny Pickett (of Saturday Night Live), and Levon Helm (of The Band). She plays regularly with Will Lee (of David Letterman), Jimmy Vivino (of Conan O'Brien), Kanye West (Live Earth, TRL, BET, etc.), G.E. Smith (of Saturday Night Live), and Garth Hudson (of The Band).
Erin is known at the Ritz-Carlton on Central Park South in NYC for her rock 'n' roll arrangements on solo harp, playing (and singing) everything from Bowie, The Beatles, Stevie Wonder and Neil Young to a-ha, The Police, Roxy Music, Prince and Avril Lavigne.
On the silver screen, Erin played Sandra Mescal in the most recent Tim Robbins' film "Cradle Will Rock" and appears on the soundtrack along with PJ Harvey and Eddie Vedder. Erin has sung solo on HBO's "The Chris Rock Show" as the Hippie Chick, and on Comedy Central's "Chappelle's Show" as the Pretty White Girl. Alison Pill, who often sings with Erin in her band, co-starred with Gabriel Byrne in "In Treatment" (as April) and with Michael Cera in "Scott Pilgrim vs. the World." Erin has twice been part of the Sundance Theater Lab in Utah, originating the role of Ilse in "Spring Awakening," and as musical director for "Lil's 90th," also at the Long Wharf Theater in 2010.
Erin is a songwriter and screenwriter on the upcoming sci-fi film "Fade To White," which Erin describes as "On the Beach meets Saturday Night Live, post-apocalypse." Her songs can be heard in several other films, including "Spent," "Bad Bride," and "American Desi." She signed The Buddy Scott Trio to her label and their songs can be heard in the MGM film "A Guy Thing." As a voice-over artist she's been heard on commercials from Coca-Cola, Match.com and Walmart to Play-Doh and Dunkin' Donuts.
Erin is the harpist on the new soundtrack for "The Fantasticks," on Martha Wainwright's acclaimed debut album "Martha Wainwright," on the original Broadway cast album of Sam Mendes' "Cabaret," on the tour of the Lincoln Center "South Pacific," in various commercials (Dunkin' Donuts, etc.), and on MTV2's "Wonder Showzen."
Erin studied voice with Marni Nixon and at L'Ecole Hindemith in Switzerland and has played Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall. She was a founding member of the band Wicked Felina with G.E. Smith (of Saturday Night Live), where she was a co-writer, co-singer, and played harp, guitar, flute, accordion, and hammered dulcimer. Erin's played drums with Martha & the Vandellas; she's a classically trained pianist and plays keyboards, as well as percussion, guitar, and vocals for Will Lee and Jimmy Vivino in The Fab Faux; and she plays saxophone and flute (and harp) on the Sam Mendes "Cabaret" soundtrack on RCA.
Erin's original science fiction songs are often inspired by various sci-fi novels or short stories, such as the Philip K. Dick-inspired "Owls." Other songs have a straight science edge, such as "Lookout, Science," and "Girl Inventor," while others are inspired by art from science fiction magazines of the 1930's through the 1960's, which Erin collects. Erin likes to sprinkle in a few covers at her gigs, ranging from a Bowie tune to Danny Boy to Puccini, which she sings probably even better than The Doctor on Voyager ;-)
Oh, yes -- she also juggles and is an expert at walking on her hands.
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"This redhead… delivers a much-needed dose of marvelous pop ditties with her simply beautiful voice, witty lyrics, and excellent musicianship." – Women Who Rock Magazine
"Erin Hill is lovely. and dauntingly versatile. and then there's the delicious sound of that harp!" -- Variety
"Erin Hill lights up the stage." -- Daily News (NYC)
"The best part of the show was the moment when. Erin Hill, a fine harpist, raised her voice in solo." "Erin Hill is lovely." -- The New York Times
"Erin Hill. is not only a wonderfully engaging performer but versatile as well, playing five instruments." -- The Chicago Tribune
"Erin Hill, tossing her flaming hair, turns into a show-stopper. Hill's voice soars on the exquisite melodies." -- The Plain Dealer
"The album is beautiful. Voice exquisite, telling tales everyone wants to hear. Lovely. Crank it right up!" -- Roby Worby, Radio 3, BBC
"The best performances are turned in by. the versatile Erin Hill." -- Billboard
"Erin Hill may be indie pop's renaissance grrl." -- Amplifier Magazine
"The invincible Hill. breaks into a fiery physical abandon when she's at the mike." "Erin is enormously talented -- an exceptional singer, a fantastic musician and. she has the beauty to go with it." -- New York Newsday
