Today we’d like to introduce you to Erica Lynn
Hi Erica, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My story starts when I was a kid. I loved the arts. I was different from my siblings who generally enjoyed athletics. Whereas I loved the music. I joined chorus and played violin. I was the first cross musician in the district ever. The school district now openly allows students to do both. Anyways, I started my musical career in bands in 2008 where I played bass and sang. I played bass guitar for many years before stepping out and fronting a band myself. I have been fronting bands since 2014. After Covid I knew the scene around Erie needed some revitalization and I looked to several different venues to help give original music a little push. Luckily a few places opened their doors and once people started getting back out again, more venues opened their doors to original bands. The scene in Erie is thriving so well right now with many different locations you can check out local and regional original bands on any given night. That is what kick started my promotional business, Eerie Siren Productions. My guitarist, Tom Wurst, and I started it with no intention on it taking off other then locally booking shows. We started Female Feature Fest last October, which was an enormous success, now making it an annual event. I recently joined another local promotion company, Mayhem Music Promotions, as a booking agent.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
The road for me has never been easy. Back 15 years ago or so there were maybe a handful of bands that actually featured a female artists in original bands. There were several different occasions where we would not be put on a bill because we weren’t heavy enough or because a woman was sticking her nose in the metal scene. I by no means was a trail blazer because there have been many women in the Erie scene before I but I have pushed hard to make sure that women are recognized in the scene. Now it is hard to have a bill locally where there is not a female musician. It’s been over the top rewarding. Another struggle was venue availability for the original scene. There was a time we had close to twenty venues across Erie county then in the blink of an eye we were down to two. Our musicians in the scene are resilient and overcame adversity. The scene is better then ever and it’s great to see so many shows and bands in town.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am the vocalist of the bands Storms Within and Scars of Agony. I am also the co-owner/founder of Eerie Siren Productions and a booking agent with Mayhem Music Promotions. What am I known for? I am boisterous, I have a big overpowering personality that I am not sorry for. There is a huge difference between cocky and confident and I definitely tread that line. I have worked for over a decade to make my voice uniquely mine and love pushing the boundaries of what I can do. I am so beyond proud of the boys in both my bands. I have the absolute pleasure of working with two groups of men who are highly dedicated musicians who genuinely care about their craft. I think that answers the next question as well. The guys I work with in Storms and Scars are hungry for success, a better sound and that unique niche that sets you apart from the rest. I am truly honored to know and work with all of them.
In terms of your work and the industry, what are some of the changes you are expecting to see over the next five to ten years?
I think Erie has a great upward trend right now. I really hope that in the next 5-10 years that these places that only utilize cover bands start to use us original bands more. Obviously people wanna dance to familiar music all night but I think that it would open doors to the scene as a whole and not just musicians playing cover music.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://stormswithinofficial.com/
- Instagram: stormswithin814
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StormsWithin/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCVQh6LQXRZsLcfn_9rhf_g
- Other: https://www.reverbnation.com/stormswithin
