Erin & The Wildfire and The Currys

About Erin & The Wildfire: Rock, blues, folk, and soul had a baby and they named it Erin. She collected three of her most talented friends in 2012 and dubbed them The Wildfire, in reference to the fiery quality of their groove. Erin & The Wildfire is comprised of Erin Lunsford (vocals, acoustic guitar), Ryan Lipps (guitar), Matt Wood (bass), and Nick Quillen (drums). Erin is an award winning vocalist (1st place Winner of Charlottesville’s Paramount Idol 2013) and an award winning songwriter (1st place Winner in the 11th Annual Rapunzel’s Songwriting Contest) with the song “Best I’ve Ever Been.” This past summer, the band won the Rockn' to Lockn' competition and had the honor of playing on the final day of the 2014 Lockn' festival alongside Soja, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Willie Nelson, Wilco, Widespread Panic, and The Allman Brothers. Erin & The Wildfire was also featured in this year's CMJ Conference, The Festy Experience, and The Circus Life Festival.

Erin & The Wildfire has been described as a “local treasure” and their presence continues to grow throughout Central Virginia and up and down the east coast. In 2013, Erin & the Wildfire released their debut self-titled EP, which features poignant lyrics, dynamic energy, and sultry melodies. The EP track, “Best I’ve Ever Been” was also chosen as one of the best new songs of 2013 by WNRN Radio’s LocalMotive broadcast. This November, the band will be releasing three new tracks on the Blame the Rain Single, and will subsequently tour the northeast. The combination of Lunsford’s soulful and striking vocals with the Wildfire’s feverish intensity will start a flame in the heart of any listener.

About The Currys: The Currys have developed their brand of homegrown, harmony-rich Americana through summers of writing and performing on the Florida Gulf Coast. Brothers Jimmy and Tommy Curry and cousin Galen Curry began with acoustic performances in local restaurants and oyster bars, but over time their sound has evolved into the fully orchestrated folk-rock evident on their debut album, Follow. The Currys’ first full-length effort captures the spirit of contemporary folk music, reviving its rich musical thread with a pop-rock sensibility and tightly knit family harmonies.

Though Follow marks The Currys' official debut, they have performed regionally for some time. After appearing on a public broadcast of From the Heart Music Hour, the trio was heard by Grammy Award-winning country artist Billy Dean, who subsequently invited them to perform during his headlining set at the 60th Florida Folk Fest. The group gained a regional following, and in August of 2012 they were asked to headline a tour across Ireland, which was captured in a Florida regional PBS documentary. A camera crew followed closely as the Curry caravan swerved across the Emerald Isle on the wrong side of the road (in a big, red bandwagon affectionately nicknamed ‘Clifford’), playing 14 shows in 20 days.

The success of the Ireland tour encouraged the group to take the next step, and in early 2013, the Currys relocated to Charlottesville, Virginia, and recruited bassist Matt Kauper and drummer Johnny Humphreys. The band settled into a townhouse together and began arranging and rewriting the songs for Follow as a five-piece. Meanwhile, they extended their reach, performing along the East Coast from Virginia to New York and recording a series of live acoustic performance videos dubbed the Avon Street Sessions.

In the summer of 2013, The Currys launched a successful crowdfunding campaign to finance the recording process, and in October the band trekked out to Louisa, Virginia, to track the album with producers Chris Keup and Stewart Myers(Lifehouse, Jason Mraz, Parachute) at White Star Sound. They spent nearly a month in the studio, recording a collection of songs that range in sound from the acoustic feel of the original trio to the folk-pop of the current outfit. The resulting recordings are a testament to the countless hours spent in musical symbiosis, shaping the words and melodies of three distinct singer/songwriters into one cohesive voice.