Calgary based folk/ blues musician Erin Ross is a listener first and a player second. She will be coming back to Lethbridge for two shows this week at the Mocha Cabana, Friday, March 9 and at the Owl Acoustic Lounge, March 10.
And while there a lot of female blues performers playing around the country, Ross noted while she is aware of them, she is more likely to be listening to heavy metal, which may be a little surprising to hear as her music is very laid, back, intricately fingerpicked blues and folk music.
“I definitely come at music as a listener first. Right now I’m listening to a lot of heavy metal. Now I’m more likely to be listening to Pantera,” said Ross.
“There may be a blues/ metal hybrid some time in the future, you never know. It’s good to have some variety,” said Ross, who has been concentrating on her day job as a guitar teacher in addition to playing whenever she can.
While she probably won’t be playing any Pantera covers, she promised a variety of originals and blues classics.
“ I play a lot of finger-style guitar. I’ll be playing a lot of originals and blues classics. It will be a good mix of stuff,” she said.
“At the Owl Acoustic Lounge I’ll probably bust out the electric guitar. At the Mocha Cabana I’ll probably go acoustic for the dinner crowd. I’ll be able to do both things this weekend,” she said.
She discovered the blues by listening to a lot of different music.
“I listened to a lot of Mississippi John Hurt and the Reverend Gary Davis. It‘s looking at your favourite bands and finding out what they listened to. I have a lot of vinyl and thought it would be interesting to learn how to play that way. It seemed like a natural fit for me,” she said.
“It just evolved into what I do and I seem to have an affinity for playing the blues,” she continued.
She is a planning on entering a recording studio later this year to record her third vinyl record.
She is also planning a quick Saskatchewan tour in May.
More information and music can be found at www.erinross.ca.
