Part folk diva, part beat poet, part jazzy funketeer, Erin McKeown careens onto the national pop scene with her CD debut "Distillation," a startling album glowing with a spectrum of musical and emotional hues. The recording, which follows two immensely successful cassette only releases, launches the charismatic McKeown into the ranks of the impressively eclectic and infinitely talented, a true major arrival. . Stylistically, McKeown, who calls herself a mix of "Django Reinhardt and G Love," is more precisely akin to emphatically unbound artists like Michelle Shocked, Rickie Lee Jones, and kd lang. At just 22, McKeown, proficient on bass, piano, electric and acoustic guitars as well as banjo and mandolin, has come a long way in the brief four-year period she's been plying her art. With a fluid guitar style, a bewitching voice, and provocative lyrics, McKeown is able to swing, rock, funk it up, sing the blues, and take it down with effortless charm and smart evocation.
Beginning her career as a Semi-Finalist: Modern Rock/ Alternative Category in the 1995 Songwriter's Association of Washington DC's Mid-Atlantic Song Contest, McKeown has steadily evolved into a dynamic performer, an accomplished guitarist, and an innovative songstress. Using the framework of her own start-up label, TVP Records of Providence, and distribution affiliations with Waterbug Records (Chicago, IL) and Ladyslipper Music (Durham, NC) Erin McKeown is rapidly making a name for herself, redefining contemporary folk music - her way.
