As last summer drew to a close, talented singer-songwriter Erin Lunsford started writing a new chapter in her multifaceted music career.
The native of Fincastle, Virginia has accomplished so much since attending the University of Virginia and founding Erin & the Wildfire. As leader of that group of former Cavaliers, she’s earned shout-outs from NPR Music and played some of the region’s biggest gigs — from Lockn’ Festival to FloydFest to the Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion — and she’s fronted two full-length Wildfire albums, blending virtuosic vocals with uplifting messaging about body positivity and social change, all filtered through impeccable pop sensibilities. That’s in addition to her contributions as a session musician at various studios around Richmond, which has been her home since she moved from Charlottesville in 2018.
“I get hired for background vocals most of the time,” she notes. “Occasionally, I get hired to put banjo on people’s stuff… I love doing that kind of thing. Please hire me!”
There’s also her work as a teacher of voice, guitar and songwriting. At any given time, she’s likely to be offering individual instruction to upward of 15 aspiring musicians. “Some of my very best friends have come from my students,” she says. “It’s an honor to be a witness to someone’s creative journey.”
And then there’s her solo career, which yielded a 2020 full-length album called “The Damsel” that leaned into the stylistic influences of her Southwest Virginia upbringing. That’s where her energy has been focused lately — on her eponymous output. “The Wildfire is still kicking, and next year will be our 15th year together,” she says. “I love those guys … I’ve kind of taken my foot off the gas for the Wildfire slightly so that I can keep the car moving with my Erin Lunsford stuff.”
She may be foregrounding her own music, but she’s just as focused on how her talents can benefit others. In August, she shared a single called “Strawberries” that was inspired by an inflammatory news story warning of immigrants taking resources from American citizens. “It’s a sentiment that I don’t agree with at all,” she says. “I was so struck by how stuck American culture is in the scarcity mindset… It got me thinking about scarcity and switching to an abundance mindset.”
Lunsford amplified the song’s impact by staging a series of food pantry fundraiser shows around Central Virginia in September, which is Hunger Action Month. She calls that tour a “defining moment,” and she’s planning to stage similar events next September.
In the meantime, fans can look forward to a solo album in the spring collecting recent singles like “Strawberries,” “Watch Out for Deer” and “Crossing Belvidere.” Given her prolific writing and varied skill set, the future beyond that release is wide open.
She affirms that she’s always wanted to be a student of music: “I’m always trying to listen and learn and notice for myself which songs deliver the message in the ways that I love and admire.”
