Emay

A fire-spinning beekeeper who grows her own food and rides horses in the rain, EMay's mantra, "never get bored," seems an understatement. “I let my curiosity get the best of me, always. I fall down every rabbit-hole I can fit in."

EMay chased one rabbit from Boston, MA to a farm in rural West Virginia. When she’s not planting next season’s harvest, she heads out on the road.

In 2016, EMay began working with producer Jimmy Hoyson and a star-studded lineup of musicians for her first major album. The players are Marc Ford (The Black Crowes, Magpie Salute) Rami Jaffee (Foo Fighters, The Wallflowers), Michael Jerome (Better Than Ezra, The Toadies) and Taras Prodaniuk (Richard Thompson, Merle Haggard) “These guys were my heroes growing up, players in some of my favorite bands. We got in the studio and it was magic, instant chemistry." They recorded a 10-song album, entitled 'Let Out Your Ghosts' in a few long days at Jim Henson Studios’ Studio D – the former A&M studio in Hollywood.

EMay is no stranger to great collaborations. Her teachers include grunge rock Grammy record holder Alanis Morisette, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee and Jefferson Airplaine co-founder Jorma Kaukonen, and the premier Robert Johnson academician Tom Feldman. She has opened for 10,000 Maniacs, Toubabe Krewe, Rusted Root, Dar Williams, Loudon Wainwright III, Marcia Ball, The Black Lilies and Cabinet. Her collaborations include musicians, dancers and theater companies.

Often compared to the most powerful female musicians – Tracy Chapman, Alanis Morisette, Ani DiFranco, Adele and Janis Joplin – EMay spent her early career behind-the-scenes. "I love watching artists from the wings. Putting on shows and being part of the crew was always dreamy. My own dream has been a slow-burn. It took time to desire a career as a solo-performer or front-person, because I could watch magnifigant successes every night. Plus, there's less pressure!" She laughs. "Really, it's an amazing place to be. But eventually, the itch becomes great enough and you have to commit to what all of your heart-strings are telling you to do. For me, that was recording, singing and performing music."

Even with a long-simmering solo career, EMay has always been an active musician and performer. She is a member of doom-metal group the Black Yo)))ga Meditation Ensemble. She was a principle member of Turkish Folk project Kirik Hava, acoustic trio Between Liberties, and rock cover band The Sectionals. She studied classical piano in the suzuki method as a kid, deep roots Americana around the campfires of West Virginia, and gained some electronic music tricks one morning at Burning Man with Govinda. And before she was a full-time musician, she performed often as a dancer and fire-spinner with Steel Town Fire.

Between these varied influences is where her own original music appears. Her music describes the wildness of nature – both the great outdoors and the vast expanse of wilderness in the human heart. She writes about human potentiality and the preciousness of life. She poetically presents her own struggles with addiction and childhood trauma, still singing of the grace and joy we find in each moment.

She has performed at major festivals, performing arts centers, college campuses, charity events, weddings, and house concerts across the country, from Boston to San Francisco, down into Mexico and Costa Rica. She has independently released five homemade solo recordings since 2011. She’s done this all while managing and representing herself.

For more on her non-musical adventures, which include beekeeping, fire-spinning, writing poetry, producing festivals, riding horses & gardening, visit erikamay.com.