Erika M. Anderson
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Background information | |
Birth name | Erika M. Anderson |
Born | South Dakota, United States |
Genres | Noise-folk, noise rock |
Occupations | Singer-songwriter, guitarist, visual artist |
Instruments | Vocals, guitar, electronics, bass |
Years active | 2006–present |
Labels | Night People, Souterrain Transmissions |
Website | cameouttanowhere.com |
Erika M. Anderson, better known by her stage name EMA, is an American singer and songwriter from South Dakota. Originally the lead singer of drone-folk band Gowns, she released her debut album Little Sketches on Tape in 2010 on Night People, an independent music label founded by former Raccoo-oo-oon member Shawn Reed. In 2011 EMA released her second album Past Life Martyred Saints, which received positive reviews from Pitchfork Media,[1] Drowned in Sound,[2] and the NME.[3] After releasing her debut album, EMA was named "New Band of the Day" by The Guardian[4] and "Artist to Watch" by Rolling Stone.[5] In 2011 she performed "Endless, Nameless" for Spin's twentieth anniversary tribute to Nirvana's album Nevermind.[6] Her song "The Grey Ship" was used on an episode of Adult Swim's Off the Air.
She has been heavily blogged about[7] and was described by Yahoo! News as one of the most blogged artist of the week. This was calculated using an aggregator of 1000 music blogs.[8]
Career
Anderson played guitar for the experimental rock project Amps for Christ until the early 2000s.[9] In 2006, she shaped the noise-folk band Gowns with The Mae Shi member and then-boyfriend Ezra Buchla.[10] The duo, along with the former drummer of The Mae Shi, Corey Fogel, relocated to San Francisco, California.[10] After holding recording sessions in Anderson's home in South Dakota, the group released its first record, Red State, in 2007.[10] After the record's release, Jacob Felix Heule and Aaron Davis became additions to the band, with Heule replacing Fogel as drummer and Davis becoming the group's bassist.[10] Gowns continued to tour and record, releasing its third and final album, Broken Bones, in 2009.[10]
Discography
Albums
- Little Sketches on Tape (Night People, 2010)
- Past Life Martyred Saints (Souterrain Transmissions, 2011)
- The Future's Void (Matador/City Slang, 2014)
Singles
- "The Grey Ship / Kind Heart" (Souterrain Transmissions, 2011)
- "California" (Souterrain Transmissions, 2011)
- "Soul on Fire" (Hell, Yes!, 2011)
- "Milkman" (Souterrain Transmissions, 2011)
- "Marked / Angelo" (Souterrain Transmissions, 2011)
References
- ↑ Neyland, Nick (May 10, 2011). "EMA: Past Life Martyred Saints". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved May 17, 2011.
- ↑ Skinner, James (May 5, 2011). "EMA – Past Life Martyred Saints". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved May 17, 2011.
- ↑ "Album Review: EMA – 'Past Life Martyred Saints'". NME. IPC Media. May 4, 2011. Retrieved May 17, 2011.
- ↑ Lester, Paul (April 14, 2011). "New band of the day – No 1,005: EMA". The Guardian. guardian.co.uk. Retrieved May 17, 2011.
- ↑ Keyes, J. Edward (May 17, 2011). "Artist to Watch: EMA's Spellbinding Noise-Folk Confessionals". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved May 17, 2011.
- ↑ "FREE ALBUM: SPIN Tribute to Nirvana's 'Nevermind'". Spin. July 19, 2011. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
- ↑ "EMA – Past Life of Martyred Saints". The Decline Of. Tumblr. May 29, 2011. Retrieved June 29, 2011.
- ↑ AFP Relax (May 9, 2011). "Most blogged artists: EMA releases new track, debut album". Yahoo! News Malasya. Retrieved May 17, 2011.
- ↑ Phares, Heather. "EMA". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved December 2, 2011.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 Mason, Stewart. "Gowns: Biography". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved June 25, 2010.