Erin & The Wildfire started as four college kids in Charlottesville, Virginia making music just for fun, but has grown into a flourishing, decade-long musical relationship among four best friends. E&TW, who now call Virginia’s capital city of Richmond home, have evolved their sound over the past ten years to where it currently stands firmly in the soul and indie-pop genres, drawing influences from a wide range of artists including Emily King, D’Angelo, YEBBA, Vulfpeck, and Donny Hathaway. The band blends the expressive, powerhouse vocals of frontwoman, Erin Lunsford, with the pop, funk, and indie sensibilities of bandmates Ryan Lipps (guitar), Nick Quillen (drums), and Matt Wood (bass). In addition to the core four, E&TW has recently found a kindred musical soul in keyboardist Stephen Roach, who has played with the band since 2019.Lunsford’s lyrics are often deeply personal, focusing on her journey through struggles with body acceptance and self-love. With a passion for songwriting running through her veins from an early age, Lunsford endeavors to connect with fans of all ages by sharing her lived experiences with climate change and fighting the patriarchy in music. E&TW aim to make their shows a space where the audience will feel safe and accepted.

Erynn Legna McLeod, a Charlottesville based singer-songwriter, writes at the cross road of folk and musical theater. She grew up in a theatrical household as the child of Broadway actor Raymond Jaramillo McLeod and acting teacher Deborah Kym. Early memories in the wings of Broadway shows including Jekyll and Hyde, Evita and Wonderful Town have deeply influenced her musical ear. As a native New Yorker, her roots are grounded in musical theater but she has branched out to create her own contemporary sound. Her formal composition training began in high school and she went on to earn a BA in Music with a concentration in Classical Voice from Stony Brook University. In her time there she won Stony Brook Idol and was awarded the Michael Bane Music Scholarship. After graduating in 2017, she trained in musical theater at the Stella Adler Studio of Acting. In 2019, she graduated from Berklee College of Music in Valencia, Spain with a MM in Contemporary Performance. During her program, she won first place at the International Writers Camp in Haarlem, Netherlands and was blessed to have one of her original songs, Queen, produced by Patrice Rushen. She is currently recording her debut project locally and can’t wait to share it.

The Rivanna Roots concert series would not be possible without the support of our premier season sponsor Flow Automotive of Charlottesville, and our supporting sponsors Sun Tribe Solar and Martin Horn Inc. A special thank you to Potter’s Craft Cider, Champion Brewing Co, Blenheim Vineyards, and Sticks Kebob Shop for being our food and beverage partners. We also thank Virginia is for Lovers and CACVB for their continuous support of all that we do at The Front Porch!