Erika Werry Electric Guitar

Erika Werry writes songs about life and love. Often short and fun, with tongue-in-cheek lyrical humour, her songs can also be devastatingly poignant, delivered with her signature vocals in a "... lovely... grainy alto". The Alphabet delivers razor sharp accompaniment to her lyrical melodies.

"Some singers have the ability to reach your soul with only one sung syllable, and for that instant you swear you understand all of their hopes and fears, while your own become increasingly clear for what feels like the first time. NNNN" NOW Magazine

"I dig Erika's grainy alto, her in-and-out-of-pespective songs, delivered with expression. An observant poet, a cliche distorter, a fearless traveller, a band leader - Miss Werry is all of the above, and a competent guitar strummer to boot..." Mary Beth Carty, Penguin Eggs

Erika has a background in classical and modern dance, with many dance performances to her name before she ever picked up a guitar to turn her poems into songs.

Her first instrument was the trumpet while in high school, but braces on her teeth got in the way of that. A few years later she tried her hand at bass guitar and joined the Ottawa band Puddle in the 90's.

Eventually Erika hosted a popular songwriter's open stage at Graffiti's in Toronto's Kensington market, and there founded the first version of her band, with Ryan Fairhead and Marshall Bureau.

Erika Werry has released 5 albums of original music. Her highly regarded first two records, Nothing Clearer Comes (2004) and Time on our Hands (2006) received four and three-star reviews in Toronto NOW and Eye weekly magazines.

Her sophomore disc featured various guest players, including James Robertson (New Country Rehab), Bryden Baird (Blue Rodeo, Feist), and one of Canada's most in-demand session musicians, Christine Bougie.

Erika's latest release, Think yer so Smart, was recorded live at Blue Rodeo's studio in the summer of 2012, featuring Ian Blurton (C'mon, Change of Heart), and Tim Vesely (Rheostatics).

Erika Werry played and toured as a member of John Tielli's Metal Kites and Christine Duncan's Element Choir. She's shared the stage with Woodstock legend Richie Havens and Mary Margaret O'Hara, and played live feature interviews on Denver, Colorado's 99.5 FM, as well as numerous spots on Toronto college radio and broadcast television.

Erika's band is called The Alphabet, consisting of drummer, accordion player and hauntingly beautiful backup singer Kate MacLean, double bassist Wes Neal, lead guitarists Mike Hopkins and Michael Tuyp, and keyboard and harmonica player Josh Cavan. Erika Werry is the band leader and songwriter, and plays both electric and acoustic guitars.

Her song writing continues to evolve; older songs compared with her newer material are so different in feel, yet are delivered with Erika's particular, unique and appealing sound. The current version of her band, The Alphabet, is a very cool mix of clean electric guitar techniques and tone, and creative, all-out originality. Although Erika labels the genre as "folk-rock" , hers truly is a genre-bending style. Without completely losing her audience in unknown territory, she is pushing the limits. She entertains while lending new light to old questions. Kids dance to her fast paced songs.

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