Growing up in Jackson, Tennessee, Erin Rae got an early introduction to folk music at home. Her mom and dad were both part-time musicians, playing their own brand of American roots music at churches, county fairs and coffee shops in west Tennessee. Starting as early as five years old, she would join them for a song or two.
Two decades later, she’s still spending her time onstage — this time as the main act. As the leader of Erin Rae and the Meanwhiles, she walks the line between old-school folk and modern Americana, creating a sound that nods to her influences while pushing ahead toward something new. It’s music that breathes, filled with pedal steel, vocal harmonies, acoustic guitar, bright bursts of melody and plenty of space. It’s also music that’s taken her halfway across the world, with Erin playing shows everywhere from Nashville (her adopted hometown) to Switzerland.
Erin and company recorded their full-length debut, Soon Enough, during an inspired two days in west Nashville. The group played live, tracking their parts together to capture the spirit of their concerts. There was no studio wizardry, no click track, no digital enhancement. Instead, the album — which Erin co-produced with Michael Rinne, Rodney Crowell’s touring bassist — serves as a gorgeous, no-frills Polaroid of Erin Rae and Meanwhiles’ sound, a sound they’ve been sharpening ever since the release of the Crazy Talk EP in 2010
During the five years that separate CrazyTalk from Soon Enough, a lot of life was lived. Erin’s songs tackle all of it: the changes, challenges and celebrations that come with a life dedicated to art. There are songs that deal with mental illness. Songs that deal with the importance of staying present. Songs inspired by childhood, adulthood and all the lovers and co-conspirators you meet in between.
The present wouldn’t be possible without the past. Released in September 2015, Soon Enough bridges the gap between the two, taking its inspiration from both places. This is new music for old souls.
