Erin's Solo Album: The Longing Years

Hi, my name is Erin Propp and I am releasing a solo album! You may know me from past and current musical projects (Juno-nominated duo Erin Propp & Larry Roy, recording vocals for Steve Bell, Mike Janzen, Phil Keaggy, Jon Gordon, Luke Sellick...). This GoFundMe is to raise funds to support the recording process of my new songs.

I am excited to be releasing music for the first time as a solo artist. With this project I am learning about being independent, flexing my decision-making muscles, and being as personal and risk-taking as an artist as I want to be. This new venture excites me, makes me think differently, and feels like riding a bike for the first time, or my first road trip without the folks to guide me! The songs and sounds are different from what I have written previously, and I think you will be drawn into it with me as the live shows continue.

The seed of this new work was sown in 2019, on a professional development trip to Los Angeles to meet a voice teacher; the esteemed Luciana Souza. Luciana gave me steep challenges to work on harmonically and vocally. So much of my work over the past five years has been a response to the echoes of her words. One of the many directives she gave me was: make your own work. Keep working with people you like to work with, but start something of your own to have the option of being independent.

And so began my process of developing piano skills, and solo song writing - while working on a duo album, gigging, teaching, and still raising my three kids (my youngest was only one at the time!).

In these new songs, you will find musical interpretations of poems and stories I have loved, and intimate writing of my own experiences in the past few years. At the heart of this music are personal expressions of years of longing as a sister, wife, artist, and mother. I have surprised even myself at the revealing nature of the songs. It's a little unsettling to read about yourself, penned by yourself, and find something you didn't know was there.

How you can help:

These days, the cost of an album easily exceeds $30,000. The reality of streaming platforms ensures that artists do not recoup the cost of recording, yet recorded material is still a necessary tool for a career in performing arts. While I am applying to provincial and national grants, a community effort is yet needed to cover costs.

What you donate will pay for the many expenses of recording. This includes: studio fees, artist fees, equipment rentals, album artwork, pressing CDs and vinyl, digital release, promotion, photography, transportation, creative process, engineering, producing, mixing, mastering, grant writing, demo recording...

Costs have already been incurred (rentals, grant writing, studio time, preliminary artwork, demo creation...), so donating now to have money in the bank as the work continues is helpful!

Patronage of the arts keeps art alive! Your donation makes a big difference! Thank you for your support in all ways - attending shows, sharing posts, encouraging words, and now in helping fund the creation of new work. Thank you from the bottom of my heart!

*See that album artwork? This preliminary album art is brought to you by Roberta Landreth!