“An irresistible songstress, owing more to Joni Mitchell than Nina Simone, Erica has the kind of voice that you wish could be there to tuck you in each night – until you realize, that is, that the words coming out of her mouth tell stories that start with teeth biting into your flesh. Enter at your own peril, but make sure to enter.”
“an extremely promising singer-songwriter ... Bramham has a warm, appealing voice and a sense of melody that draws the listener into her lyrics and the sound world conjured by the band.”
Poetic, inventive and uniquely personal, Erica Bramham is a vocalist, guitarist and composer from Melbourne, Australia. Part singer-songwriter, part improvising poet, she uses her songs as canvasses for lyrical ideas that evoke the senses and draw the listener through vivid narratives that are equal parts observation and imagination.
In 2016 Bramham released her debut album, Twelve Moons, a song cycle that blurred the boundaries between folk and improvised music and featured award-winning musicians Nathan Liow, Adam Spiegl and Justin Olsson. The album was named as one of the top ten releases of the year on All About Jazz, with critic Phil Barnes calling it "a fine record of forward looking modern vocal jazz that shows a way to make interesting, lyrically inventive improvised music” and signalling Bramham as a talent to watch.
In January 2017 Erica embarked on The Song-Chain Project, a year-long creative mission to compose, record and share a new piece of music every day for 365 days. The project is a chance to explore the depths of creativity and the challenges that can hinder it, and is a unique insight into the creative process at work.
Along with guitarist / bassist Adam Spiegl, Erica is one half of folk-noir duo Bitter Almond, performing on guitar, mandolin and loop pedals in addition to singing and composing. The duo’s music skates the borders of folk, jazz and experimental pop, showcasing original music and arrangements of traditional folk songs. They are currently working on material for their debut EP, due for release in 2017.
In addition to performing original material, Bramham’s quartet launched In Our Own Words, a collaborative project that explores the music of some of the 20th century’s greatest songwriters. The first two instalments of the project, featuring their unique arrangements of Leonard Cohen and Joni Mitchell’s songs, opened to sell-out crowds at Melbourne’s Paris Cat Jazz Club, and the quartet are currently working on a third show.
In addition to her performance career, Bramham is Director of Bright Young Music, a boutique wedding and corporate entertainment agency based in Melbourne. She is also a passionate teacher and maintains a healthy teaching practice, tutoring students privately in voice, guitar, ukulele, music theory and songwriting.