Erica Bisbey is singer, songwriter and pianist. Her new work is calming. It’s music you listen to when you want to relax or regulate. It’s mood changing music in a great way. So, I was surprised to learn that Erica also plays with the rock band Rebel Queens! You can see her playing
Please tell me about yourself and your music.
I started playing piano when I was 5 and started writing music when I was 12. I started my first band in 8th grade with my two friends. We called ourselves The Crazy Antics and played Sister Hazel at the school talent show. That’s when I first fell in love with playing rock and pop in bands. I’ve had multiple original projects and I’ve also performed as a working musician playing in wedding bands and on cruise ships. My main instrument is piano but I also adore singing and have gotten more into it over the years. In the last year I’ve started playing a lot of solo shows at restaurants and wine bars, which has been a blast. I also work as an ESL teacher, teaching English as a Second Language to adults.
My original music is piano and vocal-driven, somewhere between singer-songwriter and pop. The lyrics are often based on relationships, but they can also feature themes of self-discovery and philosophical meanderings related to time and reality. In the past I’ve recorded tracks with a band, but this time I’m recording almost everything myself and hiring friends to record bass and drums. I’m hoping to pull a band together in the near future to play these tunes live.
I love the melding of Spanish and American vibes through It’s Not Turning Out How I Thought. (I lived in Catalonia for a year; the song bring me back.) What was the influence and why for this song?
Catalonia is beautiful! I lived in Valencia for three years, so very nearby. This song is based on a Spanish folk song I sang with my Italian friend’s singing group at a leftist organization in downtown Valencia. The song has a clapping pattern that’s supposed to mimic bakers kneading bread. I really liked the chord progression so I went home and started writing this song. The lyrics have a bit to do with me pondering my reasons for moving to and staying in Spain at the time.
The piano in This Time is moving and familiar in a comfortable way. As a pianist and songwriter, how do you start a new song? With the lyrics? Plucking away on the piano? Or something entirely.
I keep a collection of notebooks where I write lyrics in a totally random sequence, mostly as a form of journaling at the end of the day. I write music when I’m feeling inspired (like after watching a great movie or after an emotional conversation) and then flip through my lyric notebooks and riff off the lines I came up with weeks or months prior. A lot of times the music just comes to me, though sometimes I’m inspired by a specific song or artist. I believe writing music is mostly about listening and not filtering. The music is out in the universe or in my head already, it’s just about getting it down.
Your solo music is so calming and smooth, quite a contrast to your other work as a Rebel Queen. How do you approach each role?
They’re totally different projects. I play keytar in Rebel Queens and I’m the most recent member. We’re an all-female rock band based in Minneapolis, though we do shows all over the midwest. I love getting to jump around on stage and headbang. I especially enjoy the other awesome women in the band. Plus, after spending years as a band leader, it’s sooo nice to just be a member and show up to gigs rather than do all the booking and admin work.
I’m still feeling out the solo project. I have a backlog of songs I want to record, either as singles or maybe as an album. As I continue to get songs out into the world, I imagine the overall sound and vibe of the project will take shape organically.
Where can folks see you play?
You can check out my website ericabisbey.com for show dates. I play consistently at Brianno’s Charthouse in Lakeville, at the Redwood Room in Rochester, and at the Vine Room in Hopkins. I’m looking to add more regular venues and also play Music in the Parks again next year plus a bunch of other festivals.
