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about Erin

Erin Lunsford is an award-winning singer/songwriter from Fincastle, VA, and based in Richmond, VA. In 2024, Lunsford was a semi-finalist in the Songwriters Guild of America Country Song Contest for her song “Rhinestones.” Her compositions include self-styled guitar, banjo, and keyboard melodies. She is best known as the frontwoman, lead vocalist, and lyricist of the touring indie-pop/soul band Erin & The Wildfire. Her vocals have been described as soulful, expressive, and powerful, and her effortless versatility has been compared to Chris Stapleton, Eva Cassidy, and Susan Tedeschi.

On her new single, "Watch Out For Deer" (set for release on 6/20/25), Lunsford shares a bittersweet story about the Southern farewell, “be safe and watch out for deer,” while crooning about the comfort of returning home and the pain of driving away. She paints a nostalgic picture of tearful nighttime drives from her home place, accompanied by a soaring vocal melody and a sparkling clawhammer banjo. “Watch Out For Deer” is the first of many tracks to be released in 2025, culminating in the release of Lunsford’s second full-length album in the fall.

The follow-up to 2020’s "The Damsel," Lunsford’s new album features the nostalgia of sweet tea and front porch rocking chairs alongside the present-day experience of a young woman living in 2025 America. Drawing inspiration from Dolly Parton, Kacey Musgraves, and Gillian Welch, Lunsford writes of her belief in equality for all, career milestones, unresolved heartbreaks, and family roots. She incorporates family traditions into her new album through the artwork and lyrics, which feature cross-stitch, embroidery, and crochet designs. The Southwest Virginia-raised musician’s second full-length album blends these stories into an interwoven form of folk and Americana, spun together by her clever lyricism and expressive guitar and banjo playing.

NPR Music has featured three of Lunsford’s Tiny Desk Entries, praising her “impressive, expressive voice and some serious guitar chops” in one entry, and her “mesmerizing voice and fantastic vocal technique” in another. Rolling Stone Country named Lunsford one of the "10 Best Things We Saw at FloydFest 2019." Her most recent album, "The Damsel," premiered exclusively in American Songwriter in 2020, and in 2022, Style Weekly wrote a feature on Erin & The Wildfire's latest album, "Touchy Feely," describing her vocal versatility as “a voice that can go anywhere and do anything.” She was an Artist At Large and the lead vocalist in Roosterwalk's 2023 House Band. Lunsford’s original song "Rhinestones" was a semi-finalist for the 2024 Songwriters Guild of America Country Award.

Erin & The Wildfire has performed at high-profile festivals, including Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion, FloydFest, and Hulaween, as well as NPR’s Mountain Stage. They have provided direct support for Sammy Rae & The Friends, Butcher Brown, and The Dip. Lunsford has opened for Maggie Rose,Begonia, Bruce Hornsby, Darrell Scott, Carbon Leaf, and more, and has performed with Keller Williams, Leftover Salmon, and the Grammy-award-winning newgrass band The Infamous Stringdusters.


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Erin Lunsford

Erin & The Wildfire

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unreleased tunes

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The Damsel (2020)

After nearly eight years in the making, Erin’s first full-length solo album The Damsel takes a deep dive into unrequited love, family forgiveness and coming-of-age in your 20s. Lunsford’s love for personal storytelling shines through her captivating lyrics and unforgettably dynamic vocals. The ironic title of the album, The Damsel, is inspired by Lunsford’s personal growth and resolve to be a fierce friend, sister, daughter, activist and woman.

“This album feels like a necessary nod to my musical upbringings and a simultaneous look forward to my next creative project,” elaborates Lunsford, “I have been writing music for my solo project for years before Erin & The Wildfire came along, but have not given my solo project the same kind of attention [as the Wildfire]. My bluegrass and Americana roots are hard to turn away from, so I decided to lean into it a little more.”

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“The Damsel”: A Visual Album

“The Damsel”: A Visual Album is a digital exhibition that began with an idea to support the visual arts community during the COVID-19 pandemic. This project subsequently turned into a collaboration that not only benefitted the artists involved but the Richmond arts community at large through a partnership with CultureWorks Richmond. It is a visual exploration of “The Damsel,” a deep dive into unrequited love, family forgiveness, and coming-of-age in your 20s with an ironic title inspired by Erin’s personal growth and resolve to be a fierce friend, sister, daughter, activist, woman..

Each artist has chosen one song off the album and has created a new piece around the themes of that song. This diverse group of artists includes painters, photographers, illustrators, sculptors, and more all from Virginia. The ironic title of the album, “The Damsel,” is inspired by Erin’s personal growth and resolve to be a fierce friend, sister, daughter, activist, woman.

To continue supporting the artists, you can PAY ADMISSION to view this gallery! Admission donations will be sent to the artists and CultureWorks Richmond.


“The Damsel”

by: Jessica Camilli

oil on canvas

“27 Summers Down”

by: Molly Dvorak

acrylic and marker on recycled wood

“Undone”

by: Angela Corpuz

star book created with paper cutouts, cyanotypes, and sewn binding

“Hatching of Romance:

by: Christina Swanson

digital

“Goodbye To Greenbank”

by: Madison Hall

ink, colored digitally

“How Many Birds”

by: Lily Erb

photograph of sculpture

“The Wolf”

by: Jessica Camilli

oil on canvas

“Don’t Leave Me In The Dark”

by: Maggie Graff (Ignited Creative)

digital collage

“Wherever You Are”

by: Jerred Fykes

illustration and digital

“Yellow House Blues”

by: Emily Herr

gouache

“Neighbor’s Eye”

by: Alexa Taveras

digital illustration

“Virginia Brother”

by: Alfonso Perez Acosta

illustration

“Whatever U Like”

by: Brent McCormick

digital collage

“Just A Ghost”

by: Carson McNamara

digital illustration