A little blues, a little gypsy, a little soulâEmily has comfortably arrived at a musical place thatâs all her own.

13 MP3 Songs
BLUES: Acoustic Blues, ROCK: Roots Rock



Details:
Big lyrics and a sound to match. Emily Hurdâs creative and performance savvy is fresh, evocative, and bold. She cuts her songs from the stuff of life and then delivers them with strong vocals and vintage keys.

A little blues, a little gypsy, a little soulâEmily has comfortably arrived at a musical place thatâs all her own. She records mostly live on an old acoustic piano and likes the challenge of performance integrity in the recording studio.

Emily, a.k.a. âEmâ, started playing piano at age six in the outskirts of Rockford, IL. Since then, music has never left her side, following her from private instruction in the classics, to some pretty serious study at Northwestern University, out to the East Coast on a culinary stint, and all the way back to Chicago where she lives today.

Fueled by boundless creativity, Emily has a flourishing repertoire of original songs and a compelling stage presence. She is equally at home on a large stage with a full band or in a small venue with a piano with a mic.

Her first record, âLines,â was released in 2005 at Chicagoâs ELBO ROOM, and songs like âShadow,â âSangria,â and âWadeâ made it an impressive recording debut. Her second album "Potent One," was recorded in 2005 and released in spring 2006. From the defiance of the title track, to the swank and lustiness of âCherry Blossom,â to the punch of âThat and More,â the songs on this album exhibit Emilyâs wide musical range.

With some of her best songs yet, âThe Barefoot Sessionâ was written, recorded, and manufactured while âPotent Oneâ was off being wrapped up. One day in the studio with a little help from some talented friends, this is one not to be missed. âThe teetering-on-the-edge vibe of a live performanceâ says THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE.

In 2005 Emily performed at PRINTERS ROW FESTIVAL and GRANT PARKâS MANIFEST. Sheâs had a full 2006 festival resume, which began with a high-charged main stage performance at Chicago's FOLK AND ROOTS FESTIVAL. She joined Chicago band âBack Off The Hammerâ at the MIDWEST MUSIC SUMMIT in Indianapolis and had two shows at Chicagoâs AROUND THE COYOTE FESTIVAL. In October Emily heads off to Atlanta to play at the ATLANTIS MUSIC CONFERENCE & FESTIVAL.

Her performance resume also includes THE SUBTERRANEAN, THE OLD TOWN SCHOOL OF FOLK MUSIC, HI-TOPS BAR, DAVENPORTâS PIANO BAR, and a variety of smaller venues. More recently Emily's music has taken to the air waves via WLUW 88.7, FEARLESS RADIO, LAST.FM, BLUES RADIO ARIA FRANCE, RADIO COUTEAUX FRANCE, and RADIO HOLSTEBRO DENMARK.

Emily is especially stoked to be opening this fall for internationally acclaimed blues singer BETTYE LAVETTE at THE OLD TOWN SCHOOL OF FOLK MUSIC.

Emily lists her influences as Kris Kristofferson, Django Reinhardt, Etta James, Dusty Springfield, Scott Joplin, Joe Cocker, and Hoagie Carmichael. She draws musical courage from their individuality and it fortifies her own individual soundscape.

Her ambition is to make a living by making music. She wants to share her creative and performance talents with appreciative listeners and also with aspiring musicians through her own company, BLUE OAK BLUES.