Beautiful traditional ballads and haunting vocals intermingled with foot stomping jigs, reels and polkas, and modern British pop songs.
Calliope presented Berkeley-based folk group Erica & Friends in 2023, and they rocked the sold-out house - we are so happy to welcome them back to our beautiful Sanctuary!
The band brings audiences music from the UK and Ireland - beautiful traditional ballads intermingled with foot stomping jigs, reels and polkas, upbeat pub songs and modern British pop songs. They mingle the old with the new; seasoned players on exquisite folk instruments, powerful lead vocals and great harmonies. They are comfortable performing in a variety of venues—from intimate house concerts, pubs and wine bars, to festivals and outdoor winery settings—they love to tell universally human stories through music. They are a regular fixture at The Cheese Board in Berkeley and Riggers Loft Winery in Richmond and the Irish Music Festival in Fairfax.
Band Member Profiles
Erica Hockett - Vocals, Bodhrán: Erica grew up in Chipping Norton, in the English Cotswolds. She has been singing her whole life and has been involved in many bands and genres of music. Growing up singing in the local pubs, Erica came to love folk music from the UK and Ireland, especially the tales of woe and the history embedded in the old ballads. She also loves to bring UK songs from the 70s, 80s and 90s into the mix, reimagined in the folk style.
Chris Hammond - Guitar, Vocals: Chris' first musical love is Bluegrass and Appalachian music. He plays several acoustic guitars, including a beloved model made in the 1930s. Chris also shares his talents with people at senior centers around The Bay, encouraging participation and group singing and percussion for people with dementia. He loves to sing those high lonesome harmonies.
Anne Bingham Goess - Violin, Viola, Vocals: Anne is an accomplished musician and singer. She is the Associate Musical Director of the California Revels. An alumna of the Palo Alto Chamber Orchestra, Anne loves accompanying singers and fiddling for dancing (Irish, contra, and English Country). Her CD with Thomas Lindemuth, Letters from Abroad, features original compositions inspired by a year in Poland in 2011.
Jason Courtney - Bouzouki: Many years back, Jason threw himself into learning Irish session tunes on the bouzouki, and went on to play in The Elderberries until they disbanded in 2016. He's now a regular player at Bay Area sessions, a regular supporting musician for the Starry Plough's weekly ceili dance, and was happy to join Erica & Friends in 2018. He is also a member of the great Irish music group, Pigs In The Rigging.
Charlie Hancock - Accordion: Charlie has been playing accordion and piano for contra and English country dancers for the past 25 years, as well as for folk-based concert ensembles. In addition to Erica & Friends, he currently plays with French trio Bistro Moustache and Pogues tribute band The Bogues.
Tom Lindemuth - Vocals, Winds, Percussion: Family lore claims Tom sang before he talked. He draws inspiration from various traditional sources from Celtic to Dixieland, playing a gamut of wind instruments from pennywhistle to tuba. Tom performed with California Revels, and currently plays for the Bay Area English dance community. Tom enjoys composition, arranging, and music production.