Alum

Erin Chase

Assistant Professor

Affiliated Departments

617-747-8905

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A roots crooner with a feminist rock edge, Erin Bonnie is an Americana folk-rock mama and fiddle player with style and presence to boot. With a rural Western background in American roots music traditions, she brings a vintage appeal and welcoming ease to her modern East Coast approach to songwriting.

With two albums under her oft-buckled belt, she blends elements of singer-songwriter, blues, folk, country, and rock. Her songs will take you through an ever-changing landscape of fiddle strings, funky rhythms, and belted melodies paired with storytelling lyrics that undulate and pulse with larger ultimate truths.

When she's not at home brewing single-origin coffees one glorious cup at a time, playing Dungeons and Dragons with her best-forever ladies, or at work professing songwriting tools and techniques to the next generation of artists coming out of Berklee, you can catch her headlining shows from Cambridge to Connecticut, or as a supporting musician for Boston country diva Elisa Smith.

Her career highlights include a nomination for Best in State (Massachusetts) at the 2021 New England Music Awards, an honorable mention in American Songwriter's lyric-writing competition for her song "Drunk on Love," and a placement for her song "Love Was Meant to Burn" on CBS's The Young and the Restless.

Courses Taught (5)

Songwriting Foundations

SW-110

Songwriting 2

SW-212

Lyric Writing 2

SW-222

Survey and Application of Popular Song Styles

SW-241

Directed Study in Songwriting

SW-398

Career Highlights

Performer, bandleader, songwriter, and manager of Erin Bonnie Music
Songwriter and lead vocalist of the EP Ain't Enough Bourbon
Fiddle player and background vocalist of Elisa Smith and the Tiny Little Lies on the Hitch a Ride and Verne's Little Lie EPs

Awards

Nominated for Best in State (Massachusetts), 2021 New England Music Awards
Honorable mention in the January/February 2018 American Songwriter songwriting contest for the original song "Drunk on Love"

Education

School Name

Berklee College of Music

State or Province

Massachusetts

Degree

Professional Diploma

Field of Study

Songwriting

Date Degree Received

2014
School Name

The University of Montana

State or Province

Montana

Degree

Bachelor of Science (B.S.)

Field of Study

Natural Resources Conservation

Date Degree Received

2010

In Their Own Words

I want my students to feel empowered to explore their creativity with bravery, to push outside of their comfort zones in order to grow, and be able to create for themselves a long-term sustainable craft with intention, and therefore emotion, behind it. It's not just about what you say in a song but how you say it that's important! I'm a performing singer-songwriter with recording, cowriting, marketing, fundraising, and sync-placement experience, so I bring a practical skill set to the classroom for students wondering not just how to write but also how to present their work to the world.