Alum

Erin Chase

Position
Assistant Professor
Affiliated Departments
Telephone
617-747-8905

For media inquiries, please contact Media Relations

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.

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
  • School Name
    The University of Montana
    State or Province
    Montana
    Degree
    Bachelor of Science (BS)
    Field of Study
    Natural Resources Conservation
    Date Degree Received
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.