About

Erin Cole-Baker got an early start in music, learning multiple instruments surrounded by a music loving family and growing up in beach-filled rural Northland of New Zealand.    Erin's timeless, stunning talent and songcraft explore the depth of being human through her intimate lyrics, rich velvety voice, guitar and an engaging sense of melody. 

Cole-Baker was enticed to the American West, and the lure of folk festivals and music scene in the USA in her early 20’s. She and her husband found their way to Sisters Folk Festival, and on a whim decided to settle in Bend.  Cole-Baker established herself as “one of the more constant and compelling voices on the Central Oregon music scene” (GO! Magazine) and called Oregon home for six years in which she won over the local scene as one half of folk duo The Erins. The Erins parted ways as Cole-Baker returned home to New Zealand to raise a family and Erin Zurflu to pursue study in medicine.

Erins most recent Full length album “Till the Feelings Right” was recorded over a few long weekends in 2018 with a band of friends live to tape at Anzac Rd Studios in Whangarei New Zealand - “a hothouse flower of a recording” (NZ Musician Magazine) of “well-crafted songs” (Off the Tracks).  Cole-Baker was funded by Outward Sound (NZ) to attend the International Folk Alliance Conference in Kansas City, toured through California, Oregon and Washington and was the Breedlove artist for Sisters Folk Festival in 2018.

In 2019 Erin and her family moved to the USA, bought an RV and toured the Northwest playing music at Festivals, venues and house concerts to connect with a larger community, before settling back in Bend at the start of 2020.

Over the course of her career Erin released The Year of Hello and Goodbye (2007) as The Erins, four solo albums (Songs for Roy 2005, Talon and Spur 2009, Big Sky 2011 and Till the Feelings Right in 2018), and more recently three self produced singles born out of gathering gear and learning to record at home during the pandemic Late Summer 2021, I didn’t want to take your things (2022), The Darkest (2022) and Hide The Key (2023) which weaves a gorgeous bed of vocal harmony, warm electric and acoustic guitars.

Laying on the floor in the dark - volume cranked, listening to the details of Time (The Revelator) by Gillian Welch song inspired Cole-Bakers early songwriting, so it is fitting that her first release of a cover song be Everything is free (coming March 8th) off this album.

Live, Erin weaves both acoustic and electric guitar - morphing her more folk-like sound into new territory with warm reverby jazzmaster, exploring pedals, and live loops to create luscious textures for her vocals.

Erin Cole-Baker and Zurflu are playing again as The Erins, with Cole-Bakers new songs featuring reverby-jazzmaster guitar paired with Erin Zurflu's sister-like harmonies, acoustic guitar, violin and bass making for a close-your-eyes dreamsound.

Notable past performances: Opened for Humbird 2023, Treefort Fest 2022, Opened for Joseph at Munch n Music 2021 & the Tower Theatre 2020, Auckland Folk Festival 2020, Opened for Sean Hayes at the Domino Room 2019, Anacortes Arts Festival 2019, Bend Summer Festival 2019, Fritter Fest (NZ) 2019, Sisters Folk Festival 2018 (as the Breedlove sponsored artist) 2011 (as Consider the Fox) 2009 (as The Erins), Funded by Outward Sound (NZ) to attend the International Folk Alliance in USA 2018, The Auckland Folk Festival 2012, The Tower Theatre (Bend OR) 2011, Les Schwab Amphitheatre Summer Sunday Concert Series (Bend OR) 2009