Erica Joy plays her first high-profile show on Friday to celebrate the release of her debut record, a five-song EP called Erica Joy, Introduction.
3 reasons we're listening to Erica Joy this week:
1. Whether by accident or design, Joy is a mysterious figure. The artist from Springfield, Missouri, hasn't released much biographical information, which adds a layer of intrigue to her music.
2. She is, however, clearly in thrall of the English indie-rock trailblazer PJ Harvey, though her stunning voice makes her more than a mimic.
3. At Friday's show, she'll be accompanied by four other women: guitarists Britt Wild and Khitam Jabr, bassist Michelle Bacon and drummer Stephanie Williams.
Erica Joy, Friday, February 3 at RecordBar, 1520 Grand Boulevard, Kansas City, Missouri, 64108, 816-753-5207. Rachel Mallin & The Wild Type and Nathan Corsi open the show.
Bill Brownlee’s writing appears weekly in The Kansas City Star and Ink magazine. He blogs about Kansas City’s jazz scene at Plastic Sax.