Biography
Seattle-based ensemble Erwilian fused acoustic new age textures with Celtic and global music influences, achieving regional popularity through the late 2000s and into the early 2010s via two self-released studio albums plus one live recording. International notice arrived for the multi-instrumental group in 2015 after joining new age artists Ricky Kej & Wouter Kellerman on the Grammy-winning Winds of Samsara. That visibility propelled Erwilian’s 2019 EP to the top of Billboard’s New Age chart.
High school English teacher Scott Melton on guitar launched the project in 2000 by teaming with student Jordan Buetow on recorder and woodwinds. Additional acoustic musicians were gradually enlisted, leading the expanding lineup to perform at school events for a couple of years under the name Wood, Wind, and Wire. Following the departure of several graduating students, Melton and Buetow sustained the endeavor with outside contributors that included Melton’s wife Bethel Melton on hammered dulcimer plus friends Robert Schuweiler on mandolin and Scott Milliron on guitar. The project adopted the Erwilian name in 2004 and issued its debut independent album, Renovata, the following year. The purely instrumental acoustic sound drew on folk, classical, and the non-electronic wing of new age music. Growth continued as percussionist Jeff Reed and guitarist Bill Bowser entered the fold. The ensemble staged its first holiday concert in 2007, an event that evolved into an annual tradition and yielded the live album Midwinter’s Night in 2009.
While maintaining a steady schedule of Pacific Northwest performances, Erwilian kept writing original pieces and delivered its second studio effort, Light from Darkness, in 2012. The roster expanded further with the addition of multi-instrumentalists Malcom Lee on bass and guitar plus Matt Garcia on harp, bass, and guitar. After percussionist Reed’s death from cancer in 2014, the band experienced further turnover when Bowser exited and John Hintze and Keely Rendle came aboard on percussion and violin. During this period Erwilian worked with international composers Ricky Kej and Wouter Kellerman on the latter duo’s Winds of Samsara, which captured the Grammy Award for Best New Age Album in 2015. Subsequent joint projects included another appearance with Kellerman on his Grammy-nominated 2016 album Love Language and a contribution to Canadian artist Charlie Hope’s children’s record Songs for Little Ones. The resulting profile proved advantageous when the independently released Advent EP entered the Billboard New Age chart at number one and the Independent Albums chart at number 26 in September 2019.
High school English teacher Scott Melton on guitar launched the project in 2000 by teaming with student Jordan Buetow on recorder and woodwinds. Additional acoustic musicians were gradually enlisted, leading the expanding lineup to perform at school events for a couple of years under the name Wood, Wind, and Wire. Following the departure of several graduating students, Melton and Buetow sustained the endeavor with outside contributors that included Melton’s wife Bethel Melton on hammered dulcimer plus friends Robert Schuweiler on mandolin and Scott Milliron on guitar. The project adopted the Erwilian name in 2004 and issued its debut independent album, Renovata, the following year. The purely instrumental acoustic sound drew on folk, classical, and the non-electronic wing of new age music. Growth continued as percussionist Jeff Reed and guitarist Bill Bowser entered the fold. The ensemble staged its first holiday concert in 2007, an event that evolved into an annual tradition and yielded the live album Midwinter’s Night in 2009.
While maintaining a steady schedule of Pacific Northwest performances, Erwilian kept writing original pieces and delivered its second studio effort, Light from Darkness, in 2012. The roster expanded further with the addition of multi-instrumentalists Malcom Lee on bass and guitar plus Matt Garcia on harp, bass, and guitar. After percussionist Reed’s death from cancer in 2014, the band experienced further turnover when Bowser exited and John Hintze and Keely Rendle came aboard on percussion and violin. During this period Erwilian worked with international composers Ricky Kej and Wouter Kellerman on the latter duo’s Winds of Samsara, which captured the Grammy Award for Best New Age Album in 2015. Subsequent joint projects included another appearance with Kellerman on his Grammy-nominated 2016 album Love Language and a contribution to Canadian artist Charlie Hope’s children’s record Songs for Little Ones. The resulting profile proved advantageous when the independently released Advent EP entered the Billboard New Age chart at number one and the Independent Albums chart at number 26 in September 2019.
Albums
Live
