- Desiderata- Author Unknown
BIOGRAPHY 1997 - erayna
erayna is a poet, a philosopher, and a folksinger/songwriter with an impressive portfolio of original music.
Her repertoire includes Folk, Blues, and
Country. "erayna... Searching for Eden", is her first album. It
will not be her last. Marriages =4, Children = 4, Grandchildren = 10 and counting. erayna is no 'new kid on the block. As an outspoken young woman, she began performing during the Civil Rights movement of the 'sixties'. Now after a 30 year hiatus (spent finding herself), she is back on the music scene playing to coffee house and concert audiences and steadily gathering a faithful following. Turning her life experiences into vividly imaged lyrics and catchy melodies, she says of herself: " If its a road with twists, turns and distracting side roads, I've probably been down it. If its a ladder, precariously situated, I've probably walked under it. I've been there, done that, seen things and heard things that have had a profound effect on me. Things I believe common to all human
beings regardless of national or ethnic origin. In my songs I try to share my experiences. Maybe there's a message in them for someone, even if it's just to reaffirm that underneath all of our supposed differences,
we are all the same."
Onstage performances with master guitarist and backup vocalist John-Michael Kaye (a great song writer in his own right), have received critiques of 'riveting, and memorable.' erayna's low husky, tobacco
& booze voice suits her music's content well. Her song lyrics, while appearing simple, are in actuality, deep-seated studies into the human condition. Whether its about an individual or a group of individuals,
her prolific song writing insight is phenomenal.
John & erayna consider themselves ' just a couple of mutts' (John's description). . Between the two of them they can trace their bloodlines across 4 continents and through 6 ethnic groups. African American,
Native American (Blackfoot & Cherokee), German, Polish and Japanese. The music that results looks at the world through the windows of that multicultural experience.
During the past few years erayna and John have performed for NAS ( the National Academy of Songwriters), BODS ( Luna Park's Bunch o' Damned Songwriters), Brian May's Malibu Folk Radio Program, and at numerous
Coffee Houses and Festivals around Southern California. Plans for a mini tour up the West Coast is in the works for late 1997 as are plans for production of her second album.
NOTE: For 5 years during the '70s and early '80s, erayna was producer and 'on air' radio personality of her own radio talk show "Starshine." Using her extensive knowledge of Astrology and Metaphysical lore, she
offered on-the-air counseling and entertainment to her listeners. One of the many newspaper articles written about her during that time, depicted her as the 'Official' Astrological counselor for the Pittsburgh Steelers football organization. A title which had some small basis in truth. During that same time period, erayna taught classes in Astrology, Guided Meditation, Color Healing and Psychic Development for the New Age Institute of Metaphysical Research in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and provided counseling sessions for private clients on a weekly basis.