| Erik Della Penna | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | (1965-06-02) 2 June 1965 (age 59) |
| Genres | Americana, folk, musical theater, pop, rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, composer, lyricist, songwriter |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar, banjo, mandolin, lap steel, voice |
| Discography | Erik Della Penna at AllMusic |
| Years active | 1992-present |
| Website | erikdellapenna.com |
Erik Della Penna (born June 2, 1965) is an American musician, composer, and lyricist. He is known for co-composing the musical Dead Outlaw with David Yazbek, and for being the principal guitarist for pop singer Natalie Merchant. In 2024 he was nominated for three Drama Desk Awards, winning one, for Outstanding Lyrics.
Early life
Della Penna was born in The Bronx and grew up on Long Island, New York. He received a degree in Classical Guitar from the Mannes School of Music.
Career
In 1994, Della Penna began touring with the pop singer Joan Osborne on the Mercury Records label. Later, he toured and recorded with American singer-songwriter Natalie Merchant in support of several studio albums. During this time he also toured with folk singer Joan Baez and joined the international band Hazmat Modine as a guitarist and songwriter. Della Penna also has his own band called Kill Henry Sugar, a "metropolitan folk" duo with drummer Dean Sharenow.
In February 2024, his musical Dead Outlaw opened at the Minetta Lane Theatre. It became a New York Times critic's pick and earned eleven Drama Desk Award nominations, winning three.
Awards and Nominations
| Year | Nominated Work | Association | Category | Result | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Dead Outlaw | ||||
| Drama Desk | Outstanding Lyrics | Won | |||
| Drama Desk | Outstanding Music | Nominated | |||
| Drama Desk | Outstanding Orchestrations | Nominated | |||
| New York Drama Critics Circle | Best Musical | Won | |||
| Outer Critics Circle | Outstanding New Off-Broadway Musical | Won | |||
| Outer Critics Circle | Outstanding Score | Nominated | |||
| Outer Critics Circle | Outstanding Orchestrations | Nominated |
Composer Credits
Theater and Film
| Year | Title | Credit | Category | Producer | ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Toby and the Big Top | Composer, Lyricist | Children's musical | Walden Media | |
| 2015 | Kitty Hawk | Composer, Lyricist | Children's musical | Adrienne Arsht Center | |
| 2015 | Tree Man | Composer | Film score | Jon Reiner, Brad Rothschild | |
| 2023 | Dead Outlaw | Co-composer, Co-lyricist | Musical | Audible |
Recorded Music
| Year | Title | Artist | Credit | ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Righteous Love | Joan Osborne | Guitars, Composer | |
| 2001 | Damascus | David Yazbek | Guitar (Electric), Lap Steel Guitar, Composer | |
| 2001 | Popular Music for Today's Active Lifestyles | Kill Henry Sugar | Guitars, Vocals, Composer |
|
| 2003 | Sell This Place | Kill Henry Sugar | Guitars, Vocals, Composer | |
| 2004 | Love Beach | Kill Henry Sugar | Guitars, Vocals, Composer | |
| 2007 | Swing Back and Down | Kill Henry Sugar | Guitars, Vocals, Composer | |
| 2008 | Evil Monkey Man | David Yazbek | Composer, Guitars | |
| 2009 | Hot Messiah | Kill Henry Sugar | Guitars, Vocals, Composer | |
| 2011 | Cicada | Hazmat Modine | Guitar, Vocals, Composer | |
| 2016 | Extra-Deluxe-Supreme | Hazmat Modine | Composer, Guitars, Vocals | |
| 2020 | An Evening in New York | Rachelle Garnier & Erik Della Penna | Composer, Guitar, Banjo, Vocals | |
| 2020 | Box of Breath | Hazmat Modine | Banjo, Composer, Guitar, Vocals | |
| 2020 | The Mojo Manifesto | Mojo Nixon | Composer | |
| 2021 | Rainy | Erik Della Penna | Composer, vocals, instrumentation | |
| 2023 | Bonfire | Hazmat Modine | Vocals, Guitars, Composer | |
| 2023 | Stop Time | Kill Henry Sugar | Vocals, Composer, Guitars |
Other Credits
| Year | Title | Artist | Credit | ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Chocolate Supa Highway | Spearhead | Guitar | |
| 1999 | Tears of Stone | The Chieftains | Guitar | |
| 2001 | Motherland (2001) | Natalie Merchant | Banjo, Bazouki, Guitar (Classical), Guitar (Electric), Lap Steel Guitar, Oud | |
| 2003 | The House Carpenter's Daughter | Natalie Merchant | Guitar, Lap Steel Guitar | |
| 2003 | Seeds: The Songs of Pete Seeger, Vol. 3 | Pete Seeger | Guitar | |
| 2005 | Bowery Songs | Joan Baez | Banjo, Guitar, Lap Steel Guitar, Vocals | |
| 2009 | 3 Balloons | Stephen Lynch | Guitar | |
| 2009 | Saints and Tzadiks | Susan McKeown | Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Humming, Tres | |
| 2010 | Leave Your Sleep | Natalie Merchant | Guitar | |
| 2014 | Natalie Merchant | Natalie Merchant | Guitar (Acoustic), Guitar (Electric), Lap Steel Guitar | |
| 2021 | I'll Meet You Here | Dar Williams | Guitar (Electric) | |
| 2023 | Keep Your Courage | Natalie Merchant | Guitar (12 String Acoustic), Guitar (Electric) |
References
- ^ Bahr, Sarah (March 20, 2024). "'Dead Outlaw,' a Mummy Musical, Is So Strange It Can Only Be True". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 22, 2024.
- "Natalie Merchant (2014)".
- ^ Vellucci, Justin (November 13, 2018). "The "Antique-Garde" Songwriters Of New York City". American Songwriter.
- Russo, Gilllian (June 10, 2024). "2024 Drama Desk Award winners announced". New York Theater Guide.
- Smullen, Sharon (April 13, 2023). "At Spencertown Academy, Rachelle Garniez and Erik Della Penna to play old and new music of New York City". The Berkshire Eagle. Archived from the original on September 23, 2024.
- Joyce, Mike (July 3, 2003). "KILL HENRY SUGAR "Sell This ..." The Washington Post. Archived from the original on September 23, 2024.
- Collins-Hughes, Laura (March 11, 2024). "'Dead Outlaw' Review: Not Much of a Bandit, but What a Corpse". The New York Times.
- Cullwell-Block, Logan (June 10, 2024). "Stereophonic Leads 2024 Drama Desk Awards With 7 Wins Including Outstanding PlayStereophonic Leads 2024 Drama Desk Awards With 7 Wins Including Outstanding Play". Playbill.
- "2024 WINNERS". 2024 Drama Desk Awards.
- ^ Rosky, Nicole. "2024 Drama Desk Awards Nominations- The Full List!". BroadwayWorld.com.
- Miller, Deb (May 14, 2024). "Winners of the 2024 New York Drama Critics' Circle Awards". DC Theater Arts.
- Miller, Deb (May 13, 2024). "Winners of the 2024 Outer Critics Circle Awards for Broadway and Off-Broadway". DC Theater Arts.
- ^ Eckmann, Sam (April 23, 2024). "2024 Outer Critics Circle nominations: 'Stereophonic' and 'Suffs' receive an end-season boost". GoldDerby.
- "Toby and the Big Top". Cast Albums.
- "Kitty Hawk returns to the Arsht Center for its third season". Biscayne Bay Tribune. October 10, 2019.
- "Erik Della Penna | Composer, Actor, Music Department". IMDb. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
- "Joan Osborne-Righteous Love". Discogs.
- "Damascus-David Yazbek". ALLMUSIC.
- "Kill Henry Sugar-Popular Music". Discogs.
- "Kill Henry Sugar - Sell This Place". The Washington Post. July 3, 2003.
- "Kill Henry Sugar-Love Beach". Discogs.
- "Swing Back and Down-Kill Henry Sugar". ALLMUSIC.
- "Evil Monkey Man-David Yazbek". ALLMUSIC.
- "Cicada-Hazmat Modine". ALLMUSIC.
- "Extra-Deluxe-Supreme-Hazmat Modine". ALLMUSIC.
- "Box of Breath-Hazmat Modine". ALLMUSIC.
- "The Mojo Manifesto-Mojo Nixon". ALLMUSIC.
- "Erik Della Penna: Rainy EP (Album Review)". www.popmatters.com. July 13, 2021. Retrieved January 22, 2025.
- "Hazmat Modine-Bonfire". Discogs.
- "Chocolate Supa Highway-Spearhead". ALLMUSIC.
- "The Chieftains-Tears of Stone". Discogs.
- "Motherland-Natalie Merchant". ALLMUSIC.
- "The House Carpenter's Daughter-Natalie Merchant". ALLMUSIC.
- "Seeds: The Seeds of Pete Seeger". ALLMUSIC.
- "Bowery Songs-Joan Baez". ALLMUSIC.
- "3 Balloons-Stephen Lynch". ALLMUSIC.
- "Saints and Tzadiks-Susan McKeown". ALLMUSIC.
- "Leave Your Sleep-Natalie Merchant". ALLMUSIC.
- "Natalie Merchant-Natalie Merchant". ALLMUSIC.
- "Dar Williams-I'll Meet You Here". Discogs.
- "Keep Your Courage-Natalie Merchant". ALLMUSIC.