She gots leggz.
Erica "Little Cuda" McKenna on Vocals
Birthplace & Background Born 'n raised in Miami, Florida. Seen the drastic cultural and environmental changes over my short 22 years of existence here; makes me sad and nostalgic. Childhood was great... many fond memories
Musical Influences
Big thanks to my whacky parents for exposing me to great music at a very young age. We were always jamming to the Beatles, Hendrix, Clapton, Creedence & Zeppelin at my house. Dad was a big influence. He's been playing bass guitar since the cave dwellers crafted the first one, made from the tusk & fur of the Wooly Mammoth. My vocal influences are extremely varied: Billy Joel was my first musical love at the age of 5; Enya, Michael Jackson, Axle Rose, Stevie Nicks, Steve Perry & Robert Plant. I much prefer music to conversation... and would sing instead of speak if it wouldn't make me look like a complete whack-job. Life is a musical
Musical Background
I took a passionate interest in singing at the tender age of "very young". Started songwriting probably at the age of 6 or 7 when I used to make up songs and tell my childhood best friend that Michael Jackson wrote them (Yes, she believed me). I passed the time by writing “humorous” songs about teachers in elementary, middle & high school (the cause of my frequent indoor and outdoor suspensions and angry looks from teaching staff). I trained vocally for about 3 years with the Miami Choral Society, under the instruction of Dr. Timothy Sharp. He was a drill sergeant, a complete mad-man & a musical genius all wrapped into one kick-ass package of a person. Needless to say, his teachings are ingrained in me for life. I started songwriting , seriously, during my Freshman year of high school when poems turned into melodies in my head. I would sing the songs for people... but didn't have anything to back them up. Consequently, I picked up the guitar towards the end of my Junior year of high school and BAM!!! That's when it all took off. I sang lead vocals for 3 rock cover-bands during high school, wrote a few songs & played a few shows with each one. I didn’t feel at home with any of them so eventually I took my own path. I stuck to my own songwriting for 4 years, while occasionally composing original vocals for a very talented HipHop group "Random Objects". We recorded a few tracks, did one great performance and went our separate ways. I’ve also performed my original material a few times at Miami-Dade Kendall campus and plan to perform there again in the future. Now I’m here with Metropolis (as of August of 2009) and hope to have found my musical home. Where I'm At Now
Besides songwriting and singing all the time, I work full-time as the "Director of First Impressions" or "receptionist" at a Bankruptcy law firm. I am very blessed to have a job that I love, love, love with great people :-)! I’m patiently saving up funds so I can get back into school for a degree in Forensic Psychiatry. I try to rock out as often as possible because the music keeps me sane. I’m happy to be a part of Metropolis. Performing with them has inspired me to advance musically and explore the depths of my vocal range. Not to mention, anyone who has attempted the band thing before can agree that it is tough to find musicians who will put the B.S. aside and just do it for the love of the music. Metropolis does exactly that... and that is why I know I have found where I belong.
What I'm Looking Forward To
Pursuing all of my creative endeavors with full force! Many more performances with Metropolis. Seeing what direction the music industry will take over the next few decades. Although there are plenty of original & creative musical souls out there, I feel that the industry is losing its backbone… and I hope we, as true-blooded musicians, can help save it.
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Little Cuda Photo Gallery Click To ENLARGE
They call her Little Cuda for a reason. 
The singing trance. 
Still in that music trance. 
Leather, a sign of toughness. Grrr. 
Subtle and elegant. 
She wasn't really sideways. 
This could be from the 1940s, a cool shot. 
Into the music. 
Hey, you're taking a picture of me. 
These microphones are known to fly away, hence the firm grip. 
Here comes the tambourine for the chorus. 
Lost in the music. She FEELS it! 
Sassing that microphone! 
Singing with true feeling. 
Kickin' that butt! 
Control of the microphone. 
Lost in the music again, riding on the wings of song. 
She sees it all. There's powerful brains in there! 
L.C. truly loves performing good music. 
L.C. ALWAYS feels the music. 
3/5ths of the band and grooving like a Harley! 
REALLY rythmic with percission instruments. 
One with with microphone. 
Little Hoolies has nice backdrops. 
Taken by the music. 
And the tambourine comes in right on time. She's good! 
Singing with FEELING. 
A genuine smile for the love of music. 
The Golden Voice engulfing the audience at Little Hoolie's. 
About to get SASSY. 
Where sho goes during certain songs... |
