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GREAT WILLOW - "THE NEW SOUND OF THE WEST COAST" Americana UK

Blending the spirit of Laurel Canyon songwriting with a modern cinematic sensibility, award-winning harmony duo Great Willow create music that feels both timeless and unmistakably contemporary. Guitarist James Combs and cellist Erin Hawkins craft richly layered Americana built on luminous vocal harmony, evocative storytelling, and adventurous arrangements that bridge folk, chamber-pop, and West Coast rock traditions.

Their debut album Find Yourself In Los Angeles was hailed by No Depression as “an incredible addition to any Americana library,” praising the duo’s “perfectly combined voices” — “the stuff legends are made of.” The release earned Great Willow Best Americana Group at the LA Music Critic Awards and established the pair as rising voices in the Southern California roots scene.

While comparisons have been drawn to classic harmony-driven artists of past and present (Plant/Krause, Buffalo Springfield, Big Star), Great Willow ultimately occupy their own sonic space — intimate yet expansive, nostalgic yet forward-looking. Their songs trace parallel journeys from the forests and rivers of Indiana (Combs) and Utah (Hawkins) to the pleasures and shocks of city life in Los Angeles.

Their sets explore deeply human terrain: fractured family ties, complicated love, wandering highways, enduring partnerships, and a profound connection to nature. Live performances move effortlessly from hushed, transportive moments to full-throated Americana energy, surprising audiences with unexpected turns — including barn-burning Loretta Lynn covers alongside poetic originals. The result is a show defined by warmth, musical chemistry, and a palpable connection with listeners.

Longtime collaborators and prolific writers, Erin and James are fixtures of the Southern California Americana scene, equally at home in theaters, festivals, house concerts, wineries, and songwriter series. They have shared stages with Jackson Browne, Tenacious D, Van Dyke Parks, and actor John C. Reilly, and appeared alongside members of legendary groups such as The Doors, The Monkees, and The Mamas and The Papas.

James and Erin’s ongoing recording relationship with Grammy-winning producer and guitarist John Would (Fiona Apple) has yielded a full length album as well as a steady stream of singles. The band also released a collaborative single with California psychedelic country legends I See Hawks In LA called “Radio Keeps Me On The Ground” that MOJO journalist Michael Simmons called “a powerful dose of communal hippie optimism.”

In the spring of 2025, the duo recorded a ten song live-in-studio sessions with producer Fernando Perdomo (Echo In The Canyon) slated for 2026 release.  

You might have heard their songs on LA’s 88.5 FM The SOCAL SOUND or featured as a “Today’s Top Tune” on KCRW or in TV shows like True Blood, Walker and Shameless. One thing folks who hear the band live seem to agree on: they have a special warmth and musical chemistry that leaves audiences spellbound. Lots of audible “wows.”

In their other lives, James is a board member for the annual FAR-West conference, curator of the monthly FAR-West Presents performance series and a music supervisor for film and TV. He also co-wrote an end title punk duet for the HBO series True Blood sung by the legendary Iggy Pop and Best Coast’s Bethany Cosentino. A woman of many talents, Erin is a dynamic performing artist and session musician, a ceramic artist, and an in-demand visual artist who has painted beautiful interior surfaces and murals for pop stars like Rhianna, The Weeknd, and John Legend.

KIND WORDS

"I'm stupid-obsessed with LA-based harmony duo Great Willow. They are hands-down one of my absolute favorite music projects, so I try not to fan girl too much..the musical chemistry and creative songwriting between guitarist James Combs and cellist Erin Hawkins blends into a captivatingly rootsy, gritty sound that feels like an Americana melting-pot of my favorite music elements – hipster college radio, honest Midwest folk, bone-dry desert noir, and top-notch polished musicianship." ARIELLE SILVER, FORMER PRESIDENT FAR-WEST MUSIC CONFERENCE, ARTIST

“The perfectly combined voices of James Combs and Erin Hawkins is the stuff legends are made of … an incredible addition to any Americana library.” NO DEPRESSION

“I LOVE THIS SONG.” NIC HARCOURT 88.5FM THE SOCAL SOUND DJ

“Best songs of 2025” playlist - ‘Here To Love.’” GARY CALAMAR 88.5FM THE SOCAL SOUND

“Perfect harmony. Excellent… the new sound of the West Coast.” AMERICANA UK

(Great Willow’s collaborative single with I See Hawks In LA) “Radio Keeps Me On The Ground” is soothing nerve tonic for those unsettled by the viral plague currently re-writing human reality. With an irresistable melody and close harmonies, the song is a powerful dose of communal hippie optimism that couldn’t be more welcome. MICHAEL SIMMONS, MOJO, LA Weekly

"Love James Combs. He's one of those singer/songwriter/musicians who should have spent his entire career at the top of the charts." PENELOPE SPHEERIS, DIRECTOR, “THE DECLINE OF WESTERN CIVILIZATION” “WAYNE’S WORLD”

"timeless, finely crafted, tuneful songs. James Combs is a musical force of nature who injects every song with genuine joy. Erin Hawkins paints these poignant melodies with luminous harmonies, creating a sound of hope that's good for the soul. When they sing “Love will finally find you, by and by,” you believe it, because it’s real. Long live Great Willow, song champions." PAUL ZOLLO, Author, Songwriters On Songwriting

“James Combs… the missing link between Low and John Lennon, but these are no stripped-down, bare-bones confessionals rendered on a dusty acoustic. Imagine the moody melodies and sepulchral atmospheres of the former and the plain-speaking lyrics of the latter. Oh, and a voice that quivers like the world's biggest nerve ending. And you should hear him sing.” PAUL LESTER, The Guardian