Eric Cannata

BIOGRAPHY

Holding Onto the Holy marks the debut solo album for Cannata – guitarist, songwriter, and founding member of Young the Giant, Coma Culture, and American Pets, as well as acclaimed producer of projects by Hannah Connolly and Kenton Chen.

Cannata first dipped his toes into the solo stream with 2020’s Lonely Beast, a folk and psychedelia-tinged EP inspired by solitude. Now he returns with Holding Onto the Holy, a self-produced full-length collection about togetherness and how to love life while the world falls apart, sparked by his relationship with fiancé and musical collaborator Connolly. The project had its genesis during ten days of Covid quarantine, impelling Cannata to use a scratchy throat and an old microphone to find a new voice. Taking inspiration from such classic pop and rock icons as Roy Orbison, Harry Nilsson, and The Velvet Underground, the multi-talented instrumentalist and songwriter emphasized fun and exploration to chase other muses such as childhood cartoons, folklore, and daydreams. Cannata fleshed out his evolving sound with a range of instruments including 12-string acoustic guitars, a vintage Solina String Ensemble string synthesizer, and an old upright piano, with additional accompaniment from Kosta Galanopoulos on drums and father Ernie Cannata on piano, as well as a few trusted voices in Connolly and longtime friend and collaborator Jon O’Brien, who handled mixing and additional engineering.

Eric Cannata may have startedHolding Ontothe Holy searching for joy in a chaotic world, but he found it dancing by himself and recording with loved ones.