Photo Credit - Janelle Kieffer Photography
Please Dear Sun by Amanda Grace is her most distinctly dissimilar album yet. In a painful year for the earth, she focused her energy toward writing and found artwork that represented 2020, called, “The Apple Of Discord.”
In hopes to contain the spread of Covid-19, she feels humanity’s struggle with the physical and mental confinement. Not surprisingly the album was recorded in her home with Fletch Archerd (bassist/bandmate) and tracks mastered by Mike Milchener. The album shares songs about the misdirected affections of human nature toward the pull of industry, efficiency, and dealing with disappointment, to the more fruitful spin of the situation of the virus, which is finding more time for family, nature, kindness, and faith. Her path in finding a new normal for everyday ignited this album to be unique to the core. The feature track, “Please Dear Sun” is ultimately a gospel song which satisfies her sadness while singing about the isolation and disappointments of 2020.
Amanda does not claim a particular genre of music, and in doing so enjoys variety in her music and audiences. She has produced music drifting between folk and rock. With roots as a pianist her writing is thematically varied with an emphasis on melody and ballads wrapped in warm vocals. She’s released 7 albums.
Amanda performs as a solo artist, a member of a women's contemporary folk band called Wildflower, and with her Amanda Grace band (Peter Boysen, Fletch Archerd, Amber Fletcher).
After attending Winona State University she began a more intentional look at returning to music after her nephew was diagnosed with leukemia. In 2010 she released a children's album called, "Trains, Cars + A Trip To Mars." Soon after his father also passed away. Amanda wrote some songs from the experience and released, "Embrace" in 2012.
After a successful kickstarter project, she released her first EP called, "Keeping Hearts" in June 2014. That month she appeared at Ed's No Name bar in Winona with her group Wildflower as the release event.
The EP "Better Life" was released in December in 2017, with the full length alternative “Rayne Angel” which is a flavourful and diverse full length alternative recording, and a truly Minnesota made album; all of which was captured in her own home.
She has performed The Mid West Music Festival at its inception. In 2015 and in 2018, she performed on the first day of the Wisconsin music and art festival, Ashley for the Arts. Wildflower joined the Boats & Bluegrass Festival in 2017 and her self named rock band played for the Big Turn Festival. In 2019, her band performed at Big River Theatre, Red Wing Arts Festival, and She Rocks Festival.
With the great changes in her work environment with Covid-19, she is working to move her music services online and recently joined forces with Land Of 10,000 Streams Festival. Each Tuesday at 2:00PM through her Facebook page, she hosts weekly nonprofit highlight shows, and family-friendly shows from her home.
Website: musicbyamandagrace.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/Amandasakom
Instagram: www.instagram.com/amanda_gracemusic
Comments