Amanda Kitchens

My love affair with music truly began at the age of seven when my mom got me into piano lessons. As I was studying the work of Beethoven, it was said that he always had a song in his head, and I thought to myself, "Well, golly gee! That's just like me!" My first vivid memory of singing was, ironically enough, on my first cross country trip with my family in an R.V. singing along to a Joe Scruggs tape, thinking, "Gee, I kinda sound like one of the backup singers." I then went on to learn many many classical songs and the bass clarinet in band, but then when they said that I couldn't march in high school with the bass clarinet, I decided to "rebel" and learn the tuba (my dad played had played it in high school, and I wanted to strengthen my reading of the bass clef for the piano.....I don't think it helped, but it sure was fun.) I picked up the guitar about four years ago when I realized that the piano wasn't portable (and all I could afford was one of those cheap casio keyboards that I would rather pawn for rent than consider a piano surrogate). My friend Alli Reece had started about the same time, and learning along with him really helped to boost my desire to get out and write songs. Folk You! is a dream still left hanging in my stars. About three years ago due to a ride situation where I was trying to move to Lubbock, I ended up volunteering at the Kerrville Folk Festival, and my musical life has never been the same again. I definitely attribute this demo CD to my desire to be able to swap music with the many other talented musicians out there. It was at the festival this last year that I met the handsome and very talented Mr. Adam Kobetich, who has touched my life in so many ways. He was not only the first person that I could jam with, but he helped me to reach one of my dreams of being able to play bluegrass. I am the fifth (of six) member of the Electric Mountain Rotten Apple Gang, and very happy to be playing and singing with so many talented musicians.......so, yeah. That's me in a gruesomely large nutshell. Manny and the Brokeback Boys have arrived!!!! Check us out at www.myspace.com/mannyandthebrokebackboys. Three guesses as to who I am, and I'll give you a hint: it ain't the pretty one, that's for sure!!!! Any questions???