Amber Gougis

My music is inspired by the world around me and my travels. I grew up in beautiful SLO town on the central coast of Cali, but I've always been a wandering soul and over the years I have found myself creating a home in various cities such as: Milan, Santa Cruz, LA, DC, Edinburgh and Paris. In Italy I heard someone play the Beatles "Blackbird" for the first time while overlooking the city lights of Naples and realized the guitar was my instrument of choice... In Santa Cruz, during my school dayz, I learned about all kinds of music from my fellow students and learned the guitar...In Washington DC I soaked up the jazz sounds on the "The New U." I heard for the first time, at the Busboys and Poets Cafe, the lyrical poetry of Langston Hughes. I discovered the sounds of neo-soul, such as Musiq or Jill Scott, whether it was being played at the clubs or at the work cafeteria. In 2006 I found myself in Edinburgh, Scotland and I learned a thing or two about singin' the blues by jammin' with some scottish bluesmen. Then in 2007, In my little studio in Paris, I began writing all the songs that were in my head for so long. I performed my songs at various open mics around the city, like the Lizard Lounge, and sang with jazz trios. I took in a world of music, whether it was hearing "Jazz Manouche" in the dimley-lit cellar bars, dancing to bossa nova grooves at "the Blue Note," or enjoying the various summer music festivals...I felt I could call Paris my home, but alas, the US of A beckoned (mostly the money ran out) and now here I am in the lovely bay area, and the journey continues...