marybeth d'amico

An American singer-songwriter who lives in Germany, Marybeth D'Amico came to songwriting relatively late in life. But she makes up for it with the passion she puts into her music.

A journalist by trade, in 2002 Marybeth had lost her job as an editor at an Amsterdam-based magazine. With some time on her hands, the wife and mother of two, who had recently taken up the guitar, began penning her first songs on the living room couch.

But it was the discovery of singer-songwriter Patty Griffin that gave her songwriting a sudden jolt. "What struck me was how emotionally riveting yet simple to play her songs were," says Marybeth. She began hungrily studying the songwriting craft not only of Griffin, but other contemporary singer-songwriters she admired, such as Lori McKenna , Antje Duvekot , Kathleen Edwards and Deb Talan .

She wanted her songs to say something significant, but not neccessarily sound somber. Though drawn to dark themes, she also loved the melodic pop music from the 60's and 70's she grew up listening to: the Beatles, the Eagles, CSNY, the Mamas and the Papas, the Beach Boys, and classic singer-songwriters such as James Taylor, Carole King and Carly Simon. Growing up, music had played a prominent part in her life -- whether she was harmonizing with her siblings to the Peter Paul and Mary albums in their parents' record collection, starring in her high school musical or playing flute in the band.

By late 2003, Marybeth had a handful of songs, which she began singing at open mics in Munich. She also co-founded an alternative-country band, Far From Home with American Michelle Conner.

In early 2006, Marybeth contacted Markus Rill , a German Americana artist based in Würzburg, about helping her record some of her songs. In November of that year, she went solo, launching a self-released five-song EP produced by Rill, entitled Waiting to Fly, which was well-received by a number of European reviewers. Marybeth played numerous gigs in Bavaria with both her own band and in a duet formation with Niels Cremer . In October 2007 the duo went on a mini-tour of Holland to promote the EP.

In July 2008 Marybeth released her first full-length album, "Heaven, Hell, Sin & Redemption". Recorded and produced in Texas by Bradley Kopp (Jimmie Dale Gilmore, Joe Ely, Iain Matthews, Eliza Gilkyson) the album also features top-notch musicians such as Lloyd Maines on dobro and pedal steel, Richard Bowden on violin, David Webb keyboards and Paul Pearcy on drums. The album gets its' dark name from the characters that inhabit the ten songs: from the single mom who can't seem to settle in one place to the minister involved in a sex scandal; the young couple that decides to break away from a fundamentalist upbringing to the true-to-life story of a guy sitting on Death Row in Ohio. But no cause for depression here: most of the melodies are infectious and will have you humming along.

WAITING TO FLY, is also available via