SURFACING

View Magazine
Written by: Ric Taylor
October 30, 2008
Like so many Burlington kids, Amberley Baggett was drawn to music and would explore the art in high school. She’d go to shows and eventually get enveloped in a variety of aspects of the music industry — in studio engineering, modeling, merchandising, managing, radio broadcasting and promoting music and musicians. But of all her loves, it’s singing that has perhaps provided her greatest satisfaction.
When she began working on an acoustic project with some friends, Baggett found her muse when the volume increased. With Chris Waltmann (guitar), Dennis O'Reilly (bass) and Andrew Gregoire (drums), she’d form Surfacing. “I kept saying, ‘louder, harder, more distortion’ and they obliged,” smiles Baggett. “I always dug the idea of The Cranberries; this feministic quality to hard rock music, and the way it all melted together. That was always in the back of our minds for writing, but the band has harder punk almost metal influences to them, like Glassjaw and Deftones, that kind of stuff, so it leaks out in the writing.
“For me, especially lyrically, the band name fits into the topics that come to mind, stuff that I don’t normally talk about or deal with coming to the surface, sometimes in a not so nice a way,” she adds. “It’s more interesting to see what comes out when I start with a line and see where it ends up.
With a new CDEP in hand, produced by Justin Koop of B Town Sound, Baggett’s vocals as well as her studio skills are featured on the new Surfacing disc. “I've been working as Justin Koop’s apprentice for over a year now,” says Baggett on the band’s new recordings. “Koop is my mentor and he gave me such a great opportunity to do a lot of the editing myself. I wanted the feeling of the songs to resonate with people. They’re really personal, more personal than I’m used to getting, so we’ll see if I succeeded.”
And with a special Halloween gig this weekend, Baggett offers a charity concern with a personal connection dovetailing her life and her music. “I think music is universal, which is why it’s easy to tie the two together, being the charity and my life,” says Baggett. “My father passed away of a heart attack almost three years ago, and it was quite sudden. It changed my entire perspective on life and gave me the strength to chase my dream.
“Our CD is available at our shows for $7 bucks with $3 going to The Heart and Stroke foundation in my father’s name, Tom Baggett. Every minute I spent in this business in the last two years are because of him, so I thought it was appropriate to give him some recognition.”
Baggett gives props when they’re due but deserves accolades herself. She veers from a delicate feminine model to the sweaty, head swinging singer and then back to the music industry business minded professional easily. Whatever hat she might be wearing, Baggett seems unlimited in her abilities and with her unbridled determination she seems destined for big things.
“I’m not really much of a girl,” confides Baggett on how her gender may have affected her career thus far. “I’ve learned a lot about how to manipulate this industry just by being so involved in every aspect of this band. I rarely take no for an answer, and often am borderline annoying when I put my mind to something, but if I weren’t like that, I wouldn’t have gotten in at the studio, or a radio show, or booked for places we have no fans… it’s all about how you present yourself. That just comes with the territory though. It’s the same for anyone in this business. If I were a boy and were as dedicated, I think I’d get the same out of it.
“This is my life and I know that making it in this industry is a ludicrous thing to bank on, but so far, so good,” adds Baggett. “I can’t imagine doing anything else for the rest of my life and being happy, so I’m completely committed to making this go. However far will be the outcome of my work, so I guess persistence is key.”
SURFACING PLAYS WITH AUDIO TO MUTE, THE BLEEDING HEART MASSACRE AND INERTIA’S COURSE THIS SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 1 AT THE RED ROOSTER. NO COVER. MYSPACE.COM/SURFACING