Amanda Thorpe

follow AmandaThorpe at http://twitter.comAmanda Thorpe is never easy to pigeonhole (though she tends to lodge snugly in the subconscious). With strong melodies and roots in folk and jazz these smart, often intensely personal songs subtly challenge our expectations of familiar forms. Her influences are as diverse as British pop-poet, Nick Drake and the sultry Francois Hardy, to guitar-god and wordsmith Richard Thompson, the Velvet Underground and Blondie.Shortly after moving to New York City, Amanda co-founded the catchy folk-rock quintet, Wirebirds, in 1996. The 'birds built a loyal following and garnered national attention in Billboard magazine. "Combine the folk rock of Fairport Convention and the Byrds with a 90s sensibility, and the result is the Wirebirds," wrote Billboard Talent Editor Melinda Newman, noting the groups compelling, radio-friendly sound. Amanda was selected to attend the ASCAP prestigious Advanced Songwriters workshop and has performed in the National Academy of Popular Music 27th and 30th showcases.Her 1999 EP, Too Many Spirits, is a collection of seven deceptively simple folk-pop tunes that highlights her poetic sensibility and harmonies. Ranging in mood from the romantic exuberance of 'Inside Out' to the sweet, jazzy melancholy of 'Morning Way',the EP established Amanda as a unique voice in the crowded cosmos of downtown performers and earned her the coveted critic pickrating from Time Out, NY, the city nightlife bible. Amanda's second CD, Mass, co-produced with Garry Rindfuss, displays her powerful and haunting vocals over a sonic landscape. As was noted in Variety.com, Amanda's vocals "balance brassiness and vulnerability with panache." While the song 'Always' resembles an ultra-hip interpretation of a 1940s nightclub standard, the sing-along guitar pop of 'Splinters' and coffeehouse intimacy of 'Toy Guitar' reveal an artist who moves confidently between the traditional and the modern. Her third CD, Union Square, features guest performances by Graham Nash, Tony Scherr, and Martha Wainwright, was released in the summer of 2008.