By music industry standards, Amanda Heironimus may be considered a late bloomer. Granted, she tinkered on her first CASIO as an eight-year-old, begged her parents for a piano in middle school, spurned her evil Czech piano teacher after a mere three months of lessons, and taught herself to play via Tori Amos songbooks instead. But it wasn't until her freshman year in college that tough times lead her to write her first full-length songs.A mere liberal arts student, she would sneak into the prestigious Cincinnati Conservatory of Music practice rooms at night to play their pianos and write. Taking cues from Amos and other female pianists, Amanda's early music was fluid and melodic, sung with the voice of a choirgirl. After cutting her teeth on the campus open-mic, she answered an ad in the local paper placed by a cover band in search of a female vocalist. The archived recordings of her audition prove undeniable: she was a horrible rock singer. But she had personality and spunk, and the band heard potential in that voice and signed her on. Two years of singing rock covers not only morphed her voice, but changed the way she wrote music as well.The cover scene grew tiresome, though, and Amanda now had a small body of original music that needed attention - and there was more to learn. Having heard its praises sung by many a musician, Amanda packed what she could fit into her car and drove to Austin, Texas for what she considered "grad school." After many a lesson in stage performance, gig-booking, and especially the recording process, Amanda headed back to the Mid-West.At the age of 27, and after years of work, her sound is finally coming into bloom, and a dark flower it is. Her piano rock blends several genres, and runs the gamut from mournful ballads, to feisty blues-driven numbers, and even the occasional insistent love song. Varying widely, her passion creates a common thread through her music. She delivers every song with genuine emotion, but, as her live performances prove, maintains a sense of humor and hope despite the gravity of her work.Read Amanda's Personal Blog at http://www.curiouserx2.wordpress.com(See Amanda's personal page at: myspace.com/heironimus)
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