Never underestimate a little woman with a stand-up bass. Amy LaVere might seem and sound like America’s Southern sweetheart at first, but give her a minute and you’ll soon hear that there’s a lot going on in that seasoned soul.
Based in traditional Country and Americana, LaVere takes those old-school sounds to new places with touches of Jazz, Funk, and Rock ‘N’ Roll fueled with fiery lyrics and eloquent storytelling. LaVere will be opening for Rich Robinson ( of Black Crowes fame) on March 1st at Mercy Lounge, here in Nashville.
Listen through LaVere’s albums and you’ll immediately notice the range and diversity. Her 2005 debut, This World is Not My Home, is a Country-heavy project, while her 2007 release, Anchors & Anvils, explores the reverb and chordal color of a ‘50s high school dance with some interesting style change-ups in the album’s song sequencing (plus, simply kick-ass cover art of LaVere holding a glittery pistol). Her 2009 EP, Died of Love shows a more rocking side of LaVere, and her latest record, Stranger Me, is emotionally-charged capturing the mood of a mending broken heart.
“It’s looking at love from all different ways for better or worse,” says Lavere. “(With) the title track, “Stranger Me…”I was writing about not really being familiar with the phase of person that I was at the time. Always having a been a really confident, bold sort of person that didn’t really take into consideration too much about what someone thought of me – just fearless, really. I was just going through something that had shaken my confidence, and I wasn’t familiar with the way I was behaving or feeling about things. It was an uncomfortable time, so I was exploring it and building into it and trying to figure it out.”
Despite the inner struggle LaVere experienced, Stranger Me, doesn’t come off as a “wallow in self-pity” album.
“The record was written over three years, so it wasn’t like this thing that happened and I purged a bunch of material over a few months and recorded it right at the moment,” Lavere explains. “Time had passed, by the time I even went in the studio with most of that music, and so my whole take on it; my perspective had changed so much. I had a blast in the studio, it wasn’t like I was rolling around in the dirt while I was in the studio. The studio was a fun joyful experience, so I think I was able to lighten it up by the time it was documented.”
You can check out LaVere’s work and upcoming tour dates at www.amylavere.com. If you’re in Nashville, be sure to come out on Thursday night. Click here to purchase your tickets.
