Amanda Richards

Amanda Richards
Background information
Born	(1983-04-25) April 25, 1983 Orange, California
Genres	Folk, country, rock, blues
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter
Instruments	Guitar, vocals, piano
Years active	2000–present
Labels	Reluctant Records
Associated acts	Amanda Richards & The Good Long Whiles, Demanda

Amanda Richards (born April 25, 1983) is an American singer-songwriter from Portland, Oregon, who combines elements of folk, country, rock, and blues in her music. Reviewers have referred to her as "a fine storyteller" who writes "with a brutally honest pen"^[1] while others have cited her ability to spin comedic storylines on racy, self-deprecating, or sharply feminist topics.^[2][3][4] She has independently recorded and produced four full-length albums since 2004, in recent years enlisting the help of engineer and longtime friend, Duane Miller.

History

Amanda is the granddaughter of Rusty Richards, who was a member of the legendary Western singing group The Sons of the Pioneers, and began writing songs herself when only 12 years old. By 2002, she had produced and recorded an extended play album entitled Last Train which is no longer in print. This EP featured several of her early songs as well as a cover version of Van Morrison's "Wild Night". In 2004, while still attending Mount Hood Community College in Gresham, OR, Amanda released her debut full length, Not Always Sexy, to considerable regional acclaim. She followed this up with a live album entitled Live at Mississippi Studios in 2006, and her second full-length LP, Who Has Your Heart followed in 2009. During these years, Amanda also became involved in the Portland burlesque scene frequently performing under the stage name, “Demanda”. In a 2011 interview, she described these burlesque appearances as helping her to “infuse more theatrics” into her live performances.^[5]

Her most recent album, Play Dead, a concept album in which Amanda stars as the only survivor of the zombie apocalypse, won an Independent Music Award for “Best Concept Album” in 2012.^[6] Performances in support of this album have developed into elaborate stage spectacles in recent years, with Amanda and her band members actually dressing as zombies and acting out various parts of the album's story.

Discography

• Last Train EP (2002)
• Not Always Sexy (2004)
• Live at Mississippi Studios (2006)
• Who Has Your Heart (2009)
• Play Dead (2011)

References

External links

• "Amanda Richards". amandarichards.net. Retrieved 2016-07-14. 
• "About Amanda Richards". sonicbids.com. Retrieved 2016-07-14.