Most of you might know Amanda Overmyer as a finalist from this past seasons American Idol competition. Amanda brought her gritty in your face rock and roll to the Madison Theater in Covington, KY this past Saturday January 3rd. She has an incredibly unique singing voice (I mean that in a VERY good way) that has a hint of Janis Joplin mixed in with her own style of blues/southern rock infused rock and roll. What also impressed me was the wide range of ages and type of people that attended her show. People ranged in age from 10 years old up to 75. I saw a biker sitting next to a grandmother with her grand daughter. This just shows that Amanda’s music appeals to a wide range of people, regardless of age. Her original songs are just that, original. Its hard to pin down who she sounds like, because she really doesn’t sound exactly like anyone. The originals she performed that stood out to me included Hole In The Wall, Call Your Mama, and Lets Take It Outside. Honestly I liked all her originals, all her songs have so much emotion and energy, its hard not to get lost in them. I can completely see Amanda singing her song “Fight Like a Son” in front of thousands of troops on a USO tour. Amanda performed a nice mix of covers as well including Mr Brownstone (Guns N Roses), Piece of My Heart (Janis Joplin), Hate Myself For Loving You (Joan Jett), and Dude Looks Like A Lady (Aerosmith).
Before the show Amanda was kind enough to sit down with me and answer a few questions:
Cincy Groove: Is this your first time playing in the Cincinnati/Covington area?
Amanda Overmyer: Yes this is my first time playing here so I’m really excited. This is a pretty cool venue.
Cincy Groove: Has your new album “Solidify” been completed?
Amanda Overmyer: It was just completed this month (January), but were not doing the actual release where you can get it on I Tunes and stuff until a little later. We did make it available on my website now, with just do it yourself home copies. Its just available for download so people could have it for Christmas gifts.
Cincy Groove: How long did it take you to put the cd together?
Amanda Overmyer: Nine Days. As far as the writing of the songs go everything was since May of last year. I had books and books of material but I chose to write new stuff for the record. It was my first record but I found myself making quick decisions, always going with my first instinct. If I end up taking too long on the song I’ll end up changing it so much it will have lost its original luster.
Cincy Groove: How have your crowds been at your shows since American Idol?
Amanda Overmyer: There is definitely an increase in the amount of people coming since I was on TV. I really don’t have a lot to compare it to because I quit music for about 2 years before I went on Idol. Going on American Idol was a last ditch thought, why not give it a shot? I actually never really watched the show before, I had just heard where there were going to be some auditions and thought why not take the day off from work. I mean who would have thought I would have made it to the final 11.
Cincy Groove: Now when did you decide that music was going to be your life on a full time basis?
Amanda Overmyer: Right after Idol. When I had enough people coming to shows to pay bills (laughing).
Cincy Groove: Has your dad always been supportive of your music career?
Amanda Overmyer: Yes. He has always been there to help me out with the business side of being a musician.
