Amanda Duncan
10th Annual Acoustic Song Winner
10th Annual Holiday Song (Any Holiday) Nominee
9th Annual Love Song Nominee
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Acoustic Song
Holiday Song (Any Holiday)
Record Label: n/a
www.amandaduncan.com
Home Base: Jersey Shore, NJ, USA
Genre: The shortest way that I can describe my music is “Folk Pop Sock Hop”
Categories Entered: Acoustic Song, Folk/ Singer-Songwriter Song, Holiday Song
Work Submitted: “Love I Have for You”; “Bed of Cloud”; “Bed of Cloud”; “Words That I Say”; “The Cookie Song”
Artists Featured: My fellow musician/singer-songwriter in crime, Joanna Burns, produces all of my songs and co-wrote “The Cookie Song” and last year’s IMA nominee “Fall Into You.” She also sang backup and played keys on 3 of my entries.
Label: Unsigned
URLs:
www.facebook.com/amandaduncanmusic
www.twitter.com/amandaduncan
www.amandaduncan.wordpress.com
Influences: Stevie Wonder, Marc Broussard, The Dixie Chicks, JoDee Messina, Dar Williams, Erin McKeown, Rascal Flatts, Patsy Cline, The Andrew Sisters, and a lot of music from the 1940s.
Describe your nominated work: I wanted to write a song that was about true blue love. No playing games, no having to buy expensive gifts, just plain loving someone through and through.
Why did you choose to submit this work to The 10th IMAs? “Love I Have for You” tends to go over pretty well in general because it’s a “feel good” song. And the lyrics are about love without doubt, which I think everyone wants.
Did you use any unusual effects or instruments in this recording? This song has drums with brushes, upright bass, banjo, background vocals…oh and a woodblock. Haha! I wanted to make sure this song was recorded with organic authentic sounds.
Were there any happy accidents while in the studio, or did everything go as planned? Actually, it didn’t turn out exactly the way I intended it to. I have a vision for a music video with this song and this recording wouldn’t fit that vision. I can’t quite describe what I mean by that, but I think I am going to give it one more try in the studio.
Did fans help you fund this project? No, they didn’t. I recorded my EP over a span of time, so I didn’t need to ask that of my fans. I save a lot of money because I’m a Pro Tools geek with a decent home studio set up. I can’t say I won’t ask my fans to donate to future projects, but I’m working hard in the hopes that my career will pay for itself.
Who’s sitting in your audience? This past year I have toured over 100 colleges. So, I guess the current answer would be college students. I feel like my music draws an all ages crowd. I have a lot moms who like my music and they bring their 5 year old kids because they enjoy my it just as much. I love it when I have teenage fans who will bring their parents to my shows. I’m a big family person…and as cheesy as this sounds it makes me really happy when my music is actually bringing families together.
What makes your fans unique? I think like attracts alike. If I were to personify my music it would be a warm, welcoming, individual…most likely with a big smile on its face! haha I think most of my fans are pretty fun and friendly.
Are there any songs you wish you wrote? Well, there are a lot of songs I wish I wrote, mostly because that would mean my bank account would have a lot more in it. Haha! But the first song that comes to mind is “Ice Cream” by Sarah McLachlan.
What artists are you listening to that would surprise your fans? Right now, I’m listening to a heavy rock band called LadyKiller. And modern day heavy rock is not my thing for the most part. The thing that really intrigues me is the focus on vocal harmonies combined with a heavy guitar based sound. The songs are really special and the vocals are killer!
What is your dream show lineup? Hmmm…this is a good one. I would say Eric Hutchinson, April Smith & The Great Picture Show, and Brandi Carlile.
What is your guilty pleasure on the road? Jimmy John’s Gourmet Sandwich Shops! Haha! These sandwich shops are located mostly in the mid-west and when I see one, it’s usually followed by the sound of my screeching tires. They have a tuna sub that’s to die for and they make it so fast that you get it by the time you are finished paying for it.
Any close calls or mishaps while on tour? One time I was driving to Fargo, ND and there were such bad snow drifts that it felt like I was driving through a white sandstorm. That wasn’t too much fun. And the next day was -34 degrees with wind chill. My joke about it is that I’m pretty sure a piece of my soul froze and broke off and is lying on the side of the road in North Dakota.
Do you have any rituals before you go on stage? I usually set up my guitar and mandolin and do sound check and then set up my merch table. I try to get to know the sound person and other people involved in the show. Nothing too fancy.
Should music be free? I think the obvious answer from most musicians would be “no”. I think of music as a business. If you don’t put a price on something you’ve worked hard on people will most likely not take you seriously. I know I’ve been given a ton of free CDs that I’ve never taken the time to listen to. I say to myself “These people must not think this is worth anything, why should I?” I can’t justify spending thousands of dollars on a record and not charging anything for that work. However, I do think it makes sense to provide free downloads every now and then. It is a nice way to tell fans that you appreciate them and it might help make a few new ones.
How has digital affected your career? There are so many ways to get your music out there digitally. Sometimes my music is streaming on sites I didn’t even know existed. A big portion of my EP sales are digital…which is always a nice surprise at the end of the month.
Are digital singles vs. full albums the future of music? I think artists are always going to release full albums. To me, digital singles, are more to hold over fans in an efficient affordable way. There isn’t an artist that I know who is touring nationally without a full album…and if they are, they have multiple EPs and most likely plan to make a full album at some point.
Finish this sentence: The music industry is… an ever changing beast that I am going to tame with my charm and wit.