Posted on: January 21, 2009 Posted by: anfnewsacct Comments: 0

New York-based singer/songwriter Amy Speace emerged from self-exile with an edgy sophomore release The Killer In Me, released April 7 on Wildflower Records. Amy and The Tearjerks U.S. tour will commence in January and continue through the release.

Produced by Jim Mastro, her longtime producer and lead guitarist of Bongos/Health and Happiness Show fame, the disc was recorded at Mitch Easter’s studio, Fidelitorium, in North Carolina with Easter lending his talents as engineer.

Reflecting on the writing process, Amy recalls, “Jim said, ‘You have an opportunity here to write the songs that you’ve been avoiding writing. He was very blunt and kicked my ass and said, ‘You need to write some songs that cut to the heart of the matter.’ That was exactly what I needed to hear.”

Leaving New York City to rent a small rustic cabin in the Catskills for a year, not far from Woodstock, Amy soughtthe solitude necessary and emerged with13 soul-baring compositions that maintain the effortless melodic appeal of Amy’s prior work, while delivering complex emotional insights that gives the album startling intimacy and resonance.

Tunes such as “The Killer In Me,” “Haven’t Learned A Thing” and “I Met My Love” examine the darker margins of troubled relationships with unflinching honesty, while “Would I Lie,” “Storm Warning” and the acoustic bonus track “Weight of the World” look outward to illuminate the collision of world events and the human heart. The latter, released earlier this year on “Got To Get A Message To You,” a collection of contemporary protest songs, has been called “one of the best anti-war songs I’ve ever heard” by folk-pop icon Judy Collins.

“This album was kind of an exorcism in some ways, and it’s definitely the record that I needed to make,” she says, adding, “I got into music with my eyes wide open. I knew that the kind of music I wanted to make might be outside the realm of what’s on the radio, but I didn’t care. I just want to make something that’s real.”

Speace debuted in 2002 with Fable, a self-released on her own Twangirl Records. It was her SXSW performance that caught the attention of Judy Collins who signed Speace to her Wildflower label in 2006. She released Songs For Bright Street later that year, which was received to critical acclaim.

“Amy Speace has one of those fetching voices, the kind that taps you on the shoulder and motions seductively for you to follow it around corner after dark corner. You don’t know where you’re going to end up or how you’ll ever find your way back, but that doesn’t matter right now: you’re enjoying the trip.” – No Depression

“The talented Ms. Speace is lately taking her Americana away from twangy contemplation toward tangy confrontation. Paste magazine has discovered her, and you should too. She’s well worth checking out.” – The Village Voice

Amy Speace and the Tearjerks will tour in the following cities:

January 28 LOS ANGELES, CA Hotel Café
January 30 EASTON, MD Coffee East
February 4 CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA Gravity Lounge
February 5 CHARLOTTE, NC The Evening Muse
February 6 ROANOKE, VA Kirk Avenue Music
February 7 WINSTON-SALEM, NC The Garage
February 8 RALEIGH, NC Berkeley Café
February 13 SUDBURY, MA Fox Run House Concert
February 15 CLAYTON, DE Cooldog House Concert Series
March 5 PENSACOLA, FL WUWF Radio Live Music Listings
March 6 CHATTANOOGA, TN Charles & Myrtle’s Coffeehouse
March 7 GOLD HILL, NC The Yurt at the Bed & Bike Inn
March 10 HOBOKEN, NJ Maxwells
March 13 CAMBRIDGE, MN Cambridge Coffee House
March 17 MARBLE FALLS, TX River City Grille
March 27 SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY Caffe Lena
March 28 PORT WASHINGTON, NY Landmark on Main Street
March 29 RIDGEFIELD, CT Acoustic Celebration Concert
April 1 BROOKLYN, NY Southpaw
April 4 FRANKLIN, MA Circle of Friends Coffeehouse
April 9 YORK, SC Sylvia Theater
April 10 ARLINGTON, VA IOTA Club
April 11 BORDENTOWN, NJ The Record Collector
April 16 CHICAGO, IL Uncommon Ground
April 18 CHICAGO, IL WFMT Folkstage
April 19 EVANSTON, IL Bill’s Blues
April 24 MONTCLAIR, NJ Notes From Homes House Concert
April 25 ROCKVILLE, MD Folk N Great Music

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