Amanda Droste

Tide You Over
Independent

Local artist Amanda Droste's debut three song EP offers aspiring musicians and singers a lesson in successful demo making: If you have three great songs and some other stuff you think might not be as impressive, just record the three songs. That's exactly what Droste did on this perfectly performed, expertly recorded intro effort.

Gazing at the cover photo of the playful Droste frolicking on the beach, it was hard to figure what Tide You Over would sound like; thankfully, from the opening notes it's clear that Droste is a rocker grrl of the highest magnitude. She's actually a better pure singer than most of today's pop rockers, but it's the songwriting- all three tunes are by Droste and guitarist Joe Cangemi- that sets this disc apart from the dross that usually occupies this category.

In fact, "Thank You" sounds like a hit record, with a genuine hook and a fiery, multi- layered vocal. "Just Like That" rocks with authority, while "Coming Back" is a softer, slower track that only makes one wish there was one more grinder to close the disc out, but the song stands up on its own because of its genuinely heartfelt lyrics.

Chalk up another sonic triumph for Fred Guarino and his team at Tiki Studios, where this was recorded- but give full credit to Droste, who certainly seems to have genuine talent, a rare commodity with today's pop singers. Give this a listen and skip "American Idol" if you want to hear something with actual soul and feeling.

--Syl Nathan - Good Times Magazine NYC

Amanda Droste, a promising, modern rock/pop singer/writer based in New York, NY, has won the SongwriterUniverse “Best Song Of The Month” Contest for April, for her song “Thank You.” This song is included on her three-song EP, Tide You Over, which was released in late 2004. In addition, Droste has recently recorded new material, and she is preparing to shop for a label deal with the help of new management.

“Thank You” is an aggressive, uptempo rock/pop cut, which is reminiscent of both Alanis Morissette’s and Pat Benatar’s high-energy, rock styles. The song features a strong, hooky chorus which is easy to remember. In addition, the recording is a solid showcase for Droste’s dynamic, passionate vocals. Droste produced this song, and it was engineered by Fred Guarino at Tiki Studios in Glen Cove, Long Island.

Droste grew up in a small town in Michigan called Saranac (which is near Grand Rapids). When she was 12, she started taking a serious interest in music and performing. Droste developed both her singing and acting skills, doing musical theater, and singing onstage at state fairs and karaoke contests. Then in high school, she began writing songs, and she also learned to play drums and percussion.

Following high school, Droste moved to New York City, where she pursued both a music and acting career. However, she eventually decided to focus on music and songwriting. “It was difficult managing what was two separate careers - music and acting,” explained Droste. “I decided I wasn’t interested in doing Broadway. And writing songs had become a great passion for me.” During this period, Droste not only wrote the songs for her EP Tide You Over (including “Thank You”), but she also sang demos and collaborated with hit Sony writer/producer, Andre Deyo (who co-wrote the Jennifer Lopez hit, “Jenny On The Block”).

Droste talked about her song, “Thank You.” “The song is about looking back on a relationship, and realizing that breaking up with that person is the best thing that could have happened, because it made me a stronger person in the end,” she said. “I’m thanking [the ex-boyfriend] in the song, saying ‘it’s a good thing that you dumped me because now I’m strong.’ It’s a liberating, rocker tune.”

Currently, Droste has completed writing and producing seven new songs (several with collaborator Bart Migal), and is about ready to shop for a label deal. She has signed on with manager Lovell Ramsay of Lolex Productions. Ramsay is producing a new album by Maxi Priest, and Droste is collaborating with Priest on a song for this project. “It’s a very exciting time,” said Droste. “I feel strongly about my new songs, which are more cutting-edge, both musically and lyrically. I’ve put together a new press kit, and we will be taking label meetings soon. Also, I’m putting a band together and doing more shows.”

-By Dale Kawashima
- www.songwriteruniverse.com

Monday, February 11, 2008

Amanda Droste is a relatively unknown pop singer whose debut album, Unfazed, is being self-released. That alone should earn her a little credit but fortunately for all involved, especially Amanda, it's not the only impressive thing about the album.

The ultra catchy, Stay Insane, is a standout track that shows off some of the great little lyrical twists that are all over Unfazed. Other tracks like the post Exile In Guyville Liz Phair flavored, Stagefright, and the Sheryl Crow type ballad, Too Late To Learn, are well produced pop gems that ride a fine line of sounding overproduced but never go too far. But while almost every song on Unfazed sounds radio ready, a couple of the songs come off as a bit generic and can start to sound too much alike after awhile.

Thankfully, Amanda delivers these songs with all the youthful passion that is the cornerstone of pop-punk. She also pretty easily avoids the obligatory Avril Lavigne comparisons that usually comes standard with the female pop-punk moniker, but sounds far less pretentious and forced than Avril could ever hope to be. Amanda's voice is clear and honest and imbued with more than a touch of Alanis Morissette's angst filled sneer. The style suits the songs well, and at around thirty-seven minutes the album feels well paced with enough variety to keep you interested till the end.

Overall, the majority of the songs on Unfazed work well for Amanda's pop style and a couple average tracks aren't enough to keep the album from being an impressive debut and an enjoyable listen worth finding.

Grade: 7/10

So far the only place to get your hands on Unfazed is from Amanda's website at www.AmandaDroste.com. The album ships on Valentines Day the 14th. You can order the album as either a digital download or a standard hard copy.

You can preview a few tracks on Amanda's MySpace page.

-Colin Jung - www.theblacktambourine.blogspot.com/

February 13, 2008

When Saranac's Amanda Droste left home in 1999, she faced the same uncertainties everybody else does.

Droste, a self-professed arts aficionado and theater buff since she can remember, dreamed of being an entertainer, but what post-high school path would lead her down that auspicious avenue? How would she go from small-town girl to big-time pop artist?

Should she go to college? Would it be better to get a nine-to-five job? Settle down?

That's what everybody else was doing.

Never one to follow the crowd, Droste instead followed her dreams and packed her bags for Queens, New York.

Today, those dreams become reality with the release of her first record album, titled “Unfazed.” 

“I thought about college briefly, but there was no majoring in pop-rock stardom,” said Droste, whose independent record release comes after almost nine years of hard work and networking in the industry. “I had to move to New York to get into the music and acting scene. There wasn't anywhere else to go.”

The obligatory “it wasn't easy” disclaimer is an understatement to Droste.

She said everybody talks about moving to New York City and making it big, but few people realize what it really takes to accomplish such a feat.

The snags along the way, she said, keep most people from reaching where they want to go.

Droste paid the rent by background singing, demo singing and working as a song-writing coach for aspiring musicians.

While it might sound like fun and engaging work - especially for a talent-laden person in that field - paying the bills sometimes enveloped so much of her time that it stifled her musical career.

“Saying that it wasn't easy is a huge understatement. I was pretty terrified in the beginning, going from job to job,” said Droste, who almost came back to Saranac after 9/11. Confused and unsure of herself, she asked her father, Joe, for advice. “My dad told me, ‘what are you going to do, quit? Stick with it.' So I did.”

Early into the new millennium, that newfound resolve paid off. New jobs became unique opportunities to network in the entertainment business.

Droste began filing and responding to newspaper ads, which ultimately led to her meeting several established producers, sound engineers and potential bandmates.

In 2006, she began writing songs and recording them on already-produced tracks with the help of friend Tommy Niblack.

Niblack received music from different producers - in this case, Bart Migal - and distributed a few tracks to Droste, who wrote and added her voice to them and sent them back to Migal. Mightily impressed, Migal and Droste teamed up for all but three tracks on “Unfazed.” 

The rest is history.

“The whole time (during recording) I thought, ‘this is gonna be great,'”  said Droste, who already has half a second album recorded, although it'll be “at least a year” before another album is released. “With doing everything on my own, getting a band and rehearsing and shows, there are a lot of obstacles.”

Now that production - the most difficult part - is over, you might think Droste could coast while her album sales soar, right?

Not quite. Droste has been promoting her album full-blast, trying to attract as many potential listeners as possible.

Droste believes seeing is believing, so she continues to tour in New York with special performances in California winning over more fans.

Her Web site, www.AmandaDroste.com and her MySpace page, www.Myspace.com/AmandaDroste, serve as promotional portals for a much larger audience in Cyberspace.

Droste insists it's not about the money, fame or fortune - although the money from potential album sales sure won't hurt - she records because it's fulfilling a childhood dream.

Music is her way of dealing with the outside world.

“Music is my release,” Droste said. “It's my outlet. It's where I put my thoughts on paper instead of punching someone in the face. I learned early on that people related to the things I would write and that drove me to keep doing it.”

Now that her album is released, Droste is officially committed to the music business for the long haul. Eight years of work wasn't simply a passing fad, it was a building block for a life-time career.

Droste said she hopes her album is picked up by a major label, but even if it's not, she'll continue to build contacts and her fan base.

“What I really want is for as many people as possible to hear the album and spread the word,” Droste said. “I want to make a little space for myself in the music industry.”

As of Valentine's Day, 2008, she officially has.
- www.sentinel-standard.com

Feb 17, 2008

I love a good surprise - and that's what I got when I received Amanda Droste's new album, "Unfazed" in the mail (http://www.amandadroste.com/).

I've been a fan for a few years and really liked the songs I've heard - it's good pop with an attitude (I've often compared her to Liz Phair and a little like Avril Lavigne). And this album doesn't disappoint in keeping those comparisons alive.

But Unfazed shows so much of what Amanda has to offer. There's Stage Fright which sounds like a track U2 might record, A Thousand Miles could have been released by Jewel or Sheryl Crow and the title track almost has a country edge to it and could easily be shifted just slightly with instrumentation to be a Nashville hit.

Basically this album is fantastic - I knew I'd enjoy it but had no idea how totally impressed and excited I'd be about this record. Amanda has proven herself to be a talented artist in every sense of the word and that there is a great deal of depth to her musicianship.

I am thrilled to be able to let you all know about Amanda and truly hope you'll give her songs a listen at either of the following websites:

http://www.myspace.com/amandadroste
(be sure and check out the incredible intro to "I Won't Know")

http://www.amandadroste.com/
(samples of all songs from the new album)

Have a great week and enjoy the music!
Ira miller
http://www.nonprofitpromotions.org/ - Emerge Music Group

Feb 19, 2008

When we last checked in with Queens-Based singer and songwriter Amanda Droste 2 years ago, she had just released Tide You Over, the debut EP that reveled her to be a sassy and brash pop/rock vocalist as well as an exceptional songwriter and arranger.
However, nothing could have prepared us for UNFAZED, Droste’s major label quality new full-length disc that could do for this powerhouse singer what Jagged Little Pill did for Alanis Morissette 13 years ago: cast a previously unknown singer/songwriter into the national spotlight.
Droste (pronounced “like a Frostee,” the amiable singer instructs) released her new album on Valentines Day, but the new disc is a collection of rocking original songs that never let up and, thank goodness, aren’t all that romantic. Droste uses her one-of-a-kind, in-your-face vocal style to send musical retorts to lying lovers (“I Won’t Know,” which features several incredible moments where Droste sounds both pissed off and severely hurt in the same held note); to seduce and rock someone’s world like an in-heat Penthouse Pet (“Jungle Gym”) to complain about the state of the pop world (“American Idle”) and to simply rock out (“All Over Again”). On this sonically superior new disc, most of the production chores were handled by veteran producer and engineer Bart Migal – who in the past has worked with pop superstars Mya and Jessica Simpson – with assists from John Gordon; Mat Leland and Craig Wilson produced the title tune.
At this point, Droste’s recorded canon is still being self-released, but no matter how one looks at it, Droste is a major label-destined talent and a confident, natural vocalist. Today the striking young singer looks to the future with and upbeat eye, which is somewhat surprising considering the lethargic state of the area’s music business.
“This album is a very personal one – right down to the cover art, which was shot in my apartment hallway,” said the always-effervescent Droste. “ Making this album, I started working in mainly upscale studios in Manhattan, but with the state of the industry, they both closed down. Strangely, I hit my creative stride when I found more intimate places to work like Buddy Project in Astoria or even my producers’ apartment studios. Turns out I am a low-maintenance lady!”
She might not need studio frills, but it doesn’t mean she’s not a perfectionist.
“The title track, ‘Unfazed’, means a lot to me because it was a song I attempted to write at least 3 times before – and I didn’t get it right until writer Craig Wilson came aboard” said Droste. “For the first time, someone ‘got it’. I find people are drawn into that song, so I feel like we did it right this time.”
One of the most remarkable songs on the new disc is “Jungle Gym,” a sultry rocker that features some extremely erotic (though certainly not obscene) imagery – but which still became the focus of a humorous moment.
“The first song I wrote for my album was ‘Jungle Gym’”, recalled Droste. “I approached (producer Migal) with it, having not worked with him before, and he pretended to be highly offended but the sexual nature of it for a good 5 minutes. I totally fell for it and was instantly embarrassed!
I was fortunate enough to write and work with some really talented people, which made cutting through the chaos of making an album enough so much easier,” continued Droste. “Now I’m hoping people just really like this album enough to sing along and spread the word about it. And, I’m hoping to enough exposure to make it on Conan O’Brien one day soon - I’ll sing ‘Jungle Gym’ to him!”
With the talent, sass, and rock attitude that Droste displays, it’s obvious that 2008 will be a big year for her. The new album, Unfazed, is currently available only through the artist’s website, AmandaDroste.com: It will be available through other distribution portals in the coming weeks. For more information on Amanda Droste, log on to her website or myspace.com/amandadroste. The young artist will perform a The Triad Theatre in New York City on Friday, February 29th.
- Good Times Magazine NYC

Amanda Droste mixes elements of relevance with the personal; all with the panache and catchy sustainability of a seasoned pop rocker.

When I try to put music into categories, I usually start off with two types: pop music and everything else. When I try to break it down even further, try to define what I mean by pop, I come up with: catchy music that’s sprayed over our culture from “above” like corporate holy water.

This catch, this almost imperceptible thing that makes these pop anthems cling to our minds long after the real music has ended, has never appealed to me. In fact, it’s turned me off. I’ve always associated catchy tunes with trite lyrical messages and scantily clad teenagers. Sure there are moments when I’ve found myself relating to pop music’s incidental longings, but those moments are like guilty pleasures akin to eating food with no nutritional value. They’re like pop music ramen noodles, if you will. Cheap, in every bodega, and spiritually vacant.

Singer/songwriter Amanda Droste, an independent rocker who’s managed to stay just below the surface of the popular music scene, brashly defies the catchy-but-vacant stereotype I’d held about the popular music genre. A true musical and lyrical talent, Droste’s work is not only thought-provoking, but laced with a purity that could only come from an artist not yet tainted by a daunting celebrity ego.

This is not to say that she will always be unknown. When mixed with her painfully honest vocals, this rock-ette’s songs are so hot they’ll soon come to a satisfying boil. Until then, her socially relevant and emotional rock ballads are not to be missed. They’re steeping to perfection on her website, www.amandadroste.com. MP3’s of her four new releases are available for purchase at the Amandadroste.com virtual music store located on her site. Her debut CD, “Tide You Over” is available at www.cdbaby.com as well as on Itunes.

Included in new releases are the culturally provocative “American Idle” and the almost biographical “A Thousand Miles Away.” Check them out and stay tuned to Droste. She’s one of the few pop fevers worth catching!

www.amandadroste.com
www.myspace.com/amandadroste
- www.Girlistic.com