Music
Press
Emmaus High School senior Amanda Thorpe has to balance grades, applying to college and for scholarships -- with a full schedule as a musician and performer.
''I have gigs lined up along the East Coast mostly every weekend,'' the 17-year-old says. ''I am trying to put my music first this year.''
Thorpe's mother, uncle and brother are all musicians. Thorpe played bass in her brother's emo band, Bloody August, before teaching herself guitar. She has found her voice as an acoustic singer/songwriter drawing inspiration from artists such as Sufjan Stevens, Fiona Apple, Tori Amos and Bob Dylan. She performs solo with just her acoustic guitar and has written more than 100 songs.
Her live sets include a few covers by artists such as Norah Jones, Indigo Girls and Kelly Clarkson, but mostly feature her impressive original material. One of her most popular songs with audiences is ''Holly, Holly,'' which won Best Song at 2007's Lehigh Valley Music Awards, one of several awards she won.
She recorded a six-song solo demo ''Goodnite, Pennsylvania'' in 2007 and is in the process of finishing a second disc, ''Concrete and Candy.'' She says the new disc ''stays true to [her] folk roots'' while expanding her sound with the backing of a full band. A CD release party is being planned, and after that, she plans to head to Berklee College of Music where she will study songwriting and work toward a full-time career in music.
Josh Berk
- Morning Call
Storm says there is no way to tell how many votes were cast, but the site received 27,000 hits over the contest duration and there were 22,000 song plays. Sixteen-year-old singer-songwriter-guitarist Amanda Thorpe of Zionsville received the most votes -- close to 5,000 -- for ''Holly Holly,'' a folk-pop song about politics and her father.
''I thought entering the contest would be good exposure,'' she says, ''I didn't think I would get this far. I was so excited when I heard I got the most votes I was jumping up and down. I've never gotten this much attention before with this many people listening to my music.''
At the semifinals on Aug. 18, the nine artists performed at the Sterling Hotel in Allentown, the first live portion of the contest. Each artist had 30 minutes to show off before five judges.
The top five acts -- 39 Goodbyes, Rachel Copeland, Vose, Amanda Thorpe and John Scarangello -- are in the finals. Each has 30 minutes to play. Prizes include a two-song demo package at Westwires Recording, 10 hours of recording time at Dan's House and gift certificates to the Pocono Music Exchange.
- By Gabrielle Salerno | Of The Morning Call
Amanda Thorpe- F***ing LOVED this girl. She is only sixteen years old and has the voice of a down and out woman. Very light and pretty but always supported, kind of like Reg. Her lyrics weren't the average "Love is like a River" or w/e, they were more off the beaten path poetic. Easy to follow, but she always threw in some kind of weird simile or metaphor that stood out from the rest of the words.., it was lovely acoustic music. http://www.myspace.com/amandagthorpe
Anyways, the placing went as follows:
3rd: Johnny Scarangello (won 100$.
2nd: Vose (got &150 and recorded one official demo)
1st: Amanda Thorpe, and she definitely deserved it. She won $200 and time in an Allentown studio to record two official demos and send them off to another studio in NY. I squealed, I was so excited for her.
So yeah, I guessed the top three right, except I thought maybe Vose would win because the judges seemed to be more like rockers, but I was close enough. I hope you guys will check Amanda out, she's really pretty good. It's her potential that makes it interesting, I think
- Yablonya
Discography
2006-Goodnite Pennsylvania
2008-Concrete and Candy
2008-Art of Hiding (project in process)
Photos
Bio
"Teen Sensation" Express Times
"Acoustic Phenom" East Penn Press
"Powerful Presence" Morning Call
"Impressive Originals" Josh Berk- Morning Call
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18 year old Amanda Thorpe is a new aspiring artist who is rapidly becoming one of the most sought out voices in the Singer/Songwriter genre.
Starting to sing and write at the age of 8 she quickly realized her passion for music and began performing at every opportunity. Her love and respect for music has quickly grown into an obsession. Amanda plays an array of instruments which include the Electric Bass and Violin.
Picking up her brothers acoustic guitar changed the way Amanda thought about creating music. She learned some basic chords which allowed her greater freedom to create melodies and lyrics. By creating her own songs, she was able to focus on her own musicality and style. Since then, Amanda’s style has transformed and developed into a bohemian sensibility with undertones of teen angst layered with an edgy folk-rock sound.
A few years ago she began to exhibit her talent at open mics and soon got raves for her mature lyrics that are sung with beautifully haunting and ethereal vocals. Filled with brooding angst and maturity beyond her years, her songwriting reflects and weaves layers of teen struggles, politics and strong commentary on her past and current relationships. Amanda has also been heavily influenced by her families heritage and love of Celtic music both traditional and contemporary.
A songwriting machine; with over 100 songs written and composed, she has received resounding accolades on the coffee house circuit. Her depth as a songwriter and her knack for infectious and catchy melodies continue to grow and impress.
Amandas serious drive and determination has made her one of the hardest working unsigned teens in the region.
After high school, Amanda would like to become a full time songwriter, writing songs for other artists as well as for films and television.
Amanda recently won the Push/Play 2007 Original Music Competition that was sponsored by Pulse Weekly and the Allentown Fair. A member of the NYC Singer/Songwriters Club, Amanda is a regular at the Bitter End in NYC.
Amanda hopes to write for other artists as well as for movie soundtracks.
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Artist Recognitions:
2005 Winner of the Wildflower Cafe Songwriting Competition
Winner of 2008 Lehigh Valley Music Awards 9:
Best Singer/Songwriter
Best Lyricist
Best Song (Holly, Holly)
Best Teen Act
Best Folk Performance
Best Solo MySpace
Winner of the Push Play 2007 Competition
www.myspace.com/pushplaygaf
2009 Winner Lehigh Valley Music Awards:
Best Teen Act
Best Folk
Best Singer/Songwriter
Best Solo Myspace
Currently a member of the New York City Singer/ Songwriter Club and is a regular at the Bitter End in NYC.
Vocals are featured on the "Career Pathways" PBS special theme song.
Background vocals on several local artists projects
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Airplay on:
AFU Internet Radio
Dr Lou Radio Show:1360 AM in Philadelphia
Cool Vibes Radio-Acoustic Diner
Women of Substance Radio
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Venues Amanda has played at:
Bitter End-NYC
Chaplin's Music Cafe-Spring City, PA
Wildflower-Bethlehem PA
Perk on Main-Emmaus, PA
Lee Gribbens on Main-Emmaus, PA
Sterling Hotel-Allentown, PA
Allentown Fair-Allentown, PA
World Cafe Live-Philly
Godfrey Daniels-Bethlehem, PA
Java Lounge-Nazareth, PA
Steel City Coffeehouse-Phoenixville, PA
Brenda & Jerry's-Bath, PA
Hall of Fame Lounge-Nashville, TN
LVMA's 9-Hellertown, PA
Triumph Brewing Company-Philly
ESU/Common Grounds-East Stroudsburg, PA
Barrington Coffee House-Barrington NJ
Society Hill Playhouse/The Red Room-Philly PA
Appalachian Brewing Company-Camp Hill PA
MMC12-Harrisburg PA
The Mansion-Philly PA
C View Inn-Cape May NJ
Vox Pop-Brooklyn NY
University of PA-Spring Fling-Philly
The Cutting Room-NYC
KatManDu-Trenton, NJ
Brownie's-Ardmore, PA
Mas Cafe-Emmaus, PA
Doc Watson's-Philly
Creations Cafe- Lititz, PA
Gryphon Cafe-Wayne PA
Cafe 222-Livingston NJ
Growers Market-Allentown PA
Allentown Brew Works/Silk Lounge-Allentown PA
Brownies East-Ardmore PA
On the Border Songwriters Series-NYC
Sidewalk Cafe-NYC
Mas Cafe-Emmaus PA
Womens Fest-Lehigh Valley College-PA
Upward Bound-Allentown PA
Gizzi's-NYC
The Rotunda-Philly
Twisted Tree Cafe-Asbury Park NJ
McStew's-Levittown, PA
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