“Amy Speace is the perfect torchbearer for the unconscious cool of true Americana” (Houston Press)

Possessing a commanding voice, a distinctive melodic sensibility and an uncanny knack for nailing complex emotions in song, singer-songwriter Amy Speace makes music that’s both illuminating and effortlessly accessible.  Paste Magazine called Speace’s latest release, “The Killer In Me,” a “resolutely hopeful take on heartache and loss. [Speace’s] beautiful lyrics are spun with a soulful, husky voice that lilts like a country sweetheart but mourns like Leonard Cohen”.  Hand-picked by folk/pop icon Judy Collins for her Wildflower Records roster, Judy has said “Amy’s a remarkable artist, writer and singer—I am a total fan.”  And possibly the highest compliment a folk singer could receive, Judy Collins recorded Amy’s song “The Weight of the World,” for her next CD, calling it “one of the best anti-war songs I’ve heard in the last 20 years.”

Born in Baltimore, raised mostly in small town Pennsylvania, Amy initially had her sights set on a career as a playwright/actor. After graduating from Amherst College with high honors in English and Theater, she moved to Manhattan, studied acting with The National Shakespeare Conservatory, joined the touring company of The National Shakespeare Company, ran her own theater company in NYC, and taught Shakespeare in the NYC school system as a Visiting Artist.  But after buying a $50 pawn shop guitar and teaching herself a few chords, she began setting her poetry to music and quickly became a central part of the Lower East Side’s bustling acoustic/indie/rock/folk scene.  She made her solo debut with the 2002 release of Fable, recorded in Williamsburg, Brooklyn with $5,000 donated by fans.  After catching a café performance at the 2005 SXSW music festival in Austin, TX, Judy Collins’ manager bought Speace to the attention of her boss, who immediately signed her.  “Songs For Bright Street” was released in 2006 to international rave reviews and put Amy on the national stage, remaining at the top of the Folk Charts for months and earning Amy a nomination for 2007 Emerging Artist of the Year by the North American Folk Alliance.  “The Killer In Me” followed in 2009, a record that she recorded with her longtime touring band, The Tearjerks, with Mitch Easter (REM, Suzanne Vega) and lead guitarist James Mastro at the helm.  The record was named to the Best of 2009 list of NYC’s top AAA station, WFUV and her song “Weight of the World” was named as one of the Top 3 Songs of 2009 by DJ John Platt.

In late 2009 Speace relocated to Nashville, TN.  In just the past few years, she has shared the stage with Nanci Griffith, Ray Wylie Hubbard, Judy Collins, Ian Hunter, been invited to play the Alex Chilton/Big Star Tribute at SXSW 2010 alongside Big Star, members of REM, The Raconteurs’ Brendan Benson and Sondre Lerche,  played the mainstages of Rocky Mountain Folk Festival, Philadelphia Folk Festival, Kerrville Folk Festival, Falcon Ridge Folk Festival (where she was named “Most Wanted” in the Emerging Artist Showcase of 2008) and made her debut on the nationally syndicated radio show “Mountain Stage”.  She is currently working with Neilson Hubbard on her next recording, due out in 2011.