Well, SWRFA 2013 was another great experience and a mere three weeks after that gig we caught our first ‘discovery.’

Amanda Pearcy is the lady’s name and she is a native Houstonian who makes her home in Austin these days. We already hit it off so well at the conference that she slid me her new CD, which our man James Killen reviewed. See it here. (http://www.houstonmusicreview.com/mambo/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2253&Itemid=3) and you will find it was a good one.

Amanda came to the landmark Anderson Fair this night along with Matt Giles on lead guitar and Mark Williams on bass/cello. We had already known Giles from his earlier days with Toni Price and Williams with both Suzanna Choffel and Ginger Leigh.

Earlier in the day, we ran into AP at KPFT where we were volunteering for their Fund Drive and she was doing a live spot on Larry Winters’ ‘Spare Change’ show.

We settled in right up front and Pearcy kicked the show off with “Wish Eyes in Heaven Settin’ Down” which sounded really good out of the gate with the two other band mates. I had seen her do it in a hotel room in Austin with no extra musicians at all. Pearcy has a hard to describe, but very good, deep rustic growl of a voice that trancends gospel type music wonderfully. Her “wolw-wolw” type delivery, while rockin’ back and forth,  mesmerizes ya especially up-close and personal like we were.

She holds her own on acoustic guitar and the threesome cooked like we were in a smoky blues club on “Better on My Own”. “Bring You Home” is a tender tune that was very nice with Williams’ cello grabbing your attention. Giles showed his chops on “Barking Dogs” and he and Williams showed a good sense of humor that seemed to help Amanda loosen up.

When Pearcy gave the crowd a hint of the title of her song coming up was “Three words a man loves to hear”, Giles chimed in with: “Here’s a sandwich?” Classic! It really was “Turn Me On” which it did.

And Williams threw out later in referring to his instrument prowess that there is always room for ‘cello’. Epic.  Amanda got into the comedy routine, too when her sister in the crowd yelled out “How long have you been playing guitar?” to which she replied: “I did not see where it was a Q&A format here?!”

Other stand out cuts of the twenty or so she performed were “The Story of My Heart” which she dedicated to me which was so neato, title cut of new record “Royal Street”, “Thousand Tender Recollections” with killer “kwesh shuns” for questions, “Come on Sugar” featuring more cello work and “Lackin’ in Nuthin'”.

For an encore she did a tune that fit her like a glove. I had just caught it on a YouTube video the day before and was hoping she’d add it to her songlist. It was the Bobbie Gentry classic “Ode to Billy Joe,” which the trio simply nailed! Heard that tune way back on my transistor (what’s that?) radio folks.

Pearcy is a sensual performer, weaving her themes of hard times and dealing with the tough stuff she’s had to endure along the road of life. You can surely tell this woman is a survivor and has turned the turbulence that has surrounded a good portion of her life into doing something she has always loved and that is performing and writing authentic music. To borrow from Amanda herself: “Don’t we all simply long to fly free in the contentment of an ordinary life…”   Amen sweet thang and here’s wishing nothing but the best to you!

GO see somebody at a club near you, will ya for cryin’ out loud?!