Amy Engelhardt
Amy Engelhardt is obsessed with words, music, cheese, garlic, crosswords and cats. She was the sole female member of Grammy-nominated, genre-busting, Seattle-based vocal quartet The Bobs from 1998-2012. Her insanely diverse vocal credits include the soundtracks for Jurassic World, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Jim Henson's Animal Jam, Barbra Streisand's Timeless and Neil Young's Living With War. She has shared the stage and/or studio with celebs including Donald Fagen, Jane Lynch, Harry Shearer, Jill Sobule, Herbie Hancock, Julia Fordham, Paul Shaffer, Don Was, Fountains of Wayne and “Weird” Al Yankovic. Amy’s first solo CD, Not Gonna Be Pretty garnered multiple Just Plain Folks Award Nominations. Her first love was theater, and her cheeky rock score for BASTARD JONES (Off-Bway) earned the show a Best New Musical nomination.
For fans who have never heard your music, can you pick three words to describe it?!
Smart, playful, pointed. I'm a no bullshit storyteller who wants to make you laugh, then cry. I like to write about the thought process behind emotions we all feel - some of which we don't like to admit.
What is your favorite part about being an artist? Is it songwriting, performing, recording, something else?
I've done all of this for 25+ years...So I like to make new sandboxes to play in - whether that's writing something that's performed by me or other people, or opening up a door to a very neat room no one's messed up yet. I want to go to new places and take you with me.
Can you tell us what being in the recording studio is like for you?
It's my second home. A theatre is my first home.
Okay, this a fun question. When you are not doing music, what else do you enjoy doing?
Playing with cats. Eating anything with a lot of garlic. Hiking in beautiful places.
Who do you admire most in the music scene today and why?
Ben Folds - for making it nerdy cool to be a piano rocker, writing smart lyrics, using orchestras in concert and creating opportunities for other musicians.
Can you tell us what song you've written that is the most emotional and describe the meaning behind it?
Possibly LIKE ME - the title track from my first album. It's the most personal, that's for sure. It's an almost verbatim presentation of what was said to me when I was a kid. But I made it rhyme. : ) And we all know someone who's like the speaker.
Are you working on any new material right now or what's in the works for the upcoming year?
I was literally about to launch a crowdfunder for a full EP when the pandemic hit. Needless to say, I didn't feel right doing that once it was in full swing. So I just released the first of 3 EPs (FINISH, FINISH WHAT and FINISH WHAT YOU) and have tracks for the second yet to be mixed. Remote recording has been a challenge, but the players I use have worked on my stuff for years, so I know what I'm gonna get is gonna hit it even if I'm not in the room with the rhythm section.
Can you give us a few places where fans can find your music?
For more information on Amy, please visit her website.
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