When I was three my mom came home one day and found me on the piano playing
(by ear) everything my older brother had learned in the past six months of his
piano lessons. She quickly signed me up for lessons too and I took them but
after about a year and a half I decided to quit, I didn't like lessons. So
I quit and didn't really play much piano after that.
I picked it back up a little more during my early teenage years, and when I
was thirteen I had my first "love" interest go wrong and wrote my first 3 songs
with lyrics, I wasn't thinking of doing much with them but then an
opportunity came up for me to go to europe if i raised money so i went into
a recording studio and played all of my songs i had written (and made up a
few there) and put out my first CD. Only 3 songs with lyrics, the rest were
instrumental. I sold it and raised money to go to Europe.
I was VERY shy and didn't like performing in front of people (I didn't mind
if my back was turned but when people were looking at me it made me so
uncomfortable) so I didn't play out much.
After high school I was planning on going to college but while riding my
bike through Lake Tahoe one day I discovered a little sign for an apprentice
program being offered at a wood sculpture studio and decided somewhat on a
whim to postpone my plans for college and become an apprentice instead,
learning how to make custom wood sculptures and sculptured furniture. So I
moved from California to the little town of Carson City, NV and picked up a
chainsaw and learned to sculpt. I'm so glad that I did it because I learned
so much about how to realistically make a living with art.
After almost three years of doing that I had a very pivotal conversation
with the head sculptor of the shop about the importance of pursuing your
biggest passion because during hard times there needs to be something more
you're working towards, something bigger that pushes you forward. And
something struck a chord in me at that moment, and I knew that I was meant
to pursue music as my life calling because that has always been my true
love.
So I put down the chainsaw and picked up a guitar, taught myself how to play
it (with the help of friends) and started going to open mics playing songs.
One day a couple friends and I walked into a little place called Java Jungle
with our guitars and just started playing in there, and people were very
responsive and the next day the manager called me and asked how much they
had to pay us to get us back there every week. So that was my first time
playing a real "gig" and after that things just started picking up, people
were asking about where they could get my CD and so I decided to make one.
There was a band I had seen on my first tour to NY called The Animators and
their record blew my mind. I got the opportunity to play some shows with
them and they offered to produce my record. So I moved to NYC for a month
and a half and worked every day (and night) on the record which was released
Feb. 2005, called "Something New". It has a bit of a vintage feel to the
music, very textural instrumentation, and I wanted to do something different
with the packaging also so I made them look like vinyl records and ordered
tins which were printed, I decided to have this "Something New" theme
throughout everything I did.
Since then things have really picked up, my schedule has been filling up
with concerts all across the nation, including legendary rooms such as The
Living Room (NYC) Hotel Cafe (LA) Reno Hilton (Reno, NV) and opening slots
for some amazing performers such as Martin Sexton (Hawkins Amphitheater),
Dave Alvin, and Charlotte Martin.
Right now I'm writing more on the piano again (just recently) and will be
putting out a piano EP later this winter of my new songs. I tour solo right
now, and am having a blast.
For more info on Amber visit: www.amberrubarth.com
