Amber performs both acoustically as a solo, duo or trio act, as well as with a full four-piece band. Her band includes four-time GRAMMY nominee and two-time NAMA winner Will Clipman on percussion and drums, former Tucson Area Music Award winner and Tucson Musicians' Museum inductee Jay Trapp on bass, and several-time Tucson Area Music Award (TAMMIES) winner
Doug "Hurricane" Floyd on electric guitar.
Performance of Amber's song POINTLESS at the 2009 La Encantada Summer Concert Series:
The full band's performance of
RISING
at the Downtown Saturdays Music & Community Fest in Tucson...
Rough footage from the live recording session at
Luna Recording Studio in Tucson. The acoustic band performance of Amber's song
BOB SCHMIDT features Doug Floyd on acoustic guitar, Michelle Maliniak on trumpet,
Jay Trapp on bass and Will Clipman on drums.
Patty Griffin, Indigo Girls, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Dar Williams, Melissa Etheridge, Ani DiFranco, Peter Mulvey, Carole King, Sarah McLachlan, Natalie Merchant, Billy Joel, Elton John, Sinead O'Connor, Stevie Nicks, Marc Cohn, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, Joan Jett, Shawn Colvin, Tori Amos, Cris Williamson, Catie Curtis, Bonnie Raitt, Ben Harper, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Melissa Ferrick, Jamie Sams, Joy Harjo
Sounds Like
"Hints of Ani DiFranco peek through, elements of Melissa Etheridge, Patty Griffin and the Indigo girls are all present" ---Annie Holub, TUCSON WEEKLY
Described as "the love child of Natalie Merchant, Sarah McLachlan and Melissa Etheridge," Amber often has the audience stunned at how such a big voice and dynamic energy come from such a petite artist. In Arizona, she's described as "a singer/ songwriter to be reckoned with...the petite powerhouse is one part poet, one part social crusader" ~Tucson Lifestyle Magazine.
Hailing from Iowa, Amber emerged from the farm with a burning desire to see the world and be of service to others. After graduating from Creighton School of Nursing, Amber traipsed across the hemisphere doing volunteer work as an RN in the remote villages of the Dominican Republic to a migrant clinic in Oregon to the bush villages of southwestern Alaska. Eventually, she settled in the southwestern Alaskan bush region working as a nurse for six years. The long, dark cold nights, mixed with the extreme Alaskan lifestyle, proved to be the perfect environment for a young songwriter.
In 2004, Amber packed up her song tracks and headed south to the Sonoran Desert to release her debut album, SOUL IN MOTION. She released her sophomore album, RISING, in 2006 and was a finalist in several songwriting competitions. In 2007, she was voted the Up-and-Coming Artist of the Year in the Tucson Area Music Awards, and she was awarded second place out of 100 bands in the Winery Music Awards in Paso Robles, California. Due to popular demand for an acoustic album, Amber released an acoustic EP, ACOUSTIC DREAMS, in October 2007.
Amber tours nationally, performing at festivals, wineries, coffeeshops and concert halls from coast to coast. Her compassionate life experience shines through in her eloquent lyrics and music.
"Every so often a CD comes along and grabs you by the collar and demands: Listen to me! Amber Norgaard's 'Rising' is that CD...Amber's is the 21st century's survival anthem." ~Buddyhollywood.com
"Her lyrics don't paint a picture, they grab your arm." ~Iowa Entertainer
"A fabulous performance from powerful singer/songwriter Amber Norgaard. We highly recommend Amber if you ever get a chance to hear her solo or with her full band." ~Eugene House Concerts (Eugene, OR)
I edited my profile with Thomas Myspace Editor V4.4 (www.strikefile.com/myspace)
Hi Amber just thought I'd stop by and show your page a little love....really wish you could have played at Bumbershoot....oh well true to it's reputation it rained....all weekend!
Hey......the new pics are great! You are a busy little bee the next two months with your gigs......thats good! Hope you had a restful weekend and i will talk with you soon.
Hey Amber, I was going to see if you wanted to play at our 25th hs reunion but i see you are going to be out of town, It is the weekend of Oct 2nd. Hope all is well. We need to hook up soon for lunch.
Hi Amber - I got your vm - thanks for calling...I will give you a call this weekend. Can you believe it? The jeep was totaled - it was hard to say goodbye to it! MyCommentSpace.com
Hey Lady, too long since last time in town! Hope all is well, I see you have and will be near by but not in Des Moines. Ummm...how do we fix that? Take care.
Amber You have some great music & art here on Myspace! I'm putting together called "World 4-Day Art Exhibition & Music Art Fair with a Family Flair 2010", showcasing the talents of film,video,photographers, artists, artisans and musicians. All musicians playing at the fair will be from MySpace, so, if you're interested, please stop by my page for more information.
I'm also looking for an artist who sounds like Janis Joplin for a tribute performance - if you have any suggestions for this, please let me know. If you know of any artists,film,video, photographers, artisans or other musicians, please let them know about this opportunity as well - we have many slots to fill!
That's great that you're coming back again after the summer. I'll have to check your site to see where your playing so I can sneak up there and watch. It was nice seeing you again and I'll definately have to check out that photographer,and in Spencer, very impressive! All of your pictures turned out awesome! Well, thinking of you and wishing you all the best! Hope to see you soon.
Easter Bunny..............;)~ Where are ur WABBIT EARS for this picture? LOL I really love this new pic 4 ur profile page, in fact all of the new pics are just FABULOUS! Enjoy your little tour in Colorado and talk with you soon. Many Blesssings to U :) Mare