Amy Trail is one of New Orleans' most exciting "new school" singer/songwriters. She has cultivated a style that is influenced by the New Orleans classic groove theory, but not anchored to it. As singer and pianist, Amy mixes thoughtful songwriting with the beating heart of her band and tops it off with a searing vocal that is "by turns soulful, sensual and powerful" (Ben Rogers, Where Y'at magazine). In 2001, Amy moved from the bucolic canyons of Idaho to the Big Sleazy to pursue a degree in Jazz Studies. During her tenure at the University of New Orleans, Amy was the first female to be awarded the prestigious Basin Street Jazz Scholarship. While pursuing her studies, Amy had the opportunity of working with crème de la crème of New Orleans' jazz scene. At UNO, Amy studied with the likes of Terence Blanchard (International Jazz Scion, Spike Lee), Steve Masakowski (Astral Project), Brian Seeger (Quintology) and Harold Battiste (AFO Records, Sonny and Cher Show). This experience afforded Amy the luxury of honing her craft under the guiding hand some of New Orleans' most revered musicians/composers/arrangers.
After graduating from the University of New Orleans, Amy was eager to receive her real world education on the streets of the beau macabre French Quarter. As a headliner at the notorious Pat O'Brien's Piano Bar, Amy's musical studies expanded to include the great American pop song book. At Pat O'Brien's, music often takes second chair to crowd and entertainer antics, allowing her to study both humanity and harmony in the same setting.
Stumbling upon historical significance in New Orleans is not a hard task to accomplish. Pat O'Brien's Piano Bar is no exception to this rule. It is one of the oldest piano bars in the world and the first of it's kind to employ a dueling-pianos format. Since it's earliest incarnation, the formerly mafia run Pat O'Brien's has historically hired female pianists.
Amy has worked extensively in New Orleans both as a session vocalist and as a live performer. She has been featured on the nationally aired television shows "Louisiana Jukebox" and "Dew Drop Inn" and performed at the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, VooDoo Festival and the French Quarter Festival.
"Lushious Life" is the latest release from Ms. Trail. The album was incubated over a nine month period and has effectively captured a late seventies singer-songwriter, blue eyed soul sound. The inspiration for this record was the combined sounds of Hall and Oates, Jackson Browne, Micheal McDonald from a modern, female perspective.
As of late, modern radio has been populated with many reincarnations of older eras (i.e. Amy Winehouse's girl group sound, the new New Wave renaissance of the indie rock scene and the neo-soul movement) Amy's goal was to design a record that hearkened back to a particular musical era (late seventies blue-eyed soul).
"On her [fourth] independant release Amy locates herself fruitfully in a piano-driven singer-songwriter mode circa the 1970's. Elegantly simple melodies and effortless lyrics recall Carole King and her peers...framing her songs in the same Jazz and R&B-inflected chords." (Alex Rawls, Offbeat Magazine)
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Amy Trail Wed through Sat @ Pat O’s's Friend Space (Randomized)
Amy Trail Wed through Sat @ Pat O’s has 509 friends.
hey girl just thinking about you..... was telling one of my best friend how one of my old babysitters and old friends is now a singer in new orleans...... damn i need to get my ass over there..... and you can show me the nightlife of legends..... hope to make it there soon.... and hope everything is going good for you
Hey!! I've been meaning to "Myspace" you for some time now to tell you we had a great time hanging with you a few weeks ago on your break!! You are a trip!! See you again soon ... Treg's Sista
I hear ya, sis. I'm right there. I've got fluid in my left ear, infected, a hormonal wife i can't seem to talk to, and my mom's in town tomorrow. We should pool our collective "blech"...
i played a wedding yesterday @ the column's, and the whole party was headed to Pat O's for the "post reception". hope they didn't find you there, cuz GOD they were annoying. to go from michael buble, to apple bottom jeans, to "I Loved Her First" (the CREEPIEST country ballad about a father giving away his daughter), it gave me, well...a reason to drink. nah, i did have fun, though. Lupe' was on drums, so i had a bit of a stiffy the whole time. good thing i had my tux pants taken out a few inches!!!
ah, shucks. well...A. it's true, and B. i believe in the power of P.R.
anywhoo...linz and i are making halloween costumes today (she's leia, i'm a jedi, and miles is yoda). it's gonna be AWESOME!!! she actually found old mc'calls patterns. watch out for those pics on the flickr page!
Yo! Think you can save me a copy of your new cd??? Coming home for Christmas...SEE You then!!! p.s. Don't tell anyone, but I THINK Stacy likes you...that's so weird. ;)
