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An article from Maverick Magazine: the New Voice of Country Music. Issue 62. September 2007.

The first I had heard of Amanda Shires was when she toured last September with Rod Picott. The young fiddle-playing singer was an integral part of Rod's band, and she certainly impressed a lot of UK music lovers with her fine fiddle work, expressive vocals and all-round charm and beauty. Though still in her early twenties, it was plainly obvious that Amanda had quite a few years of musical expertise under her belt, even though she'd only been in Rod's band a few months

Amanda, a classically trained violinist, graduated from the acclaimed music school of South Plains College in Levelland, as well as Texas Tech University. She was an original member of Lanny Fiel's Ranch Dance Fiddle Band before landing with the Thrift Store Cowboys when she was 17. That was eight years ago and she's still with the Cowboys, in-between being a musician-for-hire and pursuing her own solo career.

She self-released her debut solo album, BEING BRAVE, almost two years ago and has almost completed a second album that should be released before the end of this year. Texas born and bred, she now calls Lubbock home, when she's not out traveling the world. Lubbock is area where such important 20th century musical figures as Buddy Holly, Joe Ely, Sonny Curtis and Roy Orbison hailed from. It's flat country with very little vegetation.

"I heard Terry Allen say that on a clear day, you could see the back of your head and I think that's true," Amanda laughs. "The only trees in Lubbock are foreign trees and it blows dirt. The reason why people from there play music is because there is nothing else to do."

Amanda has been playing music almost as long as she can remember. Most youngsters gravitate towards guitar or piano, but Amanda was drawn to the fiddle when she was ten and hasn't looked back. "I just saw it in a shop, this ugly green and orange one," she explains. "I just felt sorry for it and my dad got it for me. I played that one before switching over to another one, then I started learning from a fiddle player."

A major early influence was Lanny Fiel, whose band she joined when she was 13. It was all fiddles and guitar, playing a mix of music with three-part harmonies and songs like Stardust and those from the Bob Wills repertoire. Amanda was immersed in 1980s country growing up, but now she listens to much more diverse music, everything from Randy Travis to indie rock and old-style western swing

"They were all my age except for the teachers of the band," Amanda recalls. "I played with this totally awesome guy for a couple of years and then I started with a band called Thrift Store Cowboys and I have been with them now for seven years touring all around and recording."

Alongside Amanda on fiddle and vocals, the other members of the band are Daniel Fluitt (guitar, lead vocals), Todd Pertll (guitar, banjo, pedal steel), Colt Miller (accordion, banjo, guitar, organ), Clint Miller (bass) and Kris Killingsworth (percussion). Eight years of touring has placed the band on the cusp of national acclaim, having already garnered attention throughout the southwestern United States on numerous tours that have sent them through Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, Arizona, California, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, North and South Carolina, Georgia, and Arkansas. The once little known band from West Texas has made a name for itself by playing some of the top indie venues in the States, such as the Granada Theater in Dallas, the Bluebird Theater in Denver, Threadgills World Headquarters in Austin, and the Launchpad in Albuquerque. Additionally, they have shared the stage with national acts such as Old 97s, Ian Moore, Blue October, the Flatlanders, Billy Joe Shaver and DeVotchKa. just to name a few.

The band has released three album as it has evolved over time ranging from straight up rock and roll to Mariachi influenced country, along with a few alt.country waltzes thrown into the mix. While so many artists depend on one or two writers to shape the sound, TSC is not afraid to mix the influences of all five members in an effort to best utilise the wide array of tastes and talents present in the band. In order to attain their unique sound, the band uses fiddle, lap steel, and accordion as a supplement to an ensemble of guitar, bass, drums to further set themselves apart.

Amanda has managed to do music full-time ever since she graduated college in 2004. Prior to that she played every spare moment she could around her studies plus part-time work "I waited tables and I was a unit secretary while doing a couple of fiddle lessons,' she says. "I guess I did all kind of weird things, I cleaned my mum's house so that she would make me dinner!

She keeps extremely busy a side player but has her heart set on becoming a successful solo performer in her own right. The new solo album she’s been working on is quite different to her debut. BEING BRAVE emphasized her fiddle prowess more so than her vocals. There were several traditional tunes included, alongside Roy Acuff's Low and Lonely and just four of her own original songs. “The new one's all singing songs,” she says. “We haven't put one fiddle tune on it, but there might be one on there, though I guess it's not really necessary. All the songs are mine, some are co-writes.”

“It was scary,” she admits, talking about co-writing. “You're both kind of going there thinking different things, but when you have to put it into words, like some kind of feeling or something, that's supposed to be meaningful, it's kinda cool. I guess for me, it's kinda hard to talk out loud. It's easier to write something down, but if you are trying to explain something to somebody, like something really sad, like death, you try to explain something that could mix in like that. But it gets easier.”

Amanda is not sure if the new album will be self-released or it she can get some kind of label deal. But the twenty-five-year-old has a mature way of looking at her career and won't be tempted to take an easy option for a quick buck. A musical career of longevity and credibility is her ultimate aim.

“My next goal would be to put a band together or something,” she explains. “I like to sing a lot. I just want to do things that I'm proud of. I don’t want to do anything that I’m not poud of. Just do the best I can and hopefully do something good. If it turns out bad, I guess I could just start over. But don’t quit, I’ll never quit!”
Alan Cackett

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