"AMBYR EFFECT"
by CHRIS RILEY

"Ambyr Effect”, when the semi-precious stone, ambyr, is rubbed the right way, it becomes charged with electricity. That is the "effect" Ambyr has on her fans each time she takes the stage. Rock infused country, pushing the boundaries of the genre, Ambyr, is on the cutting edge of country music. “There is amazing talent in Nashville, but too often, what we hear on the airwaves all sounds the same. The trick is to remain true to myself as an artist and still create music that’s relevant”. With a style all her own, she is quickly becoming Nashville’s premier vocalist. She’s been featured on Show Time at the Apollo and opened for many of today’s top country superstars including Big and Rich, Phil Vasser, and Ronnie Milsap to name a few. In the spring of 2008, along with her husband Glenn and the artist Chance, she co-founded the Collective, a group of aspiring artists, songwriters, musicians and friends brought together by their love of music in passionate pursuit of their dreams. With a pure, sweet tone and endless range, her unique sound and style is winning fans of every age.

DGT/Chris: You have such an incredible and beautiful voice! Did you grow up taking singing lessons or have you just always been able to sing?
Ambyr: Ah! Thanks Chris!! I’ve been singing my entire life with my first public performance at the age of 5. I always participated in either a school chorus or church choir throughout my high school years but I’ve never had any formal voice lessons.
DGT/Chris: Have you always known that you were going to be a singer or was there a certain point and time in your life when you made the decision that you wanted to be a professional singer/ musician?
Ambyr: While I have always loved singing, I also enjoyed drawing. Early on I thought about pursuing a career in art, but after I auditioned for a musical in school and won the lead role, I was hooked and knew that performing was what I was meant to do. By age 15, I was already performing 1-2 nights a week at various clubs around town. Eventually I formed my own band and started co-writing songs for our first album. DGT/Chris: Were you born and raised in Nashville and if so, do you think that being raised in music city played a big part in your career choice of being an artist?
Ambyr: No, I was born and raised in Jacksonville , Florida . My husband and I decided to move to Nashville in 2004. Though I was not born here, Nashville definitely influenced my sound and love of music and performing. Nashville is such an amazing place and we can’t imagine living anywhere else. We truly feel like we are home.
DGT/Chris: When did the band Amber Effect come into action?
Ambyr: We decided to form the band about 15 months ago in order to truly realize our vision and sound. We didn’t want to sound like everyone else who uses the same charted backing bands around town and that’s what seemed to start happening during our first few shows. We knew we needed to be true to ourselves, so we regrouped and really took the time to develop our sound and image with some amazing musicians who understood our vision and goals.


DGT/Chris: Now I've realized that you have changed the name from Amber Effect to Ambyr, Is this because you want to be considered more as a solo artist then as a group? Ambyr: I still have my amazing band with me always. People would automatically refer to us as just Ambyr no matter what the name of the band was, since I had performed for about a year in Nashville as a solo artist. We knew we already had strong brand recognition with the name, so it just seemed like a natural progression. DGT/Chris: The Ambyr style is an original blend of rock and country, is there any particular group or artist that you personally would compare yourself to or say that they have influenced your sound/ style to be what it is? Ambyr: It’s amazing, and often an honor, to hear some of the comparisons that others have made about our sound. I really don’t personally think I sound like anyone in particular but I have a ton of influences. Nashville Icon, Billy Block referred to our music as “Gothic Country” and at first we weren’t sure what to think about it, but the more our music evolved, we now feel it truly describes us – a little dark & neo-classical, a little rock & country but with deep, meaningful storylines. Most people have described my voice as a cross between Martina McBride & Amy Lee of Evanescence, which I will take as a compliment any day. DGT/Chris: You have been in the studio a lot here lately, Can your fans expect to be seeing an Ambyr album coming out here soon? Ambyr: Well, we are extremely excited because we finally finished our very first album in June and we expect it to be released within the next 2 months. The album was produced by myself, husband Glenn Mcswain and Chance and I co-wrote many of the songs along with Glenn and others, including Big Vinny of Trailer Choir and Kristen McNamara. We started posting the new songs on our site www.myspace.com/ambyreffect and www.reverbnation.com/ambereffect for download until the album is pressed. We’ve had wonderful feedback already and can’t wait for everyone to hear it. The album is called One Heart and we decided to do something with it that not too many people seem to do anymore in a world of digital downloads – a concept album. The songs on this album tell a story by chronicling the journey of one heart - from young and flirty romance, to adult relationships as well as heartbreak and angst. There are songs that everyone can relate to, whether they have gone through it before or know someone who has. We hope that these songs touch people and evoke intense emotion.
 DGT/Chris: What does the Ambyr tour roster look like for the summer? Do you have any special shows scheduled that you are really excited about it?
Ambyr: Well, you never know what shows or opportunities may come up during the next few months. We have several cool events in the works and everyone can check them out on our myspace page as we announce them. But for now we are performing every Wednesday night at Dan McGuinness in Nashville with Chance along with special guest artists and bands appearing every week. Big John from VH1’s Rock of Love hosts the show when he’s in town and it is always so much fun and you never know who will show up! DGT/Chris: Give a quick overview to your fans as well as to the people just being introduced to you, What we can expect from Ambyr in the upcoming months of 2008?
 Ambyr: Our fans have been great and so supportive. I think we are living in a very exciting time in music. Being an artist with such a unique blend of genres seemed like it would be difficult for people to know how to take us, but people are so diverse with their musical tastes now that we have acquired fans from everywhere. We have consistently charted on the MySpace charts - not only on the country chart, but also on the Gothic and Rock charts. We have as many Hip-Hop, Gothic and Rock fans as we do Country fans and we think that it’s pretty cool to have that much cross-over potential. Obviously, our album will be coming out, but we are already working on new music for our shows and album number two so fans will continue to hear new tunes coming out over the next several months. This year has been amazing and we can only continue to look forward to what’s in store!