the ancient "buzz" archive
May 27, 2009 / Green Valley News & Sun / Concert Marks Sahuarita Fest / by Annette Kelly
Singer/songwriter Amber Norgaard headlines a concert Thursday night as part of the Sahuarita Summer Nights Festival.
Norgaard, whose style is often compared to Natalie Merchant, Sarah McLachlan and Melissa Etheridge, weaves her strong, clear voice with multi-layered harmonies. Her music is always upbeat, and she enjoys people and touching their souls with her music. Within her work you’ll hear echoes of her Alaska home, her time working as a nurse in the Dominican Republic, her travels in Mexico and throughout the deserts and forests of the Western and Southwestern United States.
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March 25, 2009 / Green Valley News & Sun / Rising Star Plays the Green Valley Market / by Annette Kelly
“I love playing the Farmer’s Market venues,” says musician Amber Norgaard. “I like the community aspect of it, everybody here is doing their passion; I think it’s a loving, exciting environment!”
Hundreds of shoppers at the Green Valley Farmer’s Market would have to agree as they shop for the unusual, the ultra-healthy and the fun items they know will be here week after week. Amber sings about once a month in the market, where she sells her CDs between sets.
Amber plays venues all around Tucson from coffee shops to gala openings and Farmer’s Markets. Often compared to singers Sarah McLachlan and Natalie Merchant, Amber never disappoints.
At the market, “I play both original and cover songs,” she says. Listeners will recognize her cover songs, infused with her personal styles. Amber’s folksy, pop music both awakens and entertains marketgoers.
Sounding like far more than one talented musician while accompanying herself on piano or guitar, the quiet, rolling bass in her original selections, layered with her sweet, compelling melodies stir listeners down deep, calling them to the music.
Her website, www.ambernorgaard.com, lists her upcoming dates. A great choice is her performance at the Tonono Chul Park spring concert series on Thursday at 7 p.m. Tickets are $18. For reservations, call 742-6455, Ext. 0. Once there, you’ll become an instant fan of her original music.
“I’ve always played the piano as a way to relieve stress,” she says. In the mid-90’s, Amber was volunteering as a registered nurse in a village in the Dominican Republic; since a piano was not available, she took up guitar. Her natural modesty shines through as she tells the story. “I learned a couple of chords and was amazed at how it helped me related to the people there. Even though I didn’t know their language (Spanish), we could sit and play; everyone enjoyed it. This helped bring the barriers down.”
“I went on to another volunteer nursing assignment in Oregon where the clinic was set up in a warehouse. Again, most of the patients were Spanish-speaking, this time migrant workers. I was speaking Spanish both at work and when I was off then; I improved quickly,” she remembers.
Her own work is haunting yet familiar. Perhaps it is the folk music/balladeer style we remember from artists like Carole King and James Taylor. Unlike those two, Amber’s own words reflect more personal and human issues, poignant poetry about the struggles of life, but without becoming morose.
Amber’s voice, at once delicate and low, calls out to the listener’s soul, making lyrics almost unnecessary. Catch this talented musician while she still plays locally; it’s just a matter of time before she goes national!
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November 20, 2008 / Arizona Daily Star - Caliente Section / Women's Movement / by Kevin W. Smith
Amber Norgaard came here from Alaska, but she's no hockey mom.
There she worked as a nurse for six years, starting with a year of volunteer work before taking a full-time job in community health. She learned that music gave her an advantage in communication.
"When I went to villages, I found that playing guitar was a way to connect with the kids," said Norgaard, 34, who moved to the Old Pueblo in 2004.
The music Norgaard creates these days is upbeat, poppy folk rock, with lyrics mixing personal experiences and social observations.
"Since I'm not doing the nursing anymore, I've noticed the songs have become a lot more introspective," she said. "Which isn't a bad thing."
Norgaard was raised in rural Iowa before moving to Omaha, Neb., to study nursing.
She's risen to prominence in Tucson by performing constantly — anywhere from coffee shops to farmers markets to festivals.
In her Midtown casita, Norgaard has a mixed-breed dog named Macauley and a grand piano — the instrument she played growing up.
She didn't pick up a guitar until she began traveling a lot, doing volunteer nursing in the Dominican Republic for instance. She found the guitar was easier to check as luggage than a baby grand piano.
Norgaard started writing songs in Oregon when she was working at a migrant health clinic in the '90s.
She found creating songs helped her process some of the unpleasantness she was encountering in her work, like gang activity.
She moved to Alaska around 1998 and didn't play her songs in public until 2001. That's when she was approached by a former professional musician, Andrew Steele, who offered to help record her music.
It took her a year before she built up the courage to take Steele up on his offer, and the result is Norgaard's first album, 2004's "Soul in Motion."
Norgaard mostly supports herself on her music now, through performances and CD sales.
Since "Soul in Motion," she's released the 2006 album "Rising" and last year's EP, "Acoustic Dreams."
"I grew up on a farm, so I didn't realize that you could make a living doing art," she said.
She recently gained a booking agent in Colorado, and also tours the Midwest when possible.
When she needs to, she picks up part-time work with a property management company.
Norgaard usually plays performances solo, but she does have a backing band, which includes another Tucson singer-songwriter on bass, Sabra Faulk.
Norgaard started playing open-mic nights in coffeehouses here and now has a monthly gig at Javalinas Coffee and Friends on the Southeast Side.
"She draws such a big crowd," said Javalinas owner Bonnie Vining. Norgaard regularly draws 80 to 100 people of all ages, Vining said. Norgaard takes pride in her Javalinas shows, since she's worked hard to develop a following on that side of town. "It just kind of slowly grew," she said.
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October-November 2008 / D-Town Interview and Live TV Performance
D-Town interview and live tv performance aired on Cox Channel 12 & Comcast Channel 75 in Tucson, AZ. Thank you to Jeanie Bergen (writer-producer) and Dan Sheffer (chief photographer-editor). Also, thank you to the City of Tucson for supporting local arts and culture through public media.
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September 15, 2008 / Digital Release "Women of Rock" Compilation CD
Amber's song Rectify was selected to be on the "Women of Rock" compilation CD. MJR Films and Audra Hardt Music present a fantastic compilation album featuring acclaimed but relatively undiscovered female-fronted rock bands from around the globe. It is now available from the iTunes store. Literally hundreds of musicians were called, but few were chosen. Each featured artist combines a unique singing style with inspired writing talent making this compilation a must have for every serious collector.
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May 1, 2008 / Amber wins the Radio Crystal Blue Airplay Vote
Amber was the winner of the EP category in the Radio Crystal Blue airplay contest. Her 2007 EP Acoustic Dreams (2007) received the top number of votes.
FYI: EP stands for Extended Play. It's an album that's shorter than a full-length but longer than a single.
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April 15, 2008 / Tucson Lifestyle Magazine
Here's your chance Tucson: a concert featuring two of the best singer-songwriters working in this city today (or any city, for that matter) in a setting that's so tranquil it'll feel like you're in someone's living room.
Amber Norgaard combines a nurturing spirit, with a keen sense of melody, mixed with trenchant social observations and a strong dash of on-the-mark humor. She'll be joined by award-winning percussionist Will Clipman, Tucson Musicians Museum inductee Jay Trapp on bass, TAMMIES winner Doug "Hurricane" Floyd on electric guitar, and trumpeter extraordinaire Michelle Maliniak.
The show would be worth attending just to hear her high-powered band, but it should also be on your list as a chance to pick up her latest CD EP, ACOUSTIC DREAMS, which features new versions of songs from her CD RISING, such as "Turquoise Sea" and "Live This Dream," as well as new tunes like the haunting "Soldier Song."
Namoli Brennet will open the show with a solo set, and be sure you get there early so you don't miss her. A songwriter and performer of uncommon grace, her voice floats along like a child's boat on a gentle stream, though she can also unleash a Lou Reed-like growl that underscores the heartbreak on songs like "The Lottery," (whose lyrics ask, "What if we were wrong? What if this is all the lottery that we get? What if there's no big check?") Able to artfully blend feelings of outrage ("Border Crossing") with melancholy homesickness ("Ithica") and dry wit ("California"), she's at home in a variety of styles.
You'll hear hints of everyone from Dylan to Elliott Murphy to the Indigo Girls to Dar Williams on SINGER, and yet it remains a distinctive piece that could only have come from Brennet. And one of the astonishing things about the CD is that she played most of the instruments herself, making her an especially rare artist in this era of sampling.
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October 8, 2007 / 2nd Place Honors at the Winery Music Awards / Paso Robles, CA
Amber's band placed second in the summer-long Winery Music Awards competition held in California's Paso Robles wine country. Amber and her band were honored with making it to the finals competition this past weekend after their performance at the semi-finals in July 2007. There were nearly 100 bands competing.
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August 16, 2007 / Up & Coming Artist of the Year - 2007 TAMMIES / Tucson, AZ
Thank you to Tucson Weekly and sponsors for supporting the Tucson Area Music Awards (TAMMIES). A special thank you to Amber's fans and friends for their continued
The following are the awards/recognition Amber and her band members received:
- Amber won 2007 Up & Coming Artist of the Year
- Amber was runner-up in the following categories: Female Vocalist, Songwriter, Acoustic Guitar, Best New Release
- Electric Guitar award went to Amber's guitarist Doug Floyd
- Drum award went to Amber's drummer Jim Pavett
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August 16, 2007 / Tucson Weekly / Healing Art / by Annie Houlb
Amber Norgaard's passion for her music is evident in every song she sings. Her soulful voice rises above her guitar and piano, and her stories of the down-and-out and uplifted are, for her, a creative turn on her career path.
Norgaard used to be a registered nurse, and has worked in the Dominican Republic and Alaska's bush country, but music, she's found, is an even better way of helping to heal people.
"Nursing is a healing art; this is another healing art in a different vein," explained Norgaard. "In some ways, it can touch more people. Toward the end of my career, I got into prevention, trying to work upstream as opposed to downstream, but I feel that this is another prevention sort of upstream thing, because it's helping people connect emotionally."
Norgaard--voted the TAMMIES Up and Coming Artist of the Year by Tucson Weekly readers--has always played music, but, she explained, it took years for her to realize that it was something she could do full-time.
"I grew up on a farm, and I didn't really know you could make a living as a musician," she said. "When I was in high school, I started secretly, covertly writing songs, and I thought people would laugh at me if they ever knew. I went to nursing school, and I used to sneak into the arts building, downstairs where there was nobody, and write music on the piano.
"And then when I became a volunteer, I went to the Dominican Republic and then the Pacific Northwest, and I started picking up the guitar, because I couldn't take the piano with me. I realized it was a really great tool to help connect people, especially because in the Dominican Republic, I didn't speak much Spanish, but once I pulled out the guitar, everybody talks that language or somehow relates to that language."
While in Alaska, she helped bring touring independent musicians to the small community she was living in, and was inspired by their ability to make music their life.
"I think having that whole roster of people who came through really influenced me to (think) ... either I can continue to work in health care and do what I know, or I could just give this a shot, see what happens," said Norgaard. "Because songwriting and playing music is something I have to do to keep me balanced; it's part of me."
And once she started more actively polishing and focusing on her songs, the accolades started pouring in. She met drummer Andrew Steele, who had been a session drummer in the '70s (and who was also a member of the Herd with Peter Frampton). Steele was impressed, and having support from someone who had experience in the industry was self-affirming.
"He was a huge reason I dared to pursue my dream, because he'd been in the industry; he knew it, and he believed in my music and was always very positive and encouraging for me," said Norgaard.
The compliments didn't stop there. Once she moved to Tucson--a place Norgaard loves because it's both connected to a road system and close to wilderness--she gained the support of local musicians Sabra Faulk and Namoli Brennet, and when she brought the songs she'd recorded in Alaska to Jim Pavett at Allusion Studios, he heard potential.
"He heard the stuff, and he was like, 'Wow, you know, if you had a professional mix on this, it would make the difference between night and day,' and I had no clue; I was a nurse. I mean, I had bought some nice equipment before I left my day job, but I didn't know how to use it, really, so I started working with him, and then he hooked me up with this band, and they have really helped me a lot. Doug Floyd in particular--they're the ones who have made my band sound professional and helped with some of the arrangements and stuff of my songs."
With her full band (guitarist Floyd, bassist Jay Trapp and Pavett on drums), Norgaard recently competed in the Winery Music Awards in California, where Jake Hooker, the writer of Joan Jett's hit "I Love Rock 'n' Roll," told her she was original and focused. "He in particular came up to me and said, 'I love your music,'" Norgaard said. "It was validating, that in the world of music, my music is good to people who have been doing it for a lot of years. That was a really neat experience."
Norgaard's first album, Soul in Motion, recorded mostly in Alaska and then finished when she moved to Tucson, is a perfect balance of stripped-down acoustic and piano and more produced songs. "Camino del Diablo" tells the story of migrant workers crossing the desert, and "Still in Here" tells the story of a homeless man through Norgaard's full voice. It's her ability to work these kinds of stories into melodic songs that makes her a true folk singer.
Said Norgaard, "I think my life experience is unique, and if I tap into it, I can connect to people on all different levels."
Norgaard takes this even further on Rising, her 2006 album recorded and produced by Pavett at Allusion Studios in Tucson. The full band helps Norgaard's songs fully bloom and sound better the louder they're turned up. Hints of Ani DiFranco peek through; elements of Melissa Etheridge, Patty Griffin and the Indigo Girls are all present--what Norgaard calls a "mosh pit" of influences.
For her next album, Norgaard is planning on combining the more acoustic sound of her first album with the quality of production of her second.
"Now it's time for me to start defining my sound and having an actual goal when I go in to make an album," said Norgaard. "So I'm learning about that. I'm going to do a lot of the preproduction work at my house to see what kinds of sounds come out of me, to really define what I want it to be about instead of leaving it up to other people. So we'll see, because I'm going to have to search inside to see what sound is best to help people connect to the song."
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July 16, 2007 / 2nd Place and Best Song at the 2007 Winery Music Awards Semi-Finals / Paso Robles, CA
Excerpts from the 2007 Winery Music Awards press release:
Judged by a panel of noteworthy music and entertainment industry names, two artists, Dominic Castillo and the Rock Savants of San Luis Obispo, CA and Amber Norgaard of Tucson, AZ, stood out the most among five July semi-finalists by giving near-flawless performances of their widely appealing original music.
In second place, only four points below Castillo, was Amber Norgaard and her band from Tucson, AZ. Ms. Norgaard, who was voted runner-up as Up and Coming Artist of the Year in the Tucson Area Music Awards, gave a performance mixed with pop, folk and rock and written with well-crafted and honest lyrics. She was very well-received by the crowd at Stacked Stone, comprised primarily of the competition's target audience of wine drinkers, aged 21-54.
"Amber Norgaard is an original and can be marketed to the target audience," says Jake Hooker, President of a music production, marketing and branding company, Edge Management, and also writer of one of rock's greatest hits ever, "I Love Rock and Roll." "Amber was very strong overall, focused with good songs and style."
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July 10, 2007 / "Hell Town" Receives Recognition / Unisong Songwriting Competition
Amber's song "Hell Town" was selected as a top 20 finalist in the Unisong Songwriting Competition L.U.N.C.H. category. The proceeds from this category go to benefit the social programs in the areas of hunger, homelessness, substance abuse and domestic abuse.
"Hell Town" was also a finalist in the very last cut for the “Give US Your Poor" compilation CD project. It features celebrity artists, homeless artists and an independent artist. The song selected to be included in the CD was "Here and Now" by Mark Erelli.
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March 8, 2007 / Arizona Daily Star - Caliente section / From the tundra to the desert: Norgaard like the local music scene / by Gerald M. Gay
Name: Amber Norgaard, singer-songwriter.
Back story: Four years ago, Amber Norgaard was a registered nurse, living in the small town of Bethel, Alaska. Her day-to-day routine included, among other things, administering to the American Indians of Bethel's 56 neighboring villages. These days you can find the Last Frontier adventurer, who plays a little bit of everything including guitar, piano and saxophone, performing regular gigs around the Old Pueblo and once a week at Tubac's Farmers Market. She will make an appearance Saturday at the 17th Street Market.
What made you move to Tucson? "I wanted to be on the road system and the Southwest looked kind of cool. There seemed to be a lot of access to L.A., Phoenix, bigger places like that. Where I was living, in the bush region of Alaska, I was way off the road system. It was 400 miles west of Anchorage, and you could only get there by boat or plane. In some strange way, the desert reminded me of the wildness up there."
You were born and raised in Iowa. How did you end up in Alaska in the first place? "I was in a volunteer corps. After graduating from nursing school, I volunteered to go to the Dominican Republic and worked at a migrant clinic in Oregon. The corps had an opening up in Bethel, so I took it. After my time was up, I decided to stay and work full time for the health corporation."
When did you first start getting into guitar? "When I lived in the Dominican Republic. I brought a guitar down but didn't know how to play very well. My first instrument was the piano. But I thought it was a good time to learn guitar because I couldn't carry a piano on my back. The more time I spent there, the more I realized it was a really great tool to connect with the people. I didn't speak Spanish very well, but music always made a connection. After that, when I moved to Oregon, I started songwriting and did a lot more in Alaska."
Where do you draw your songwriting inspiration from? "I get it from everywhere. Immediately after moving down here, I wrote a song called 'Camino del Diablo' based on the migrant book "Dead in Their Tracks" by John Annerino. For me, music is kind of writing about the human condition. I like to raise awareness about human issues and social causes."
I take it our music scene is more fruitful than in the Alaskan bush? "When I lived there, there wasn't a music scene. We would kind of tag on to Anchorage. If they got a big act, our little arts council would try to get them to our town. Anchorage had a decent music scene. It is a novelty for artists. They all want to go to Alaska. I took my band up there in October for a little CD-release tour. It was a homecoming for me. I had a couple hundred people show up in the town I lived in and I got to show the guys I work with here where I came from."
Which is more fulfilling: being a nurse or being a musician? "They are both fulfilling in their own way. I feel completely exposed and vulnerable as a musician. It is more of a challenge. When you are a nurse, you are trained and you should know exactly what you are doing. You have benefits and know what hours you work. Music is totally different. You have to self-promote and are in charge of making it on your own."
You've lived several places over the last decade. Can we expect a longer stay for you in Tucson? "Yeah. I'm kind of planted here for a while. For me, this is kind of where I can base myself. The city is not too big, and you are still close to nature."
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March 2007 / “Rising” Demands Attention / by Alice Loweecey
Every so often a CD comes along that grabs you by the collar and demands: Listen to me! Amber Norgaard's RISING is that CD. Her lyrics sometimes blend, sometimes contrast with her intense guitar work and the driving beat of her songs. Witness her lines from "Turquoise Sea" - 'You were mist on the breeze' and 'Volcanoes are smoking/The ice is getting thin.' But then she sings, 'You steadied me/ You held the ground for me.'
"Rectify this Mess" slams us into the problems of the world - war, greed, a head-in-the-sand mentality - and calls us to be the instruments of change. "Sweet Laughter" is a touching and heartbreaking song of the empty space left in our lives after a loved one dies.
"High Above Myself" had me remembering the disco era's "I Will Survive." Amber's is the 21st century's survival anthem. "Dark & Light" takes us farther: 'I am ready to find my higher ground.' "Not Too Late" keeps climbing: 'It's not too late to breathe/it's not too late to believe.'
"Crazy State of Grace" takes it to a hopeful conclusion: 'It becomes easy to just stop believing/ We swore we were through/ But we failed to see/ The crazy state of grace.' Beneath all these moving lyrics is the band guitars, double bass, keyboards, and well-rounded background vocals. Play the CD several times through to absorb all the nuances of the lyrics, and you'll find yourself impressed with the depth of the arrangements.
As an added bonus there is the poignant memorial, "In This Life." As the CD ended, I was left wishing I'd known the person who'd inspired the song; and that I could sit down and talk for hours with Amber.
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December 15, 2006 / Tucson Lifestyle Magazine reviews “Rising” / Tucson, AZ
Though Amber Norgaard's recent CD is called RISING, the truth is that her star has been ascending for quite a while. Solo, or with her band, she has proved to be a singer/songwriter to be reckoned with. Touchstones for her sound include Indigo Girls, Dar Williams and Carole King, but she certainly isn't an imitation of anyone. Her guitar playing rings with authority, and her voice is strong and confident, pretty but never sappy. The 12 tracks on Rising chart a course that is both personal and universal. Listeners can sense the specific incidents behind a song like "Turquoise Sea," yet its message of finding someone who is a port in a storm applies in so many circumstances. "Hell Town" shows off her blues chops, "Rectify" rocks steady and "Sweet Laughter" demonstrates that Norgaard writes introspective ballads on par with the best in the business. Standouts include the unpretentiously profound "Dark & Light," the hopeful "Not Too Late," and the title track, which quietly unfolds in a way that would make it perfect for a film soundtrack.