I remember first seeing Amy Lavere busking on the sidewalk with The Gabe and Amy Show in downtown Memphis. I was immediately struck by such a petite and beautiful young lady slapping the shit out of the upright bass!

The next time I saw her was at a graduation party that both her band and my band were performing at for some wealthy young man. We talked over drinks during breaks about working together at some point. I was honored to work with her on her first two records on Archer Records and we developed a friendship throughout those times.

Her latest record, Stranger Me, is a high mark of her development as a recording artist and a work of sublime beauty. Produced and recorded by Craig Silvey, the mastermind behind Arcade Fire’s grammy winning album of the year, The Suburbs, the record features Amy on upright bass and vocals, Rick Steff on keyboards, David Cousar on guitars, and Paul Taylor on drums. Other contributors included Jonathan Kirkscey and Bobby Furgo (strings), Jim Spake (saxophone), John Stubblefield (bass), and Nahshon Benford (trumpet).

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