Amy Atchley
Amy Atchley grew up singing and performing in her hometown of Houston, TX. While the other neighborhood kids were selling lemonade, Amy was selling tickets to her performances on a make shift stage in her back yard. She began singing in church choir at age 3 and from there attended music magnet schools. She graduated from the University of Texas School of Music with her degree in vocal performance.
All the while, Amy was writing songs, and began performing and writing with acclaimed acts Hush and Fabu. She cultivated an ethereal voice and inspired lyrics with a powerful stage presence through her extensive touring and writing. Amy's experiences with Hush and Fabu led to her solo debut, Speeding. Mike Emery of The Dallas Met describes Speeding as, "a well-textured piece of work that combines elements of pop and folk with smart hooks ... using vibrant tones and a sensuous release, her style conveys an alluring blend of innocence and wit." Produced by an eclectic group, each acclaimed in their own right (Mark Addison, Govinda, and Mark Hallman, producers), Speeding is a powerful, hypnotic blend of heavenly melodies and revealing lyrics. A host of some of Austin's best and most diverse musicians like drummer JJ Johnson, bassists George Reiff and Edwin Livingston, guitar players Ron Welch and David Pulkingham, and violinist Govinda assisted Amy on this release.
In 2000, Amy, packed her bags and headed off to New York City with husband/saxophone great Elias Haslanger. Since that time she has performed extensively in the NYC local music scene and has developed a strong presence in that community. She has shared showcases with Angie Aparo, Jessie Harris, Amy Rigby, Carey Pierce (Jacopierce), Ani DeFranco, Ron Sexsmith, Abra Moore, Charlie Sexton, Terri Hendrix, David Garza, Michael Fracasso, and more. She has been selected as a performing artist at both SXSW & CMJ music conferences. Amy's success in promoting her debut EP Speeding, resulted in her song In Memory being featured on the 2001 BMI New Music Sampler. She has recorded demos in New York City with critically acclaimed producer Chicky. Amy released her 2nd solo CD in 2003 entitled Wish, produced by Steve Walsh. This CD features a parade of hits with some of NYC's finest musicians including Sean Pelton, Dan Reiser, Whynot, John Deley, and Nicolas Schubeck to mention but a few.
After 4 1/2 years of living and performing in New York City's thriving music scene, Amy decided to reconnect with her roots and has moved home to Austin "the live musical capitol of the world". She just welcomed her finest composition thus far, her baby girl Paris Olivia. A new recording project is on the horizon for Amy as her extensive catalogue continues to grow. The new tunes contain some of Amy’s most poignant songwriting to date.