First, you’ll hear Amy Petty’s voice. At the same time overwhelmingly powerful and impossibly delicate, she sails between lullaby and seduction, pleading and rebuke, bringing the you to the edge of your seat. Then you’ll hear her songs, playing out in the head like short films, thoughtful and unconventional yet somehow familiar. Steady, percussive guitar lays a foundation for her vulnerable lyrics and their heartfelt delivery, bringing you back to her haunting and unforgettable voice.

 

After releasing two critically acclaimed folk/pop records on the Red Pill Entertainment label, Petty embraced the independent path, funding her third release through a crowdfunding campaign with an overwhelming response. The fruit of this labor is her finest collection yet, The Darkness of Birds. The record flows like a dark prose anthology, pulling from multiple writing disciplines and themes, though never losing its cohesion of tone. Anthemic secular meta-spirituals (Undertow & The Dreams that are Waiting for Us) feel right at home alongside character-centric narratives (Moses & Murder Ballad) and heart-rending love laments (You Never Came & Pull). Co-produced by Petty and multi-instrumentalist/engineer Andy Reed, The Darkness of Birds is sonically lush and expansive, ornamented with warm guitar tones, eclectic percussion, and hazy ethereal background vocals. The record’s broad palette offers new discoveries on repeat listens, but never takes focus away from the bones of the songs. The result is a mesmerizing, compelling and original sonic experience. 

 

A veteran performer, Amy has appeared on prestigious stages such as Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, Club Passim in Cambridge MA, The Bitter End in NYC, Uncommon Ground in Chicago IL and Berklee College of Music, among others. She has shared the main stage with artists like Sarah McLachlan, Jewel, Suzanne Vega and Steve Van Zandt.

"Intelligent lyrics and a singing voice that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up."

                                                       - Michael Witthaus, The Hippo Press