Amanda Shires proves — once again — her artistic versatility on her latest LP, To The Sunset, adding new sonic textures to an already rich palette. She’ll bring the whole show to Headliners Music Hall this weekend.
LEO: This is not the same sound that you left off on. How important is it to not be pigeonholed in Americana? Amanda Shires: I think that if you look back in my catalog, you can hear things like what I’m doing on this new record. It’s just I did more of it. I think because my last record didn’t have any kind of synthesizer or not too much electric guitar, if people just caught on to me from that record, then I could see how they might see that it was way different. But, to me, it’s not far from previous works. But it is far, I guess, in the way that there’s some crazy double vibrotic vocals or something like that, and it is odd that I have songs that aren’t completely just miserable and sad.
Some of the issues that you’re talking about on the LP — mental illness, addiction, et cetera — does that come from any specific place for you? I think that there are things that I deal with on the daily with my friends and family, and then I know that my friends and family also are dealing with them. Then, just trying to make it easier to talk about things, to make it less... just to try and open conversation. If people can ask a question, then that’s good because they’re starting to talk. I think that a lot of us are scared to talk to one another these days, and I think it’s really important — face-to-face contact and caring, empathy and all that sort of stuff. It’s all about connectivity and connecting with one another and trying to help each other out.
Amanda Shires performs at Headliners Music Hall on Saturday, Sept. 29.
