I first heard of Amanda Shires on NPR's All Songs Considered, where they played the song "Swimmer...," which (intentionally or not) is one of the most heartbreaking songs I'd heard in a long time.
A year later, I bought a ticket to see the talented Texan in one of the last few truly small Brooklyn rock venues, The Rock Shop. Her guitar player stayed in Norway with a girl he met, and she was accompanied by a last minute replacement, Daniel Markham. Overall, it was a great show, and I got to meet and speak with Amanda a bit afterwards. She was genuinely one of the nicest artists I've ever met - humble, beautiful, and funny.
Amanda Shires opened up her set with an a capella version of "Kudzu", showing off the strength of her voice. Here she is playing the ukulele shortly afterward.
In addition to being a talented singer/songwriter, Amanda also plays a mean fiddle.
 Barbara Keith cover.)
Early on in the set, she played one of my favorite tracks from her latest album "Carrying Lightning" - "Detroit or Buffalo", which is actually a (very faithful) Barbara Keith cover.
Amanda Shires' trademark f-hole cowboy boots. They'd seen quite a few miles, and she mentioned they needed a re-soling.
 funny stories, like losing her guitar player in Norway. Here she is right before playing Swimmer...)
A very happy Amanda Shires. She told a few jokes and some (unintentionally) funny stories, like losing her guitar player in Norway. Here she is right before playing "Swimmer..."
I spoke to Amanda after the show about her new tattoo on the back of her right arm. She asked me how I knew it was new, and I said because I hadn't seen it before. That was a funny exchange. She said she got that ink recently in New Zealand.
Sadly, I wasn't able to go to her show the next night in the Lower East Side. And Amanda was double-fisting drinks after the show, so when I offered her a drink, she said she'd take me up on that the next time I saw her.
