Women In Rock Series # 2 Amanda Hammers Bass/Vocals | Sunshine & Bullets
There is a lot of very talented women in today’s musical atmosphere. However in a era that is so overly bombarded by how a woman comes off in her physical appearance it can become very monotonous into overkill where true talent can not be appreciated at its true value. In this 14 part Women in Rock Series here at Power of Prog, I have chosen to spotlight women who prove that music is far more than ‘Eyecandy’. In music there is substance and grace. That is where Amanda Hammers, bass player/vocalistof Florida’s very own Sunshine & Bullets fits the bill.
Lyrically Sunshine & Bullets are as introspective as The Cranberries meets Grace Potter. Melodically the band is this side of the heavier more hard rock version of Portishead meets Paramore. There music is partially science fiction from there debut Triangulum Mechanism to very heavy social commentary on their latest EP release Centauri Conspiracies Part 1both available on Melodic Revolution Records. I recently caught up with Amanda Hammers for a interview. The following below is the interview. ‘SORRY’ guys Amanda is spoken for !
POP – Hello Amanda thank you for joining us today?
AH – It’s a pleasure to be here!
POP – What was the very thing that started your musical journey and how long have you been on this journey?
AH – It all started in 2nd grade. I had an inspiring music teacher, Mr. Carter. Without him, I wouldn’t be joining you today.
POP – What kind of musical background do you come from? What did your parents have as music in the home during your upbringing ?
AH – My mom loves to listen to music to dance to, and my dad is more of a rock guy. I like both, but when I got older I kept “borrowing” CDs from my dad’s collection. Aerosmith’s Toys in the Attic was my gateway drug.
POP – What band , artist or genre allowed you to fork off into heavier rock music?
AH – Although Aerosmith was good, I needed music of my own, so I developed an addiction to Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson.
POP – Probably a question most asked, how did you find your way into the creation of Sunshine & Bullets?
AH – I had been in bands with both Rich and Kyle before, knew they were both ridiculously talented and fun to hang out with, so all I had to do was introduce the guys, get all 3 of us in a room together with some instruments, and the musical chemistry just sparked!
POP – For the fellow musicians out there, describe your musical gear you use in both studio and live in concert?
AH – Live, I use a couple of Dean Pro Edge 5 basses. The red one is standard tuning, just dropped half a step on all the strings, but the black one is drop tuned further, depending on which song I need it for. My Darkglass B7K Ultra is my lifeblood pedal! The character on that thing is beautifully dirty but still clear and low. I also use an EHX Micropog for that 12-string bass feel. I love the new D’Adarrio NYXL bass strings, and my current head of choice is a Hartke LH1000 with a Hydrive 8×10. If it’s good enough for Wooten, it’s more than enough for me!
I use basically the same things in the studio, but I’m not afraid to experiment with different things to get different sounds and tones if the song calls for it.
POP – Is there any current band or artist whom you would like to guest on their project and why?
AH – I’d love to work with someone like Eminem. He’s got this energy about him that is manic crazy yet bare bones honest.
POP – What are your goals going forward both with Sunshine & Bullets and solo?
AH – We’re continuing to write new material, release a new album, make more videos, all that good stuff. Rich and I are starting to make our wedding plans, but no date yet. As for goals, I like to keep it open-ended and simple: Have fun, and hopefully inspire others to do what they love!
When it comes to Black Sabbath tributes you always hear about a multi band and multi song album full of Black Sabbath covers. Most notably the albums Nativity In Black 1&2 or NIB A Cover To Black Sabbath have really been the major Black Sabbath cover albums. While cover albums like those certainly help the posterity of both the band and the music they created, they have not really addressed the very essence of the music. Most of those cover albums we see the band taking the Black Sabbath track and making it their own with their own signature sounds uniquely.
I have always asked myself what if a band or artist were to write and record an entire album of originals with the very tuned down doom sound Black Sabbath basically created Heavy Metal with. After almost 27 years since this thought first hit me there is now a album that now has done that very thing. Petri Lindstrom Project Hail To Sabbath is a album of six original songs written by Petri Lindstrom himself that really dive into the very essence of the sound of Black Sabbath. Thus making Hail To Sabbatha very appropriate title to this new release on Melodic Revolution Records.
It is albums such as this as to why I do special features on Melodic Revolution Records artists. Nick Katona and staff never fail to impress or amaze the listener with unconventional find and sign acts such as Petri Lindstrom Project. It is albums like this and the first half of this monthly feature from NeverWake that display originality and the fact that Melodic Revolution Records refuses to be pigeonholed or typecast to who or what genre they sign and present to the world. This is what makes a record label a quality buffet of various sounds and flavours throughout the world.
Petri Lindstrom Project’s new doom laden Hail To Sabbathis the ultimate irony as it contains Blake Carpenter – Vocals – The Minstrel’s Ghost, Voice of The Enslaved, Corvus Stone , Juha-Matti Koppelomäki – Solo Guitar – Wolfhorde , Janne Ahonen – Drums . This is also a testament to both label and artists that there is a melodic family atmosphere. There seems to be a tight knit community within Melodic Revolution Records where its individual artists continue to work with one another much like a fraternity or sorority. They are not just so called “side projects” these are whole other bands with whole other combination of artists about them.
As for Hail To Sabbath, this album stays very true to the origins of not only just Black Sabbath but the very spirit that gave metal its birth, ‘Doom Metal’. To my surprise Blake Carpenter does a fine job transitioning his vocals with great versatility between various genres, sounds and band participation he has been involved with vocally. This project is no exception to that rule either. Petri does a wonderful job channeling both his inner Tony Iommiand Geezer Butlertransitioning in and out between guitars and bass. The way this whole project has been written, recorded and produced show the listener the clear vision all participants have paying such original homage to Black Sabbath.
Petri Lindstrom has managed to bring together four world class musicians that clearly looked at his vision and to see it through. I hope Petri Lindstrom’s Hail To Sabbath will inspire future projects to pay very unconventional tributes with original standards and songs to bands they were influenced by and loved. Petri Lindstrom’s Hail To Sabbath takes tribute albums into uncharted territory I hope is explored more in the future. Petri Lindstrom’s Hail To Sabbath gets a 4.5/5 for very original content and courage to carry it out.
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