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!
Ever since Cradle Of Filth introduced me to Lindsay Schoolcraft, she has become a very interesting musical enigma to me. For being involved in such a Extreme Symphonic Black Metal outfit, Lindsay’s musical interests are very vast. Her classical music influences contain some of the very legends responsible for modern contemporary music, and classical musical influences that are still very relevant in the 21st century.
In a world culture that places such high and yet superficial regard on appearances, women like Lindsay are challenging the conventional wisdom. Women in Rock & Metal have been measured with a two edged blade on body parts and actual musical talents. In the first installment of this Women In Rock Series, we will talk and focus more about talent and training. We will also see how a young aspiring Canadian musician made her way into one of Heavy Metal’s most legendary bands in Cradle Of Filth.
Thank you Lindsay for joining us. It is great having you.
“Thank you so much for having me!”
What was the very thing that started your musical journey and how long have you been on this journey?
“Music was in my life from a very young age, but I didn’t decide to take it seriously until my mid teens. As cliche as it may sound, I got my biggest inspiration from the movie Josie and The Pussycats when I was 15. It sparked the fire in me and I’ve been hungry about my passion for writing and performing music ever since. Of course many other artists have inspired me along the way to keep going.”
You come from a classical background, who in the world of classical music influenced and inspired you?
“I would have to say Bach, Wagner, and Carl Orff have been the biggest contributors to my love of classical music. My training has been through the Royal Conservatory of Music and they have exposed me to so many composers. I’ve even done studies in jazz and folk through them.”
What metal band , artist or genre allowed you to fork off into metal?
“My first exposure to metal was with Kittie when I was in high school. I had mainly taken a lot of influence from post 90’s nu metal during that time. In my early twenties I was introduced to Kamelot and Nightwish, but I didn’t get extremely passionate about metal until I was shown Dimmu Borgir. They were everything I loved about classical and black metal forged together. I’m still anxiously waiting for their new album.”
Were you inspired by more than just musicians as artists ie, painers, acting, book authors ?
“Absolutely. I’ve always gravitated towards visual arts. There was always a style I had in mind for my drawings and paintings and in high school and then I found out it was very close to the style of art nouveau. I adore Alphonse Mucha and his legacy. There also movies that have inspired me over the years. Mainly the horror rock opera “Repo! the Genetic Opera”. So you can imagine I was over the moon when the creator and main actor Terrance Zdunich contacted me earlier this year and asked me to be part of his new art project: American Murder Song.”
Probably a question most asked, how did you find your way into Cradle Of Filth?
“To this day I still have to pinch myself and ask if it ever even happened, because it’s changed my life forever. I was connected to them by a friend over good old Facebook back at the end of 2012.”
For the musicians out there, describe your musical gear you use in both studio and live in concert.
“In the studio I use my Yamaha portable grand piano with midi through Protools. For vocal and harp tracking we use . You’d have to actually talk to my producer Tyler Williams at Monolothic Productions. He is a real gear head and I am still just learning, slowly. Live I use my Shure in-ears along with my Sennheiser wireless pack. I play a NuMotion Revo 1 keyboard. There is more gear to list, but I don’t want to overly bore the readers with it.”
Is there any current band or artist whom you would like to guest on their project and why?
“There are too many. My top ones would have to be possibly getting a guest vocal spot on a song with Dimmu Borgir, Chevelle, or Kamelot. But I’d also love to collaborate with The Weeknd! I know that sounds crazy, but I enjoy copious amounts of trip hop and, for some reason, The Weeknd’s work really resonates with me. Passion speaks through music no matter what the genre, you can hear it in his voice and songs. And I’ve always wanted to sing a duet with Jon Crosby of VAST and Adam Roth of Broken Iris.”
What are your goals going forward both with Cradle of Filth and solo?
“For Cradle there is less stress on me when it has come to writing our new album together. It is a group effort and we all split up the tasks fairly. I am mainly back to working on strengthening my voice so it can be strong for this next album and live. The live show with Cradle will be my biggest focus this year. As for my solo project there is more pressure and responsibility since it is currently only a two person venture. I am just half way through demoing the new album and working on collaborating with a big name that I think a lot of people are going to be very excited about, once announced. No word of live shows yet, I’d rather just get the album sorted first for going into production this year.”
Thank you for joining us, is there anything else you would like to share with the readers?
“Thank you for having me! Be sure to check out my social media for lots of big announcements and new music coming this year!”
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