SE Minnesota singer-songwriter coming to Austin as part of rescheduled concert

Published 6:37 pm Tuesday, November 14, 2023

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A show that was originally scheduled for February of this year is gearing up to entertain this Saturday night, featuring three woman-led acts that includes southeastern Minnesota’s own Amanda Grace.

The trio of acts, headline by Mae Simpson and featuring Maygen + The Birdwater and Grace, will start at 7:30 p.m. Saturday night at the Historic Paramount Theatre, nine months after the show, as part of the Caravan du Nord, had to be canceled because of illness.

“It’s an honor and it’s exciting. I have family friends that are coming out,” Grace said Monday of performing with the line-up Saturday night. “It’s a really great opportunity to perform with an all-woman line-up. That’s still a very rare thing in the music industry.”

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Since 2010, Grace, who lives in Winona and who has performed at the Paramount Theatre in the past, has been putting out music her own way.

She’s currently wrapping up her eighth album, “Give Me Away.”

“I’ve been writing for as long as I can remember,” Grace said. “Part of my writing is therapy. I just write songs. It’s just the thing I do.”

Grace said that her time in music hasn’t been defined by one genre of music or another. Though she tends to be classified as Americana pop, Grace instead thinks of it as, “a song is a song.”

Amanda Grace’s “Give Me Away,” will be launched on Feb. 8 at a CD-release party at the Icehouse in Minneapolis. Photo by Janelle Kieffer Photography

Part of that writing process is telling a story.

“I really do find meaningful stories through the people I meet,” Grace said. “You do find inspiration with the audience. You hear what people are going through and write for that. That’s kind of the core.”

Grace herself admits she’s not immune from the emotion songs invoke.

“You go to a concert and hear that one line you needed to hear that night,” she explained. “You’re kind of stuck in a mental rut. That’s really what motivates me -— making those moments for people.”

Grace tries to perform as much as she can, including up to two or three shows a week, but she also spends time as a voice actress, something her family tends to give her raves for.

“There is some notoriety that came with my kiddos,” she said with a laugh. “They still think you’re cool. It’s really fun, challenging.”

Tickets are on sale, but those who had tickets dating back to February will be able to carry those forward for Saturday night’s show. Tickets are $15. Grace is looking forward to the fans and support.

“By a T-shirt, buy an album, buy a ticket,” she said. “It’s just a cool thing when you know you’re supported.”

Going forward, the singer-songwriter will be hosting a CD release party at the Icehouse in Minneapolis for “Give Me Away,” at 6 p.m. on Feb. 8.