Amber

Toronto singer songwriter Amber just dropped her latest album, Tall Tales. The opening track “Grave Robber” comes on like a Tom Waits tune with ragged trumpets and that lurching 20’s swing. You can tell right away that Amber plays the keys well and has an ear for recording piano tracks. I found the keys on Teardrop to be especially resonant, and reminiscent of the lo-fi flavour The National nailed in Fake Empire.

Amber has a sultry, smoky voice and prefers singing long inversions over pretty pop progressions. Most of the album is comprised of tunes that repose on Amber’s storytelling ability. The album is easy to listen to, something you throw on on a rainy day after you light some nag champa. I’ll be sure to let you know when Amber hits Montreal this summer. Bang – - ForgetTheBox

Burlington singer songwriter Amber has showcased her talents in storytelling, piano and guitar on her latest album, Tall Tales, while adding new colour with various instruments.

Stephanie Amber Beatson, known professionally as just Amber, has been working as a solo singer since 2012 after a previous band in which she performed with her brother ended.

In 2013, Amber released her debut solo EP, Dangerous Strangers.

Released in March, Tall Tales weaves Amber’s songwriting, piano and guitar skills with diverse instrumentation not seen in her previous release to build on her songs’ sounds.

“I’m very happy with the way it turned out as we were able to fuse artistic goals with the album’s goals,” said Amber. “I think a large part in its difference from the EP is in working with a regular band. The songs are a lot more developed because we’ve been playing them live and working on them as a group. Drums, piano and guitar were recorded then we decided to see what else we could add for more colour. We added instrumentation like strings, trumpet, even a glockenspiel.”

Amber has recently released a music video for one of the songs from the album entitled Grave Robber. Some of the video was shot at St. John’s Anglican Church in Burlington.

“Grave Robber paints a picture of a certain character, a lonely wanderer reflecting on solitude,” explained Amber. “Lyrics are really important to me as a listener and also as a writer. Some songs bound from personal experiences and some are storytelling where I like to make up a character. I find these songs are fun to write and challenging because they’re not from your own experiences. It helps you grow as a songwriter.”

The process of recording the music video has inspired Amber to create and release more videos.

“I would like to make more videos as it is a fun and creative process,” she noted. “It’s really motivating.”

As well, Amber is getting ready for the summer season performing in festivals such as the Downtown Milton Street Festival (http://bit.ly/1P6pUxX) taking place on June 6.

“I’m going to focus on getting shows and will try to book into Montreal, Ottawa, Kingston and expand beyond the Greater Toronto Area. And I’m also writing as once one thing comes out, there isn’t much time until it’s not relevant. There are no plans to record this year but I am gearing up in thinking about my next recording.” - Burlington Post

There is a full, lush sound coming from Tall Tales, the latest incredible album from Burlington songstress, Amber. The magical music will envelop and surround you thanks to the wonderful songcraft shown here.,

Centered on Amber's silvery voice and her adept piano skills, songs blend facets of pop, folk, jazz, rock and more. Many instruments are thrown into the mix but they never overpower, creating a luxurious atmosphere.

Contributing to the opulence are Stephen Court on (vocals, guitar, ukulele, bass), Mike Murphy (drums), David Partridge (multiple instruments, producer), Kendra Grittani (cello), Paul Barna (violin/viola), Mark Thomson (trumpet) and Addison Sowery-Quinn (tuba). An amazing team for an amazing recording?

The CD can be picked up at her superb shows or through her website. Also, you can download it through Amber's Bandcamp page or iTunes. - Hamilton Blues Lovers

Toronto singer-songwriter Amber just released her latest LP Tall Tales earlier this week, and album opener "Grave Robber" has now received the visual treatment.

The song showcases Amber's ability to weave together her classical piano training, knack for storytelling and soft, sultry vocals. As for the video, it uses some artsy editing effects to splice shots of the title character at work with Amber's singing silhouette.

Tall Tales is available now, and you can catch Amber live at a couple of album release shows this week. Details are listed below, and you can scroll past the upcoming gigs to check out the video for "Grave Robber." - Exclaim!

We invite you to check out the new video from original Canadian artist Amber out of Toronto. She also happens to be an FTB contributor. The song, Grave Robber, is from her new album Tall Tales, which you can listen to or download via her Bandcamp page.

The video, directed by Devon Stewart, was shot in Hamilton. It features some fun though creepy imagery (with a title like Grave Robber, how could it not), silhouettes, a complicated man and a very danceable tune courtesy of Amber. Enjoy! - ForgetTheBox

In a world filled with malevolence and hatred, anger and depression, misery and pain, music can often be one’s savior of sanctuary. Some artists create music purely to that effect. Enter Stephanie “Amber” Beatson.

Born in Burlington, Ont. Amber trained in classical piano and sought vocal vindication throughout the years, using music as a soul saver of sorts.

“I started out playing just by chance,” said Amber. “A friend of mine that is a singer songwriter plays in a band, and one night invited me up to play a song with her.”

Some things are just better left to fate, and this seems to be one of those cases.

Amber’s stage career began when she started up a little duo with her older step-brother, Paul Wheeler, where he played guitar and she would sing and play piano, this was back in 2005. The two still wrote songs independently, but when they would perform live together, they would do half and half of each other’s songs.

“In high school, I took guitar lessons, but I’m not a very good player. I often just write songs on guitar with basic chords then I get other people to play it [laughs].”

Amber’s musical proficiencies lay in the ivory keys. She was classically trained at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto.

“I am a certified ARCT piano graduate, and I also went on to post-secondary as a piano major. I’m not trained in singing, I just love to, and guitar is simply a tool I use.”

Amber and her brother split ways, but luckily she had already been working on solo material and planning to release a personal demo, this was in late 2012.

“I think the main thing is writing songs that you’ll be able to perform live,” explained Amber. “They have to be within your comfort range of abilities. We discussed this a lot in studio.”

She hit the studio and in early 2013, release her first EP Dangerous Strangers that contained six poppy tracks, themed from social circles to long lost loves.

“There’re are some very poppy tracks on the record, and some soothing ballads, it’s really fun to play live and change it up all the time.”

Amber’s latest personal journey of self-discovery actually took place far outside of the realm of music. She took a volunteer trip to the blistering savannas of Africa to partake in an animal rescue project.

It’s kind of a long story to how she ended up there, Amber was looking up normal everyday vacations then volunteer opportunities started coming up.

“I was looking for ways to make a trip more meaningful, and I always wanted to go to Africa, so I came across this organization called POD (Personal Overseas Development) and they were offering specific projects in Africa. I just thought to myself, I have to do this, and never having travelled alone, I knew I had to do this for my own development. I worked with cheetahs and elephants.”

Before she left, she didn’t realize it would be so hands on, considering how guarded our western culture is. Although it seemed dangerous at first, working with them every day created a solid bonding experience.

“It’s no different than working with a domestic dog, they can still bite you.”

Moving forward now, the plan is strictly to continue on the musical path, playing as many shows as possible and spreading the word. Amber plays shows across Ontario from Hamilton to Toronto and everywhere in between, and will continue to fight to get her name out there until she’s a household name. Amber is also working on her next full-length album with all these new insights brought to life for her.

“Things that have a huge impact on me take time to settle in, and they manifest into something greater in the end. Everything I’ve learned and experienced comes out in one way or another in my music, and that will keep happening for the rest of my life.”

A woman with a strong passion for community work and helping the less fortunate, her latest charitable endeavor was in conjunction with Project Autism, check out the video for the song “Yes I Can.” - Martyr Magazine