Amy Raasch came to songwriting as a surprise.  She needed to learn a couple of basic guitar chords when cast as a folk singer in an indie film, and shocked everyone on set (including herself) by spontaneously writing her first song.  Penned on location at a tombstone bearing the name ”BLISS,“ the song became her character’s theme song, and ended up on the soundtrack. 

After years of quietly continuing to explore songwriting in the haven of her Venice Beach apartment, she began to dip her toes into live performance, and immediately found an enthusiastic audience. Cut to her debut album, ”Love or Inertia,“ which features her award-winning, signature song, ”Missing,“ the story of a missing child told from the perspective of the child’s best friend.  Gut-wrenching in its innocence, the friend’s bewilderment at the loss of a summer filled with lemonade stands and skipping stones holds hands with unquestioned hope.  This is trademark Raasch: no tragedy is without its revelation; no loss without newfound strength.  Rendered in achingly gorgeous detail, from raindrops on the brow of a troubled lover whose ”brain turns like the leaves to rust“ to the powerful cinematic punch of a woman who crashes her car into a tree to get the attention of her beloved in ”Man of Steel,“ each song unfolds like a cliffhanger of humanity: often disappointed, sometimes brilliant, but always striving to love fuller, deeper and with more abandon while fighting to stay ever true to self.

So easy it is to get caught up in the tension of this breathless struggle that we may miss the astonishing role played by Raasch’s distinctive guitar sound.  Based on open tunings of her own invention, her deceptively simple-sounding guitar work masterfully weaves a gorgeous tapestry of emotion against which her raw poetry shines.  A self-taught guitarist, Raasch found herself restless in the face of ”Standard“ guitar tuning early on, and took matters into her own hands.  ”I just move the strings around until I find something that hits me in the gut.  It’s very specific, like hitting a tuning fork.  But it changes with every song and so, usually, does the tuning.  That’s why when I play live, you’ll sometimes see me with four or five guitars!“

At this rate, there may be even more.  For 2008, Raasch embarked upon an ambitious project called ”52 Songs in 52 Weeks.“  The extensive writing has taken her in new directions, both musically and lyrically, and fans are able to immediately offer feedback on each individual song as it is born by subscribing to youtube.com/amyraasch.  Standout songs thus far have tackled subject matter from racism in the California Inland Empire (”On the Shores of Elsinore“) to the struggle of Iraqi war veterans (”The Rooftops of Babylon“), defiant coming of age (”Version of Me“), and the simple but moving tribute to MLK, ”Nearness of the Blade.“  Videotaped just minutes after composition, each new song displays a raw charm and often ventures into surprising stylistic territory.  Swashbuckling from blues to rock to jazz-folk and even a touch of country twang, Raasch never fails to filter all through her distinctive lens.  This makes the prospect of her next album an exciting one, as it will feature favorites culled from the 52, chosen with help from her fans.  Sign on to the mailing list to help design the new project, to be embarked upon in 2009, at amyraasch.com.

Raasch is proud to support GINA 411, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to bring together media agencies and artists to create an avenue of hope and awareness that can guide people whose family members become missing. She is thrilled and honored to be a part of Dream On, and the message of hope and unity that it creates.  Yes we can.