Amory Sivertson

April 13th, 2010

WERS gets plenty of submissions from people claiming to be the next great singer-songwriter. Little did we know that a talented, ambitious musician was right here, working as a DJ. Amory Sivertson's rich voice and love for music makes her the perfect on-air host. Those gifts are also heavily reflected in her second album, How to Run Away. Her music truly sounds like a synthesis of influences as diverse as her radio playlist.

The opener, "Too Soon," is a striking symphony of bouncy piano, clicking percussion, unpredictable vocals, and clever, rapid-fire lyrics. The number builds, ending with triumphant horns and splashing cymbals. Sivertson recalls the liberty of Joni Mitchell, the catchy hooks of Regina Spektor, and the orchestral leanings of Feist, while still creating a fresh, new sound.

Sivertson loves to throw music's conventions out of the window in subtle ways. Her tunes have many unusual features while still sounding accessible. The impossibly fast singing, jazzy piano, and rhythmic flourishes on "Dolly Say Yes" would make Ella Fitzgerald proud. The horn section and complex beat of the next track, "Rinse and Repeat," is another new-millennium pop spin on classic jazz. A close listen to "Out of Sight" finds that rare 5/4 time signature, around which Sivertson wrote – and her superb band performed – the beautifully adventurous ballad. "Hickory Hill" is a sea of sound effects and diverse instruments that recalls Brian Wilson in his prime.

The storytelling lyrics of the closer, "Come Alive," echo Sivertson's musical theater experience. The song starts quietly with tick-tock drums, until a huge band plays more of Sivertson's catchy hooks, ending with unorthodox harmonies on the piano. After a few minutes of silence, she throws in a shabbily-recorded demo, with Sivertson singing from her heart over just an acoustic guitar. It's one last pleasant surprise in a bombshell of a follow-up.

-Words by Ben Tan - WERS 88.9FM Boston

Amory Sivertson
Amory Sivertson rocks, and not just as a musician. Along with being a signed recording artist, Sivertson works hard as a Resident Assistant and the head of the Living Green floor in Piano Row?—?all while keeping up with her studies. Currently, Amory and her appropriately named “Green Bean” residents are planning a concert on the Boston Common for this year’s Earth Day?—?just one of her many ideas to spread Green Living awareness across campus. Originally from Shaker Heights, Ohio, Amory takes a whopping six classes, two of which are at the Berklee College of Music in Boston.
Amory also interns at WBUR Radio, Boston’s NPR station, and works with Emerson’s own WERS Radio. Find her on iTunes and Myspace to hear her most recent project “How To Run Away” and get to know the band she sings in called Big White Clouds. Sivertson’s seemingly packed plate only gets fuller when you spot her heading to the gym or catching up with fellow RAs and students, always with a smile on her face. Go Amory!

-James Harness - The Berkeley Beacon

Singer/Songwriter Amory Sivertson ‘11
Singer/songwriter Amory Sivertson ‘11 was one of two artists signed to Wax on Felt’s record label in 2009-2010.


She released her first full-length album, La Di Da, in April 2008, the same year she won an Emerson EVVY Award for Best Original Song for her song “Beautiful.” She released her second album, How to Run Away, in March 2010 and she’s not about to stop there.

Amory Sivertson ‘11 was one of two artists signed to Wax on Felt’s record label in 2009–2010. Wax on Felt is Emerson’s student-run record label. Each year the organization releases one album (including production, promotion, and distribution).

Sivertson is a singer/songwriter/pianist who takes her influences from folk-indie-pop-rock musical genres. Emerson's em magazine describes her music as "quirky, yet beautiful and moving."

During her sophomore year Sivertson participated in Emerson’s Kasteel Well program. While living at the castle in the Netherlands she spent some time traveling in Europe. Her experiences abroad became her inspiration for her second album.

WERS 88.9 FM, one of Emerson’s student-run radio stations, invited Sivertson into the studio this week to play during its bi-annual Live Music Week. The station says her sound recalls the “liberty of Joni Mitchell, the catchy hooks of Regina Spektor, and the orchestral leanings of Feist, while still creating a fresh, new sound." - Emerson College

RECORD REVIEW: Amory Sivertson
How To Run Away
Boston, MA
Produced, engineered & mixed by Mike Moschetto Mastered by Mike Davidson at Zippah in Brighton, MA
By: Chrisanne Grise
May 2010

The cover art to Amory Sivertson's second full-length album, How To Run Away, features a gloomy downpour of rain, but don't be fooled. These jaunty piano "folk-indie-pop-rock"tunes are more likely to make you skip down the sunny street than feel depressed. The fact that Sivertson found time in her busy college schedule to record two albums is impressive enough, but her powerful voice is even more incredible. It soars above the perky piano and the gang of strings and horns, creating a collection of songs that are both beautiful and moving.
The quirky lyrics tackle everything from love and hope, to traveling around Europe. The piano is so upbeat and the vocal delivery is so smooth and lighthearted that it's often difficult for the listener to notice when the lyrics become straightforwardly sad. But there are plenty of optimistic and whimsical songs to go around as well. In the dreamlike "Hickory Hill,"one of the best tracks on the album, Sivertson sings,"A picnic of songs and a bottle of wine / Your heart in my palm and your head in the sky / And it moves me, it just moves me / If you enjoy wasting the time, is it wasted at all?"

Sivertson began playing piano when she was 7 years old, and the years of practice have really paid off. But it is her voice that really sets her apart from her peers and fellow musicians. This becomes especially evident during key tracks such as the handclap-filled "Read My Mind"and the rollicking "Dolly Say Yes."Together, these 12 tracks make up a sweet and genuine album that will have fans singing along softly and yes, skipping down the street. (Wax on Felt Records)

http://www.myspace.com/amorysivertson - Performer Magazine

April 14, 2010
By Lindsay Tucker


Amory Sivertson put on a near flawless performance for a full house upstairs at the Middle East in promotion of her newest record, How to Run Away. Charming the audience from the moment she took the stage, Sivertson took listeners through a fourteen-song set of the new material and some old favorites.

Doors opened at 7 p.m. and a small crowd matriculated in. The atmosphere was mellow but the rapidly growing line snaking through the restaurant was causing alarm amongst the staff. Sivertson was cheerfully greeting guests and passing out complimentary copies of the record in the back corner of the red, dimly lit room. By 7:15, the place was packed with hipsters and twenty-somethings who came out—despite heavy rains—to support the Emerson College Junior.

Just before 7:30, Sivertson took the stage in a floral strapless dress. The sweetheart neckline couldn’t have been more fitting for this sweetheart from Ohio, and the crowd cheered loudly as the tiny blonde with big stage presence took a seat at the keyboard in front of an eight-piece band.

Sivertson opened with “Too Soon,” the premier track on How to Run Away. Her powerful voice and vocal range command attention from anyone in earshot. One couldn’t help but notice that she had two, large black Xs on her hands (indicating she is under 21) and yet, this talented young singer/songwriter has two original full-length albums under her belt.

Highlights of the performance were songs from the new album like “Hickory Hill,” (“Some of you may have heard this song, but you’ve never heard it like this before,” Sivertson announced at the start) and as she sang the lyrics, “you just move me,” the audience seemed to echo the same thing back to her. Other crowd favorites were “Tumbleweed,” and “For the sake of the right thing to do,” in which Sivertson arranged both the cello and piano parts herself.

At the end of the performance, Sivertson humbly thanked the audience, her producer, the band (comprised of cello, violin, bass, ukulele, saxophone, trumpet, clarinet, and drums), and “the kings and queens at Wax on Felt Records,” who discovered the young artist after she competed in their battle of the bands showcase last year.

Sivertson, who co-wrote all the album’s musical arrangements with her producer, Mike Moschetto, said this album was an experiment in using richer instrumentation. “Before I met Mike,” she said, “my music was always just piano and vocals. But he hears things that I would never hear in my music.” She went on to describe how the collaboration for the cello and the violin parts took place in the WERS office, humming along to illustrate both parts. “We each throw in what parts we’re hearing,” she said, “he’ll say, ‘I think we should throw in some sax on this.’ And I’ll say, ‘Okay, great…where do we picture this? How do we want it to sound?’”

The fact that the majority of this record was written in a twelfth century castle where the artist lived with 84 other Emerson students in the Netherlands, only adds to the fairytale of this story. Of the experience Sivertson said, “I got to go to eleven different countries—it was wonderful. It was great because I had been in such a heartsick place before, but then I got to travel and reevaluate things, and I realized, life is so good. And Europe is so beautiful!” She continued, “I learned a lot there about myself—about everything. I think I was really able to conquer it [heartsickness] and get to a place where I’m comfortable.”

Comfortable seems like an understatement. This chick’s got it going on, and her personality is the icing on the cake. She is as sweet as she is ambitious. It is difficult to believe that this well-spoken, talented, impeccably professional artist hasn’t even graduated college yet. Be sure to keep all eyes peeled for big things to come from Amory Sivertson. - WERS 88.9FM Boston