Amanda
Lepre (pronounced "leh-PREE") is a five foot two inch powerhouse of
sound and stage presence. She
is a frontwoman, singer, songwriter, and guitarist with an
alternative/progressive rock catch. Hailing from Brownsville,
Texas,
Amanda’s ethnicity is Mexican on her mother’s side
and white-Italian from her father’s side. She left her home
in 2003 at age 19, and moved to Austin alone, without a single musical
connection. The transition to the big city was a trial of
endurance for Amanda. However this experience, along with a bout of
internal conflicts, have helped to shape the person she is today.
Commanding the stage with her
distinctive
vocals, her tone has often been compared to the likes of Pat Benatar
and Tori Amos. Her driving guitar skills
are vigorous, sporting metal-inspired riffs comparable to Heart, Iron
Maiden, and Judas Priest. Lyrically, her songs unfold like the pages of
classic literature, possessing a narrative quality that flows through
her compositions from beginning to end.
Today,
Amanda’s self-released EP,
A
Premonition, has sold some 300
copies at live local shows alone. In 2007, she was crowned "Acoustic
Hero of
Austin," winning
first place at Emergenza's Solo Acoustic Championship. She has
toured
cities across Texas and has disseminated her music in several other
locations throughout the country.
She is also the founder and guitarist of the
Descendants
of Erdrick, an instrumental
project dedicated to performing rock renditions of Nintendo-era video
game music.
As
a solo acoustic act or accompanied by her band, Amanda regards
performance as an art in itself. "I believe stage
presence is a vital
skill as a performing musician," she says. And indeed, Amanda commands
the stage effortlessly with a showcase of complex guitar work, spot-on
vocals, and dynamic, sincere passion.
Amanda
is currently in the process of recording her first full-length album
Beneath the Forest of
Error with producer Ross
Ingram of
Star
Dot Star Records.