Amanda Brown (musician)

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Amanda Brown (born November 17, 1965) is a significant Australian composer, classically trained musician, singer and songwriter, renowned for her role as the violinist of the band, The Go-Betweens, during their classic era, and more recently a sought-after session musician and soundtrack composer.

1 1980s
2 1990s
3 Recent work
4 Further reading

[edit] 1980s

Brown's early bands (during the early 1980s) were Climbing Frame (aka Lucky Dinosaurs), Tender Mercies (with John Willsteed, also later with the Go-Betweens) and Blood Brothers, in which she played violin, oboe, guitar and keyboards. In 1986, The Go-Betweens - soon after signing a new contract (this time with Beggars' Banquet) - discovered Amanda Brown playing live in a cafe. She later joined the band in London, her addition expanding the lineup to a five piece. Brown's presence led to an evolution in the Go-Betweens' sound, with her backing vocals, violin, oboe, guitar and keyboards, as well as intricate arranging skills, drawing out new aspects of the evocative songs of Robert Forster and Grant McLennan.

As well as touring extensively with the Go-Betweens, Amanda Brown played on what are generally regarded as their finest two studio albums, 1987's Tallulah, and their final album from this period, 16 Lovers Lane. The Go-Betweens toured for 18 months following the release of 16 Lovers Lane, ending in Munich, Germany, and broke up in December 1989. Amanda Brown's influential contribution to the Go-Betweens' sound is clearly evident on their key singles from this period, "Bye Bye Pride" (Nov 1987), "Streets of Your Town" (Aug 1988) and "Was There Anything I Could Do?" (Oct 1988).

[edit] 1990s

Following the breakup of the Go Betweens, Amanda Brown formed the band, Cleopatra Wong (1991-1992), with Go Betweens' drummer Lindy Morrison, resulting in two mini-CDs on the rooArt label, Egg and Cleopatra's Lament, including the single (and video) "Thankyou". During this period, she also undertook session work with the Shane Howard Band and Wendy Matthews Band.

Later work includes Sydney local band Love Me (1997-1998) and diverse session appearances (both composing and playing), including R.E.M., The Reels, Died Pretty, Silverchair, David Bridie, David Lane, The Cruel Sea, Boxcar (on the album Algorhythm) and The Vines, and she has toured with many artists including REM and The Church.

[edit] Recent work

Having graduated from the Australian Film Television and Radio School, Amanda Brown has established herself as a distinguished screen composer (that is, a composer of television and film soundtracks). In 2003 Amanda Brown released the Incognita soundtrack CD, a mixture of songs and instrumentals - narrative and character driven music with a strong acoustic and rhythmic feel (in the tradition of Tom Waits' theatrical music) - accompanying a performance by the Stalker Theatre Company. The performance of Incognita toured Australia and Europe, commencing at the Sydney Festival 2003, and the show explored issues of Australia's past and present.

Brown composed scores for film, including Preservation (2003), Floodhouse (2003) and Look Both Ways (2005). In 2006 Amanda Brown formed The Mood Maidens: Brown (violin, mandolin, melodica, vocals), with Sophie Hutchins (piano, vocals) of Bluebottle Kiss and Hitchcock's Regret, and session cellist Sophie Glasson (also member of The Starboard Cast). The Mood Maidens have performed regularly with Marty Willson-Piper (vocals, guitar) of The Church. Amanda also plays in Toni Collette's live band, The Finish.