HPR

Amanda Standalone and the Pastry Shop Girls

By Richard Schaan
Contributing Writer

This Saturday, March 12 at the Spirit Room, Amanda Standalone and the Pastryshop Girls will release their first album, “Millions of Blackbirds.” While it took over a year to record, Amanda, Minda and Abby have been slowly perfecting these eight songs since they first met: building them up, tearing them down, chipping off a corner here and changing a note there.

“Amanda created the songs, but they evolved over time into something new,” Minda Ringdahl said.

Typically, when Amanda plays a new piece for the Pastryshop girls, Minda and Abby will listen for a minute and then join in at the same time. This is when the sonic sculpting begins, and as with any collaboration, open communication becomes just as important as individual contributions of talent. In fact, while they love working with other musicians, they sometimes find that when doing so they must temper the blunt honesty they offer each other.

“We are able to tell each other exactly how we feel,” Abby Swegarden said with a heavy emphasis on “exactly.”

At this point, after so many hours of not pulling punches and not letting ego get in the way of the music, all three feel they have put together the “best notes” for these songs. Though Amanda did say “We could redo it if we wanted to,” it is easy to tell that they have few regrets on the final product, if any.

What’s more, they also suggest that recording the album has made their live performances much tighter than before. Considering the high regard most of the local music community has for their shows in the past, this Saturday’s CD release should be one of the F-M area’s can’t-miss performances of the year.

Questions and comments: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

IF YOU GO:
What: Amanda Standalone and the Pastry Shop Girls with Scott Guttormsen of The Fillers and Diane Miller opening
When: 7:30 - 11 p.m., Saturday, March 12
Where: The Spirit Room, 111 N. Broadway
Cost: $5 cover, $10 CDs