Emerging artist finds muse in music, not movies

By Doug Pullen JOURNAL COLUMNIST

Amilia K. Spicer left the relative comfort of her hometown of Gettysburg, Pa., for the wilds of Los Angeles a few years ago with visions of becoming a movie director dancing in her head.

But her muse had other plans. Her cinematic dreams deferred, Spicer is quietly establishing a reputation as a formidable singer, songwriter and pianist. I say “quietly” because chances are you’ve never heard of her. A lot of people haven’t. But folks in L.A. and Austin, the Texas music capital, have taken a shine to her sultry vocals, clever turns of phrase and breezy melodicism.

Spicer (the K. stands for “trouble,” she says) headlines the Flint Folk Music Society’s next show, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at the Greater Flint Arts Council.

“Music wasn’t really on my radar,” Spicer says of her move to Los Angeles in the 1990s. A self-described “visual person,” she really wanted to direct her own movies, but moved by the passion of L.A. singer-songwriters like Danny Peck, she lugged her Korg keyboard to an open mic night and made a discovery that would detour her filmmaking ambitions.

“As soon as I got onstage, I was comfortable. It wasn’t like this big transition,” she recalls. “I immediately felt comfortable.’

Which is a good way to describe her music. It’s pop-rock-folk with a colorful lyricism that, in songs like the compelling “Seamless,” paints some pretty vivid, if subtly ambiguous, pictures.

“Seamless” is one of those slow-build songs, like Simon and Garfunkel’s “Bridge Over Trouble Water,” that sucks you in and doesn’t let go until the last note. The quick-witted Spicer, whose wit certainly lives up to her last name, describes it as a cross between Ravel’s “Bolero” and Led Zeppelin’s “Kashmir.”

“I wanted to have it build and built and retain this sort of right under the
wave kind of feel,” she says of the song, which features Grant Lee Buffalo drummer Joey Peters.

It’s the standout track on the “Seamless” CD, her second album, but she’s loath to explain its languid lyrical imagery. “It is a very joyful and defiant song,” is all she offers.

With a voice that ranges from soaring to smoky, a keen observational lyricism and an innate talent for accessible melodies, this gifted young artist - who has performed at venues as diverse as the Lincoln Center in Washington, D.C., and the Kerrville (Texas) Folk Festival - seems destined to gain wider acclaim.

For now, she’s content to do most of the work herself. Spicer is the definition of an independent artist who manages and books herself and runs her own label.

She hasn’t totally given up on the movie world. She has written songs for various “smaller films,” including Roger Corman’s low-budget “Macon County Jail.” (“It’s amazing how many have seen that movie,” she laughs.)

“My passion for filmmaking is still very much a part of me,” Spicer says. “Someday I’ll use the bazillions of dollars I’ll have made to make a film about the music community.”

Catch her while you can. Tickets are only $10.

Doug Pullen covers music and media.
He may be reached at (810) 766-6140 or dpullen@flintjournal.com.