AMANDA PENECALE
"Penecale sings her original songs in a crystal clear voice that lacks the shyness that is often found in a lot of singer/songwriters. Enjoyable music no matter what your preferred genre.”
-The indie Music Review
[Time and Tide] is kind of in the brand of Natalie Merchant with darker, more brooding overtones, a la Sarah McLaughlin. -NineBullets.net
“”There are few people who can tell stories in song, yet newcomer Amanda Penecale is one of them. Her words and music echo a sweet and sad sentiment of memories, emotions and reflections.”" -Lindsey Borders, Guitar Girl Magazine”
BIO
Amanda Penecale is an American folk musician and songwriter from Bucks County, Pennsylvania known for her pure voice and gentle observational writing. Her songs are reflections of love and experiences of the natural world centered upon acoustic or electric guitar and featuring harmonica.
Writing music since high school, she began to play gigs as a local opener for touring acts at the Tin Angel, the Hard Rock Cafe, and World Cafe Live while in college. Her first two EPs Middle Ground and Chalkboard were both made with producer/engineer Jim Salamone (Teddy Pendergrass, Chris Kasper), and started Amanda's body of work centering on Penecale’s country and folk roots. Tom Hampton (Poco), Jonathan Yudkin (Carrie Underwood, Jewel, Wynonna), and Pat Wictor played on Chalkboard and added some magic to the tracks. Her single Say it Out Loud, was selected for airplay on WXPN.
Penecale moved to Nashville in 2012 where she focused on co-writing and continued to find her voice. She picked up the mandolin to be able to jam at the Station Inn, connected with the NSAI and Sound Exchange, and formed a band called The Lost Sleep. Her friends whom she initially met through the NSAI, Diana Taub and Carlin Mayes, continue to be close friends and songwriting partners.
Amanda moved back to Pa in 2018 and she became an active member of the Philadelphia Song Circle. She shared bills with Avi Wisnia, Anne Hills, and Big Valley Bluegrass, and had a solo set at Bethlehem Musikfest in 2020 and 2021.
Amanda has twice earned recognition for her writing as a finalist for the Philadelphia Songwriters Project, and her holiday song Left Alone with You, co-written with Craig Lackey, was a finalist in the 4th Annual Christmas Songwriting Competition by USA Songwriting.
Penecale continues to write and record while based between Bucks County, Pa and Ocean Grove, Nj. Her songs have recently been finding their way onto curated acoustic playlists on Spotify perfect for coffee on the porch.
Also an award-winning painter and photographer, Amanda continues to work and express herself through the lens of a woman defining her own path and refusing to let others dictate how one can be an artist.
