Catching Up With Amber Hargett: The Pandemic & A New Album On The Horizon

photo by Taryn Penrose

It has been a year since the coronavirus pandemic has turned the world upside down. Since then, everyone has had their own unique experience that has shaped their life in previously unimaginable ways. Although no two experiences have been the same, everyone has felt the effects of the pandemic one way or another. Recently we got a chance to talk to local singer-songwriter Amber Hargett and learn about how the pandemic has affected her music career.

Like every musician, the most immediate way the pandemic affected Amber’s music was the cancellation of live shows. Unlike other musicians, these cancellations affected Amber particularly hard as she had to cancel a few big and noteworthy performances. In particular, Amber, unfortunately, saw her performances scheduled at the Dayton Masonic Center and the Levitt Pavilion canceled.

Although the pandemic presented some big setbacks for Amber, the year was not a total loss for her music career. After a period of rest, she picked back up her guitar and started working on writing new music. As a result of her hard work, she released a single, titled “Painting Pictures”, on May 27th.  In addition to her writing new music again, during the summer she also recorded a performance for the Levitt Pavilion’s #levittonYOURlawn virtual concert series.

Now that we are well into the new normal that the pandemic brought, Amber is already looking ahead to what is next for her music. After spending a lot of last year writing, Amber has started studio work on an ambitious new concept album. Set to be titled Coal Mine Canary, this concept album tells the story of nine characters living in the same coal mining community in Kentucky whose stories intersect and sometimes have tragic results. To help see this project through on March 3rd, Amber launched a fundraising campaign to help fund recording and hopefully a release on vinyl. To learn more about this fundraising campaign be sure to check out her website and Facebook page.  

More About Amber Hargett

To learn more about Amber Hargett and her music, you can check out her website or Facebook page. Currently, you can find music by Amber Hargett on her Bandcamp page and major streaming services. Also, if you can, please consider helping Amber realize her vision for her next album by contributing to her fundraising campaign.