Amanda McCarthy is a storyteller compelled to speak the truth. Based in Nashville since 2020, with a 10+ year start to her career in New Hampshire and Massachusetts, she is an award-winning songwriter, entertainer and recording artist. Blending many influences, her original music is the infusion of pop, country, modern folk and rock - sprinkled with millennial snark and the heart of an old soul. Her debut album "Road Trip" was released in 2019 to high acclaim and she tours nationally when possible, with experience in all four corners of the country, including NYC and Los Angeles. Her current single "Don't Stop Me" was released on March 16, 2022.
Amanda McCarthy's Top Six
What makes Nashville special to you? I’m not going to lie - when I moved to Nashville I was afraid I would encounter a lot of negativity and catty behavior in the music scene. Nashville is special to me because I found the opposite - it’s a bunch of people just like me who want to write good songs, play good shows and have a good time doing so.
How would you say your hometown of Londonderry, NH differs from Nashville? Some things are similar. Where I live, I’m a 5 minute drive from the highway and pretty much any chain restaurant or retail store, which is what I had back home. But Nashville has a lot more specialized cultural
interests for different groups of people, and obviously, a lot more music, specifically originals. The
weather isn’t different per se but a lot more extreme in strength and how it can change so quickly. And in general, people are much nicer. The one thing I really really miss about home that I don’t have here is the ocean. Lakes are nice, any body of water really, but the ocean definitely has my heart.
Say you had a completely free day in Nashville—no work allowed. What would you be doing? Honestly, I work so much and I’m constantly around people so much that I probably wouldn’t go anywhere super crowded. I’d grab lunch to go - probably something clean/healthy from The Wild Cow, and a coffee, and go sit by Percy Priest Lake with a book in hand.
What are some of your favorite Nashville restaurants? Koi Sushi, J. Christopher’s, Mas Taco, Maggiano’s, and honestly I haven’t been disappointed by a single locally-owned coffee shop. Even though I live here now I still love going to Pancake Pantry, I just have to be very selective on when I go to avoid the tourist lines.
Is there a place you haven't ate you have been dying to go? 12/30 Club, Sixty Vines, Jim and Nick’s BBQ, Rosepepper Cantina.
If someone is coming to Nashville for the first time, where do you take them? Broadway and Music Valley are a must for a first time visitor, of course. But I also make sure to show them writer’s rounds at The Listening Room, on Demonbreun, and honestly even smaller venues. Because the names they hear on the radio or headlining the Ryman, that’s how many of them started. For food, it’s gotta be the Pancake Pantry, Loveless Cafe, Hattie B’s and Mas Taco.
One Thing About Nashville
How has Nashville influenced your music? Nashville has allowed me the mindset and ability of expressing myself as both a songwriter AND as an artist, when I previously thought that I had to pick just one. Co-writing has been an amazing gift that barely existed back home. Not only has it made me a stronger writer in general, but it has cleared my vision for where I see myself and what I want to say on an artist level.
Five Favorites
What’s your favorite place for breakfast in Nashville? J. Christopher’s on an average day, Pancake Pantry if I’m hosting family and friends from out of town.
Do you have a favorite music venue? I love The Listening Room. I have to limit how often I go, so I don’t drain my bank account, but I could theoretically go there every night and be perfectly happy.
Favorite place to go on date night? My fiancé and I love Maggiano’s.
Best place to grab a beer? Bold Patriot Brewing is a favorite of mine
Best Broadway bar? Bootlegger’s. The music is usually chill/quieter than the other bars and I love their many moonshine flavors!
Website: www.amandamccarthy.com
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