Sometimes she’s quiet and reserved, but she’s never at a loss for words. She just keeps them carefully guarded. Santa Cruz singer/songwriter Amy Obenski pours the right words into songs with profound lyrics sung with smooth honey vocals.
“What’s really important to me is in those songs. The stuff I write about is the stuff I’m really interested in—what I really want to talk about,” Obenski said.
Her inspiration stems from an array of genres, including jazz, classical, rock, and R&B. Her latest album, From the Deep, features grand piano, cello, viola, bass drums, mandolin, and accordion.
Her sound hasn’t gone unnoticed.
In 2007, Obenski got an e-mail from a Grey’s Anatomy editor who wanted to use her song “Carousel” in a scene in the show. The editor said the director really liked it, but she didn’t know if
the scene would stay in the episode.
“So I got this e-mail and basically proceeded to run around my house jumping up and down,” Obenski said.
A month later, she had a few friends over to watch the episode. But she was a little cautious. It wasn’t the first time her music appeared on TV. Songs from her first album continue to appear on the MTV reality show Made, but that pairing was ultimately anticlimactic.
“I got a bunch of friends together to watch [Made], and you couldn’t even hear it,” Obenski said. “I watched the show a bunch of times, but I couldn’t find it. So it was nice watching Grey’s Anatomy—it was nice to hear my song.”
That Grey’s Anatomy appearance landed her song at No. 23 on the iTunes folk chart. Such success has been a long time in the making for Obenski.
She’s been involved in music since she was 5 years old. Given the choice of going to science school or music school, music was her obvious path. Growing up in arts-related schools, Obenski focused on choirs and at age 7 began playing piano. She didn’t seriously pursue music, however, until after college. Garnering a degree in environmental studies from UC Santa Cruz, Obenski worked in the field for two years before realizing music is what really makes her happy.
She combines her experiences by creating a series of benefit concerts called “Take Back Your Forest,” which raise money for the Sempervirens Fund, an organization that protects redwood forests in the Santa Cruz mountains.
Obenski tours mostly around the West Coast and plays steadily in the San Francisco Bay Area. She’s performed in notable venues such as Biscuits and Blues in San Francisco and Don Quixote’s in Santa Cruz and has opened for the John Butler Trio in Los Angeles. She’ll be bringing her golden voice to Lompoc’s Southside Coffee on Nov. 14. Obenski first performed to a welcoming crowd there in May.
Currently writing some new songs for another album, Obenski said she’d really like to see her music reach—and impact—a wider audience.
“I just want the music to spread, to get out there to as many people as I can,” she said. “I want it to take on a life of its own.” m
Arts Editor Shelly Cone’s writing often takes on a life of its own. Contact her at scone@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Nov 5-12, 2009.
