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Amy Vee Bio 2010
By Nick Milligan

They say that the only constant in life is change. The shifting career of Amy Vee is no exception. Beguiling solo performer. Electric popster. Virtuosic rocker. In 2010, Vee will come full circle, her talent stripped bare on a captivating acoustic release called Sleeping Dogs Lie.

Amy Vee began her musical life as a solo writer and performer, eventually forming the musical collective The Virtues. Through natural evolution Amy Vee and The Virtues became a rock band, with their singer putting down her acoustic guitar in favour of an electric.

Ears took notice and Amy Vee and The Virtues became hot property on the live circuit, touring hard and garnering awards, from the 2005 MusicOz Artist Of The Year to a nomination for an LA Music Award. Her vocal work with Groove Terminator would see her tour Australia in support of Moby.

But in late 2008, Vee felt an instinctive pull toward her original sound - the soft introspection of timeless folk music. Deciding to “shake things up a bit”, the songwriter decided to distance herself from The Virtues’ sizzling, electrified approach and wrote a collection of solo acoustic songs. Recording a series of demos and taking a tour of Canada, Vee was ready to share her changed direction and recorded five tracks in the studio of Newcastle-based producer Gareth Hudson.

The resulting work, Sleeping Dogs Lie, is a gentle, drifting collection that unravels further with every listen. The instrumentation is minimal, yet no less absorbing. Vee’s lyrics carry themes of the necessity for change, even if that means personal sacrifice. It’s about seeing the positive influences in the world around you and embracing them.

“I’ve seen a lot of changes in myself - personally and musically, internally and externally. Some only minute, others quite profound. This new recording represents me acknowledging and accepting these changes,” explains Vee.

There is an inherent honesty in Sleeping Dogs Lie that can be heard in Vee’s personal revelations. One example is the final track ‘Fall To Zero’. “I think ['Fall To Zero'] is really about that fundamental need that we all seem to have to find a kindred spirit. Not necessarily a partner or a soulmate in the romantic sense… just that desire to be understood and respected and to have one’s thoughts and beliefs reflected back. I wrote this song during a time when I was feeling a bit lost and I think you can hear that longing in there,” explains Vee.

This restlessness finds its way into the song ‘Borrowing From Thieves’. “This song is about being comfortable with knowing that sometimes the things you want aren’t meant to be yours,” explains Vee. “It’s told through the story of two people who share an incredible bond but the paths of their lives mean they can never truly connect. By the end of the song, they’ve acknowledged the relationship for what it is - and never will be - and moved on.”

In 2009, Vee’s new material was recognised with a sweep at the 1233 ABC Music Awards. The singer received the ABC Music Publishing/APRA Songwriters and Composers Recognition Award, Best Folk Song for ‘Borrowing From Thieves’ and the Best Contemporary Song for ‘We Are The Hours’.

2010 will be an affirming year for Vee, as she takes the songs of Sleeping Dogs Lie to live audiences around Australia and the UK, with only her voice, lilting acoustic guitar and occasional use of live loops, percussion and melodica as her weapons of choice. While an artist’s future is never predictable, one thing is for certain. Vee is welcoming change.