Amy Rigby has long been one of America’s most enduring underground/cult/indie artists, blending the insight and humor of country and folk songwriting with rock craftsmanship and a punk DIY spirit. She first made her mark with downtown NYC bands Last Roundup (Rounder) and The Shams (Matador), before launching a solo career with her 1996 debut Diary of a Mod Housewife—now widely considered a 90s classic.
Known for her honest, kinetic songwriting, Rigby has earned acclaim from critics and peers alike. MOJO praised her “pithy wisdom, acerbic pen and sterling American guitar classicism,” while Steve Earle compared her to “Randy Newman and Loudon Wainwright at their best.” Her songs have been covered by artists including Laura Cantrell, Ronnie Spector, John Flansburgh (They Might Be Giants), and Maria Doyle Kennedy.
Her 2019 memoir Girl To City was called “an instant classic” by The Big Takeover, with Goldmine writing, “You can smell the damp, see the clothes, hear the guitars!” Amy splits her time between New York and the UK with her husband and musical collaborator Wreckless Eric.
On August 30, 2024, Rigby returns with Hang In There With Me (Tapete Records), a bracing collection of 11 new songs written by Amy and recorded by Eric at their upstate NY home studio. The album captures the emotional vortex of recent years, addressing mortality, aging, and youthful regrets through a lens that’s clear-eyed, resilient—even triumphant.
Her distinctive voice cuts through themes of love, loss, and DIY disasters over shimmering or cranked guitars, melodic bass lines, vintage synths, keyboards, beatboxes—and the occasional live drummer—within the couple’s rustic, mid-century echo chamber.
If some look to the stars for guidance, Amy turns to creative heroes like Bob Dylan and Mike Leigh. She finds inspiration in haircuts, live chat boxes, bartending, and bookselling—her music reflecting the daily grind and grace of ordinary lives, much like the country greats she learned from.
Hang In There With Me explores the impossibility of life—and the beauty of living it anyway, with abandon.
To celebrate the release, Amy will tour the US and UK in October and November 2024.
"Rigby's latest album is a triumph of wit, guts and perseverance..." — Shindig
"Radiates everything great about Rigby's trademark Phil Ochs-y folk-punk..." — Uncut
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