Mandy Rowden picked up a guitar in high school, and was introduced to Americana while studying English and Film at Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State). That led her to, as she puts it, “quit the classical scene,” and find her own voice. And what a voice it is, both lyrically and literally. Rowden possesses gorgeously nuanced vocals, which she wraps easily around verses baring emotions at once intensely personal and fully relatable. And it’s not likely anyone’s going to quibble with lyrics like these, from “Breaks". In a sure, yet slightly repentant voice, she sings, "I’ve been reckless and I’ve been wild. I’ve melted like a candle and wept like a child. Lookin’ forward to a lifetime of things that never are, but the joy and the pain and a whole lot of scars. Nothin’ seems real when it doesn’t leave a mark, but it breaks my heart." Make no mistake, though: Rowden is hardly just another “chick songwriter.” She’s funny as hell, first off, and versatile enough to play an ever-expanding list of instruments that now includes piano, fiddle, mandolin, bass, harmonica, drums, ukulele, and banjo. (And according to one Texas critic, “When she plays the fiddle, hearts melt.”) She’s gone skydiving. And participates in triathalons. She has a cat named Lucy. And once sold all of her possessions and moved to New York. Eventually, she came back, as Texans always do. She’s tall. And she’s given up trying to pretend she’s not. In fact, Rowden isn’t the kind of person who’s likely to pretend about much. With her new album titled "These Bad Habits", featuring Lloyd Maines and Redd Volkaert (among many other Americana hot shots) coming out in March 2015, look for Mandy in a city near you! *2016 Regional Performer - Kerrville Folk Festival *2016 Songwriter Serenade Semi-Finalist *#2 Album of the Year (These Bad Habits) - Austin Chronicle Music Poll, 2016