Catch Of The Week: Amber Eyes
Meet: Amber Eyes, a Boston based country rock band!
When last we heard from former top contestant on X Factor and American Idol, Jillian Jensen, she had moved to LA and was working under the solo project name, Amber Eyes. She’s baaaack! And Jillian has put a band together with some friends and friends of friends. Jillian connected with her long time friend, Mike Dettorre, the drummer, over the summer, and told him she was coming back to Boston and wanted to start a country band. Here they are! She describes their sound as very country-rock, with a healthy dose of pop and soul, and “of course, vocal harmonies, whenever possible!” Their first gig together was September 6th and the chemistry was automatic. Jillian’s powerful voice is perfectly complemented by band mate Bradley’s harmonies. Her delivery is naturally bluesy but when put up against their instruments, harmonies and music, the sound is strikingly unique.
Meet The Band
- Jillian Jensen, originally from Rochester, MA: vocals/acoustic guitar
- Bradley Goff from Belmont: vocals/electric guitar
- Andrew Davis from Fall River: bass
- Mike Dettorree originally from Quincy: drums
All Eyes On Amber Eyes
Not long after their first public appearance together, Amber Eyes was able to share their music with us! I was excited to have Jillian back in studio and hear the new band. Look and listen!
“I’m All In”
“Small Town Life”
Here’s the official studio recording of “Small Town Life”
Amber Eyes Actualities
- Biggest influences: A mashup of: Zac Brown band, Brad Paisley, Johnny Cash, 4 Non Blondes, Stevie Ray Vaughn, James Taylor and Fleetwood Mac
- Favorite artists you’ve opened for: Amongst the four of us , favorites are Taylor Swift, NSync, UB40, Wyclef, Blue Öyster Cult, Three Dog Night, Jessie J, Cody Simpson, Ryan Cabrera, Teddy Geiger, The Script, David Guetta, Flo Rida, Pentatonix, Mike Posner, Jordan Knight, OneRepublic, The Ready Set, Ed Sheeran, Sean Kingston, and many more
- All-time favorite country songs:
Jillian – “The House That Built Me” by Miranda Lambert
Brad – “Whatever It Is” by Zac Brown Band
Andrew – “Carolina On My Mind” by James Taylor
Mike – “16 Tons” by Merle Travis
- Current Country 102-5 favorites: Luke Combs – “Beautiful Crazy”
- Day Jobs:
Jillian – full time musician
Brad – private music teacher / musician
Andrew – AV engineer
Mike – full time musician
- Most Proud Moment: As a band, it was definitely our single release show at Station Eight in Marshfield, MA. It was too cool that so many people were there to hear our originals and wanted them to keep going all night instead of switching over to our regular cover gig. The fact that they were there and genuinely appreciated OUR music meant the world to us and is a night we will definitely never forget
- Random fun facts: Jillian can say the 50 states in alphabetical order in 18 seconds. Brad can play pretty much any instrument… and none of us understand how he does it. Andrew is obsessed with The Wire and brings it up pretty much any moment he can. Finally, Mike is a really good cook and has a knack of surprising Jillian with his chef like skills
Amber Eyes Live
- December 21st – Latchkey in Portsmouth, NH 9pm
- December 23rd – Rivershed in Scituate, MA alongside Kristen Merlin 4pm
- January 13th – The Bitter End in NYC 8pm
- January 25th – ALBUM FUNRASING CONCERT: Knights of Columbus in Mattaposiett, MA 7pm
Eyes Over Here
Every week, Kruser’s Local Catch highlights New England’s homegrown country music talent, and tells you where to catch them locally and in Nashville. Click here to view previous catches.
The Local Catch is powered by Shiner Bock,independently brewed in Texas, for Boston’s independent spirit. Boston is Shiner country!
Singer/songwriters with original music: Please submit for consideration on The Local Catch by emailing Kruser at carolyn.kruse@bbgi.com
