Amelia; not a person but a band, "We thought about how it sounded rolling off the tongue, how it looked on the page, and how it would represent our music," says Teisha Helgerson, Amelia's lead vocalist. It was clear when they formed that some would always mistake the band's name for that of the singer. "And we said, 'So be it.'"  That was back in 2002, and two studio records and an EP later, Amelia has brought their lush, highly evolved sound to new levels. Soon, all the fans that know Amelia as a band and not a person will also know that A Long Lovely List Of Repairs has been worth the wait!

Amelia has become a staple in the Northwest --especially Portland -- where Amelia’s albums have garnered not only support and rave reviews among the press, but also radio support at KINK/Portland, KEXP/Seattle, KMTN/Seattle, and KFOG/San Francisco, to name a few. In fact “Jigsaw” their first single from After All was a hit from coast to coast.

Amelia’s roots come from the vibrant Portland, OR music scene, where Jesse Emerson and Scott Weddle began as band mates in the Flatirons. After releasing their only album, Prayerbones, the band received praise from listeners and critics (including the likes of Greil Marcus), played to sold-out crowds across the region, and then promptly broke up.

“I first heard Teisha singing blues and country standards in her family's band back in 2000. Her voice totally blew me away,” says Weddle. “I knew right then I wanted to work with her.” Helgerson adds: “I couldn’t play guitar at that point, and had only written a handful of songs, but Scott and I quickly discovered a mutual admiration for each other's talents." Over the next year Weddle taught her some guitar chords and pushed her to control her voice with more finesse than she was accustomed to. She got him on the path to writing an album's worth of songs. "Then we brought in Rich and Jesse to see how things would work," says Weddle. "That's when we knew we were on to something."

Since then, a sound that illuminates the recesses of the soul with a beguiling resonance has comfortably placed the band in venues ranging from grand ballrooms to dingy dives, and from swanky dinner clubs to the cornfields of festivals, where they are continually received with enthusiasm. They have shared stages with the likes of Eleni Mandell, Joe Henry and Jesse Malin while creating their own loyal following on the road between Seattle and San Francisco.

A Long Lovely List Of Repairs (engineered and produced by Mark Orton of Tin Hat) will mark the long awaited return of one of Portland’s most original artists to emerge in years.  Look for Amelia to tour regionally for April, May and June with additional summer touring plans to be announced.