I learned about Amy Angeline through her rally song last summer and was delighted to hear that she is releasing her first single in 24 years at The Marsh on Nov 23, 2026.
Please tell me about yourself and your music.
I grew up in the Twin Cities and began writing songs after getting a B.A. in Creative Writing at the University of Minnesota. I always loved writing prose, singing, playing guitar and piano, and acting. Songwriting brought all my passions together and provided an outlet to tell my own stories my own way, instead of reading someone else’s script. After more than a decade of recording and touring regionally, a serious back injury forced me to step away from performing. What followed was a long stretch away from the stage as I focused on raising my daughter and navigating life with chronic pain. Through it all, songwriting remained a constant companion — a quiet creative thread spanning more than 30 years. After a long pause, music slowly began to find its way back into public spaces, and I started sharing new songs in small community settings, church services, celebrations of life, and open mic nights, rediscovering the quiet joy of performing again. Those small gatherings eventually grew into a full return to the stage. My music is a blend of indie-folk, alt-country, blues, jazz, pop-rock and Americana that I call “Popicana.”
You are releasing your first song in 24 years, what made you decide to do it now?
I wrote this in 2016 after a conversation with my mom about my late uncle Terry. She said, “he might be gone, but the love lives on”, and her comforting words sparked the idea for the song. I began singing “Love Lives On” with personalized lyrics at celebrations of life. In 2019, I recorded a demo of it at Custom Recording Studios and contemplated releasing it as a single, but it needed editing and that studio was going out of business. In 2025, I found The Library Recording Studio, and Matt Patrick and I edited and co-produced the song. I added background vocals and Jim Chenoweth played upright bass. It was mastered by Tom Garneau last December and is finally being released on November 23rd, 2026.
Your new song, Love Lives On, is a tender and nostalgic song. It feels like there must be a story or a person that inspires the song, could you tell me more please?
In December of 1998, I lost my uncle Terry and felt devastated. After struggling with his mental health, he took his own life just 2 months after the Matthew Shepard hate crime occurred. Terry was 48 years old and was deeply troubled by this act of cruelty, as he often felt judged for being gay. He composed instrumental piano music and was a mentor to me. It was a great loss for our family, and we spent many years processing this grief and sorrow. This song began as an homage to him and was later revised to create a more universal version, a technique Terry often recommended to me.
Please tell me about the upcoming release party.
The Single Release Show will be held on Monday, November 23rd at The Marsh Cafe, 15000 Minnetonka Blvd, Minnetonka. Doors and social hour begin at 5:00 PM, concert from 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM. Tickets: $30. Space is limited, and advanced tickets are highly recommended. To purchase, call The Marsh service desk at 952-908-7000 (Open 7 days a week; M-F 6:00 AM–8:00 PM, Sat/Sun 8:00 AM–6:00 PM). Light refreshments are included with the ticket, and a cash bar is available. My daughter, Eva will join as a special guest, along with Tom Pieper, Monica Livorsi and Christina Gregory.
Some of the proceeds from the show are going to The Matthew Shepard Foundation. Can you tell us more about the organization?
On October 7, 1998, Mathew Shepard, a 21-year-old student at the University of Wyoming, was brutally attacked and tied to a fence in a field outside of Laramie, Wyoming. On October 12, Matt succumbed to his wounds in a hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado. After Mathew’s death, his parents, Judy and Dennis Shepard, started the Matthew Shepard Foundation to honor his life and aspirations. Inspired by the tragedy they endured, Judy and Dennis became determined to prevent others from experiencing similar tragedies. Their aim is to teach parents with children who are questioning their sexuality to love them for who they are. By sharing their son’s story and their experience as the family of a hate crime victim, they continue to carry on Matt’s legacy. Judy and Dennis created this foundation to inspire individuals, organizations and communities to embrace the dignity of all people and create a more understanding, accepting and compassionate society.
Judy and Dennis share Matthew’s story with personal appearances across the country. They embody his vigor for civil rights to change the hearts and minds of others to embrace equality. Their ongoing mission is to extend Matt’s passion to foster a more caring and just world, to ensure visibility, safety and inclusivity and to highlight the importance of standing up for the LGBTQ + community. The Matthew Shepard Foundation empowers individuals to find their voice to create change and challenge communities to erase hate. Judy and Dennis helped pioneer the country’s first federal hate crimes legislation with the passing of the Mathew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention act in 2009; provided hate crimes training to 1,060 law enforcement officers and 76 prosecutors since May, 2017, created dialogue about hate and acceptance within communities throughout the world, and built resources to support the documentary play “The Laramie Project “ and other legacy artistic works inspired by Matt’s story.
