Amy White Offers Free Song Download in Support of Marriage Equality

Inspired by the recent Supreme Court opinion on marriage equality, artist Amy White is offering a celebratory free download (for a limited time) of her poignant song, "Love Across the Boundaries."

This is not a new song, written to jump onboard the wave of recent news. Amy, known for her instrumental work, was inspired to try her hand at songwriting in the wake of what she calls "a wonderful rush of emotions" about issues in her life and in the lives of those close to her. The result is Home Sweet Home: Songs of Love, Loss & Belonging, the album that includes "Love Across the Boundaries."

"I was inspired to write this song during the Amendment One battle here in North Carolina," White says regarding marriage equality in the state she has called home for several years. "Some of our neighbors gave up on North Carolina and moved out of state after that amendment was passed. It broke my heart. For most of my life, I have composed perfectly bipartisan instrumental music. But I reached a turning point when I couldn't shut out the lyrics that kept coming to me, and I couldn't remain silent on issues that I cared about so deeply."

The free download is available at http://www.bluenightsoundscapes.com/love as a special feature from Blue Night Soundscapes.

You love someone that they don't approve of
So you hid your love away
But your love is not their dominion, no matter what they say

Learn to let go of the old ways
Send your love across the boundaries
Your love ... is yours to love

"I simply want to share this song," Amy says. "If couples of every variety want to use it at a wedding or for a first dance, I am honored to offer it as my gift in celebration with those who love."

Amy White is an award-winning instrumentalist whose work is featured in the Ken Burns documentaries, The National Parks, The Dust Bowl, and The Roosevelts.

Amy often performs as a duo with Al Petteway, her husband and a Grammy winning guitarist. Petteway appears with her on "Love Across the Boundaries" and throughout the album, along with other friends and special guests. It is a collection that is both deeply intimate and relatable.

For the album liner notes, Amy shared her inspiration for "Love Across the Boundaries," writing, "In honor of all the consenting, loving relationships that are still shunned. It is alarming to think of how this shunning can abbreviate one's very life - sometimes in the most tragic way. Straight, gay, inter-racial, West Side - all love is true. This song is for the people on both sides of the shunning."

For more on Amy White and Al Petteway, visit www.AlandAmy.com.

ABOUT AL & AMY Award-winning, critically acclaimed, passionate and playful, Al & Amy offer an intoxicating blend of musical styles. Their repertoire includes original, traditional, contemporary Celtic- and Appalachian-influenced music with occasional nods to rock and jazz. Their performances feature acoustic guitar, mandolin, Celtic harp, piano, banjo, lap dulcimer, world percussion, and a touch of vocals. Before moving from the Washington, DC area to the mountains of Western North Carolina, Al & Amy won 50 WAMMIE Awards from the Washington Area Music Association. In addition, they were awarded 5 separate grants from the Maryland State Arts Council for both music composition and instrumental performance. They won an INDIE from The Association for Independent Music, and Al won a GRAMMY from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences. Al was voted one of the Top 50 Guitarists of all time by the readers of Acoustic Guitar Magazine and in 2008 he won Silver and Bronze medals in the magazine's "Players' Choice Awards." Al & Amy's music was featured throughout the soundtrack of the 2009 Ken Burns EMMY-winning documentary, The National Parks: America's Best Idea. And in 2010, their album, Caledon Wood, (which includes the main theme of the National Parks documentary) was counted among the essential albums of the past 20 years in the Acoustic Guitar Magazine 20th anniversary issue. ? Al & Amy enjoy living in their mountain aerie, with stunning long-range views and wildlife as constant inspiration. This mountain-top setting has greatly influenced their recent musical works, and has also spurred their return to photography. Both Al & Amy's photographs are represented by The National Geographic Society's Image Collection, where Al worked as an image editor for 18 years. In addition to concerts and workshops, Al & Amy now also offer winter-themed and 4-season multi-media shows which feature live music performed against a backdrop of nature photography. Among many other pursuits, Al continues to teach private lessons and record video lessons for Homespun Videos. He also coordinates "Guitar Week" for the world famous music camp, The Swannanoa Gathering. And in early 2010, Amy launched Cat Angel Press which released its first full-color gift-book, Cat Angels: The Secret Lives of Cats. There are more angels and books to come.

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