EmiSunshine And Friends Form New Band, Strong Armed Robbers, and Release First Single

Warning: Strong Armed Robbers are on the loose with drums drawn and guitars blazing. Authorities urge fans to keep their eyes peeled and ears open, as the group's first single, "Judgement Day," is out now, with their debut album due in April.

The gang is fronted by three of East Tennessee's most wanted musicians-EmiSunshine, Fish Fisher and Randall Hamilton, a.k.a. "Diddy," who have been known to conspire with other country and Americana artists but are now venturing in a new creative direction, together.

"The project reflects more of our 'outlaw' side within the Americana and Country market," Fisher said. "It's wild with some dark sarcasm within it. 'Judgement Day' is one of my favorite songs we'd ever written. It's an insider's look at the many pressures and rewards within the music industry. We gripe a little bit at first but also tap into the good things and people that keep you going in this wacky industry."

Listen to "Judgement Day" here.

Fisher met EmiSunshine at a songwriters' workshop in Gatlinburg several years ago when Emi was, as he says, "itty-bitty." They liked each other's music and eventually agreed to write some songs together.

"I recall talking with her and her mom about it for a year before our schedules aligned to make it happen," Fisher said. "The three of us wrote our first song in the basement of a guitar shop, I think. After that, we were fast friends."

"One of my favorite things about Fish is he wants to write things that are enjoyable for both of us," Emi said. "When I work with him, I don't have to worry about conforming to someone else's style. I can put out as many wacky and crazy ideas as I want."

Emi, who will turn 17 in June, has been attracting national attention since she was 9 years old, with appearances on "American Idol," "Today," "Little Big Shots," the Grand Ole Opry and elsewhere. In 2018, she was featured in the Grammy-nominated Elvis Presley documentary "The King," singing while riding in Elvis' 1963 Rolls-Royce with her brother, John Hamilton, and father, Randall Hamilton, with whom she performs in the band The Rain. As he does in The Rain, Randall plays upright bass and bass guitar with Strong Armed Robbers but has more of a vocal presence with the new group.

"Strong Armed Robbers is a lot less acoustic-based than The Rain; we have keys and electric guitars all over the place," Hamilton said. "At its core, SAR is a singer-songwriter band. It is all about the song."

There is a fourth member of Strong Armed Robbers, who, though working behind the scenes, is critical to the band's creative process. Songwriter Alisha Hamilton, who is Randall's wife and Emi's mother, taught Emi to write songs beginning when Emi was 5 years old and has collaborated with her ever since. As a songwriting team, they are represented by Reynsong/Anthem Entertainment in Nashville.

"It's always fun writing with Emi and Fish," Alisha said. "The new material is higher-energy than what Emi has traditionally done, but don't be surprised if you hear The Rain doing some of the new songs, when they get back on the road."

"Judgement Day" by Strong Armed Robbers is available on Spotify. The music video will premiere on Sunday, March 21 at 1:00 a.m. ET on YouTube.

The album "Room 18" will be released on April 30.

More information about Strong Armed Robbers is available at:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/StrongArmedRobbers

Instagram: www.instagram.com/strongarmedrobbers/

Youtube: www.youtube.com/channel/UCkEWN9qm8mDdAVL3jlWj5vQ

About Strong Armed Robbers

Fish Fisher (Vocals, guitar)

Fish Fisher is an award-winning songwriter and singer. Born in Toledo, Ohio, and now based out of Gatlinburg, he regularly plays his special blend of original Americana & Outlaw-Country music traveling thru his 'Rust-belt to Coal-belt' triangle-shaped region from the Smokies to Detroit to Nashville and back. He co-writes for and with many notable other artists and enjoys teaching songwriter workshops and hosting songwriting retreats.

EmiSunshine (Vocals, ukulele)

Rolling Stone once named EmiSunshine among "10 new country artists you need to know," but she is more than country. Her music exhibits blues, rock and gospel influences. She has performed nationwide and released six independently produced albums with her band The Rain. Judgement Day will be her seventh album, but her first with the new band Strong Armed Robbers.

Randall Hamilton (Vocals, upright bass and bass guitar)

Randall Hamilton is not just EmiSunshine's father; he is a recording engineer, musician and technical guru. One of his early musical influences was his grandmother, Wanda Matthews (a.k.a. Wanda White), a professional singer who backed up numerous country stars in the 1940s and 50s and performed on several TV shows. Randall attended Middle Tennessee State University, where he earned a degree in music production and met his wife, Alisha.

Alisha Hamilton (songwriter)

Although Emi's mother rarely appears on stage, she is as much a part of Strong Armed Robbers as Emi, Fish and Randall. A former nurse, Alisha grew up in a musical family, and has always had a talent for songwriting. She taught Emi to write songs at age 5, and the two of them have been collaborating ever since. In recent years, they have been writing songs with some of the top talent in Nashville.

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