The Chattanooga Market

Kurt Scobie was born and raised in southeastern Michigan. Blissfield was and is (and forever will be) a small town about an hour outside of Detroit. Kurt grew up in a traditional home where his dad worked in sales in an office, and his mom stayed at home after she had her fourth child. The Scobie household got to be pretty bustling with activity through the years as they became a family of EIGHT. Mom and Dad Scobie were parents of four biological children and ended up adopting two children of the many foster children whom they had cared for. This life proved difficult, but came with the bonus of fun family kick-ball games, extra kids to pick on, and the overall satisfaction of taking in kids to give them a better life.

Kurt’s only older sibling, Kendra, began taking piano lessons when she was young, and Kurt could hardly wait to be just like his older sister. But he didn’t catch on to the whole “piano thing” right away. It took another teacher, “Bucky” to really inspire and develop his talent. Bucky made piano fun! Kurt learned all of that music theory stuff AND had fun doing it. Bucky introduced him to the expansive world of the piano, which opened up doors to school bands, singing groups, honors choirs, and more.
Continue reading On Stage 8/2- Kurt Scobie

Kate Klim was five years old when her family inherited a piano, 9 years old when she received her first lesson, and 11 years old when an unsuccessful audition for the film “Life with Mikey” caused her to rethink her career as a moviestar. This was fortunate, because the singer/songwriter Club Passim has since called a “local rising star” then turned to music.

With roots in Palatine, Illinois and Downingtown, Pennsylvania, Kate was raised on a steady diet of Carole King , Paul Simon, Billy Joel and John Lennon. Later on, her influences grew to include Patty Griffin, Jonatha Brooke, Chris Trapper and Garrison Starr.

Kate’s musical success in her hometown led her to Berklee College of Music in Boston. It was here that Kate worked on her skills as a writer and performer, and became involved with the music community that had produced icons like Bob Dylan years before, and Tracy Chapman and Patty Griffin in the recent past. Soon enough her song “Heaven Help Me” led off the 2003 “Best of Boston” singer-songwriter compilation CD, and her audience began to grow. Within a few years of her debut as a singer/songwriter, she was opening for artists like Shawn Colvin, Lucy Kaplansky, Richard Shindell and Ollabelle.
Continue reading On Stage 8/2- Kate Klim

Imagine if Janis Joplin were alive today and able to metamorph into a folk rock artist / singer songwriter, add a half cup of Patty Griffin and a tablespoon of Melissa Etheridge and you have Leslie Dysinger.

Leslie began her independent music career in 1992 when she decided to move to Memphis, [...]

Butch Ross can’t do anything right.  (1), He plays the mountain dulcimer, (2) He plays it standing up like a guitar, (3) He holds it upside and strung backwards and (4) He plays rock n roll on it. Despite all this wrongness, somehow it all sounds just right.

Okay, sure, he plays his own funny, poignant songs and some traditional mountain tunes, but somehow, in Butch’s hands, they rock, too.

Butch Ross was given a mountain dulcimer for his birthday a few years ago, at the time the regionally touring singer/songwriter had no idea of the impact the instrument would have on his career. “I thought it’s be cool to have one around the house, but I found myself playing it more and more. It had made music fun for me in a way that I hadn’t felt since I first picked up the guitar.”

Continue reading On Stage 7/26- Butch Ross

WHITE BAY FREDDIE IS AN ENTERTAINER SPLITTING HIS TIME BETWEEN TENNESSEE AND THE VIRGIN ISLANDS, CHASING THE ETERNAL SUMMER AND THE PERFECT TAN! .

IN TENNESSEE, HE PLAYS FOR PRIVATE PARTIES, CLUBS, AND BENEFITS! HE DOES HIS CD RECORDINGS IN NASHVILLE.

HE IS A “RABID” WATER SKIER AND A SCUBA [...]

Americana Country/rocker Jennifer Brantley Just finished her second solo CD with producer Bil VornDick. Bil has worked on Grammy-winning recordings and 43 Grammy finalists. Though Bil is best known as the producer who developed Alison Krauss, he has also worked with Bob Dylan, Bela Fleck, Ralph Stanley and many others. In 1998, he produced “Clinch Mountain Country” one of the largest collaborative recorded projects in Nashville that was awarded #1 Country Album of the Year by Rolling Stone.

The CD, which was released 9/04 features Nashville guitar hero Johnny Hiland and fiddle legend Aubrey Haney. It is now being released to radio. Blonde Girls was released to country radio in July and went to #53 on the New Music Weekly charts. The CD itself was also released to Americana radio and was in rotation on over 163 stations world wide. Jennifer has also has nearly 20,000 fans on her Myspace site.

Jennifer has been working hard with her band in recent years. Playing and writing constantly and yes some of her efforts have paid off. Already in 2006, she has been selected by Clear Channel Radio for its new artist promotion campaign called NEW!

Continue reading On Stage 7/12- Jennifer Brantley