This Sunday, at Chattanooga Market, you’ll find a fabulous showing of antique dealers from Chattanooga and the surrounding areas. If you’re a collector, decorator, or just appreciate these old time finds, come to the First Tennessee Pavilion early!
Wendy Newcomer is an Americana/country singer-songwriter originally from Asheboro, North Carolina, now living in Nashville, Tennessee. In 2006 she released her self-titled CD, with original songs influenced by heroes including Emmylou Harris, Loretta Lynn, Patty Loveless, Guy Clark and Tom Petty; and interpretations of songs by some of her favorite writers.
She made her Grand Ole Opry debut in 2000 and released her debut EP, “Raised On Promises,” in 2004. In 2005, Newcomer was a semi-finalist in the ASCAP-sponsored International Songwriting Competition.
In 2007 Newcomer was selected to play the RedGorilla Music Fest and the Atlantis Music Conference and Festival. In April 2008 she was a winner in the MerleFest Chris Austin Songwriting Contest. She’s currently a featured artist on AOL Music and OurStage.com.
Newcomer performs around the southeast and southwest, is an in-demand demo and session singer, and has also recorded regional voiceovers and jingles. She’s now writing songs for her next album.
Tori Sparks calls Nashville home, but spends most of her time on the road in the U.S. and Europe. Called “a knockout” by the Village Voice, her dynamic live show is equal parts soulful singing and zany stand-up-style humor.
Tori’s latest album “Under This Yellow Sun” was produced by indie rock veteran David Henry (R.E.M., Ben Folds, Josh Rouse, Cowboy Junkies), and features players such as Steve Bowman (Counting Crows), Aaron Sands (Jars of Clay), and John Deaderick (Patty Griffin, Lucinda Williams). The album has been praised by Relix, All Music Guide, Performing Songwriter, Creative Loafing, XM Radio, and countless others for its depth and diversity.”Under This Yellow Sun” was recently licensed to MTV, Lifetime, and Oxygen Networks for use in their 2008 television programming. Tori’s single “Cold War” is included on the Universal Music France double-disc compilation, released internationally in March 2008, which has sold 25,000+ copies to date. “Cold War” is also featured on the Paste Magazine New Music Sampler for June 2008.
Please see www.torisparks.com or www.myspace.com/torisparks for more information.
Once a Seattle resident, Treva Blomquist is now a Nashville local and has quickly risen to the top of an endless pool of talent that inundates Music City. Treva’s ability to seamlessly weave a tapestry of folk and soul, dye it indigo blue, and adorn it with the occasional sparkling sequin of pop has earned her considerable recognition among artists and critics alike. Her songwriting is rock solid and mature, often earning favorable comparisons to Patty Griffin and Mindy Smith. Treva is comfortable and compelling performing as a solo act, in front of a small string section, or shaking the walls of any rock venue in town with her band, The Suits.
Although Treva’s brilliant songwriting and impressive guitar chops distinguish her from other artists in her genre, it is her voice that places her in a league of her own. Treva’s range is wide and her timbre is as focused and as pure as a trumpet, and just as powerful. But it is the integrity and authenticity embedded within her lyrics and the passion and soul conveyed through her voice that are truly the most inspiring. Treva possesses a rare talent that is often sought after but rarely obtained.
Sadie Blu was born August 6, 1989 in Dothan, Alabama. An only child and daughter of a preacher, she moved around quite frequently with her parents. When she was nine years old, Sadie and her family relocated to Columbia, South Carolina.. While listening to the city’s local college radio station, she discovered a style of music called the Blues. She quickly became infatuated with the Blues and Rock & Roll, a world that had seemingly been hidden away by church hymns. Artists such as John Lee Hooker, T-Bone Walker, Etta James, Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix became guiding lights for this young musician.
When Blu was 12, she purchased a new guitar with money she had saved from making and selling her own jewelry. She then took formal lessons for about a year. Before long, she began to write her own songs, but was too shy to share them, even with her parents. During her mid-teen years, while living in Milton, Florida, Sadie would attend hootenannies held at an antique store near her house on weekends. While most teenagers preferred to socialize within their own age group, Sadie spent her spare time learning and sharpening her craft with people decades her elder.
After much encouragement from her parents, Sadie recorded a few of her self penned songs alone in her garage. The four song demo began to circulate and talk of Sadie Blu’s music began to spread around town. Reluctantly, the shy 17 year old agreed to play her first public performance at the local River Walk Festival on the 4th of July of 2007. Soon, there after, Unity Artist Management , based out of Atlanta, picked Blu up.
Her senior year in high school she took on the large task of completing a full-length album. The 10-track album, “Memories in Melody” was recorded at AAM Studios in Pittsburgh. The album was produced by Greg Sparks and released in the spring of 2005. She just finished a new album that she recorded with 3-time Grammy winning engineer/producer Jay Dudt. The new album, entitled “The In Between,” was released on March 22, 2008. The CD release show was held at the Rhythm House Cafe in Pittsburgh and well over 200 were in attendance.
Now 20 years old, Brooke is currently a Junior at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee where she is majoring in Music Business. She has performed in 4 college showcases since arriving at the musically competitive University. Brooke won a both a writer’s showcase and the Other Showcase in the spring of 2007. This allowed her to perform in the Best of the Best showcase in April of 2007. She recorded and released a 4 song EP entitled “The Nashville EP,” in the same month. Since moving to Nashville she hopes to expand her knowledge and love of performing in the Music City.
She plans on touring her current release throughout the spring and summer of 2008 as much as possible.
Before his freshman year of high school, Jeff Miller decided to sell all of his video games and buy his first guitar. Soon after, songwriting became a passion. He formed a band with two other friends in the Pittsburgh suburb where he grew up. They recorded an album and played numerous shows together.
After high school, Miller was off to Boston’s Berklee College of Music, where he studied Guitar Performance and Songwriting. His plan was to find compatible musicians, and to form another band. That never happened.
A degree from Berklee, a move back home to Pittsburgh, a move to Nashville, and 3 solo albums (and an EP) later, Jeff Miller is still playing music. In fact, he plays over 150 shows a year, touring the east coast and the midwest. His music has received airplay at over 175 stations, in the U.S. and abroad.
What is Contra Dance??? Contra Dancing is a form of American folk dance where the dancers form a set of two parallel lines. Each dance consists of a sequence of moves that ends with couples having progressed one position up or down the set. As the sequence is repeated, a couple will eventually dance with every other couple in the set. Many of the basic moves in Contra Dancing are similar to those in square dancing (swings, promenades, dos-à-dos, allemandes). A square dance set consists of only four couples whereas the number of couples in a Contra Dance set is limited only by the length of the First Tennessee Pavilion! Come and join the fun - no experience necesary!
This coming Sunday, enjoy the cool Autumn day under the First Tennessee Pavilion for our Mtn. View Bluegrass Day. The music will be fantastic and you’ll find all of your favorite vendors (some new ones too) selling handrcrafted treasures - great for early holiday shopping! It’s not too late in the season to still visit our farmers - apples, squashes and other fall fresh produce are still at Chattanooga Market.
