Singer/Songwriter Stephen Hunley, nephew of renowned country vocalist Con Hunley, was born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee. He grew up in a family that surrounded him with a love and passion for music, which had a significant impact on his life from a very young age. He began taking piano and violin lessons [...]]]>

Singer/Songwriter Stephen Hunley, nephew of renowned country vocalist Con Hunley, was born and raised in Knoxville, Tennessee. He grew up in a family that surrounded him with a love and passion for music, which had a significant impact on his life from a very young age. He began taking piano and violin lessons at the age of five, and for a moment it seemed as if Hunley was destined to follow in the musical footsteps of his family. However, his attention soon turned to another passion… baseball. At the age of twelve he decided to quit taking music lessons all together and devote his time and attention to baseball, which ultimately earned him a scholarship to Cumberland College in Williamsburg, Kentucky. After two seasons Hunley felt it was time for a change, moved back to his hometown and enrolled in classes at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. It was during this time that, Hunley began to reconnect with his passion for music by writing and playing songs on a guitar his father bought for him. He started playing his songs for family and friends who encouraged him to pursue his rediscovered love for music. After graduating with a degree in Political Science, he began playing small clubs around East Tennessee. In 2006, Hunley stepped into the studio to record his first full length album.

Now nearly three years later, Hunley is set to release his debut album Wait and See in April 2009. Wait and See is an eclectic mix of thirteen original compositions. With the brilliant arranging of producer Burton Akers, each song from Wait and See is graced with a unique and tasteful flair. The album covers a wide range of musical styles spanning Acoustic Soul, Pop-Rock, New-Age-Country, and Southern Blues. Hunley doesn’t care much for labeling, however, and his writing serves as proof. “I have always been influenced by the song first and the artist second,” says Hunley. “That’s not to say certain artists haven’t influenced me more than others. I’ll never forget the first time I heard Otis Redding. It absolutely floored me. I was seven years old riding in the car with my dad when I heard ‘Sittin’ On the Dock of the Bay.’ I’ve always felt a deeper connection with a lyric or a melody than with a particular artist.” Hunley writes of life – both good and bad – of his own, and of others. Along with a varied style, Hunley also has a refreshing sense of delivery. If a song moves him or thrills him, he loves it and it shows.

Inspiration for some artists is difficult to come by, but for Morgan Bracy, inspiration comes with life; in fact, it is life.  Pain, joy, love, blessings, and tragedy weave together to tell her story, thus far.  It’s a tale not unlike other great artists, poets, and storytellers, which lends itself to heartfelt and [...]]]>

Inspiration for some artists is difficult to come by, but for Morgan Bracy, inspiration comes with life; in fact, it is life.  Pain, joy, love, blessings, and tragedy weave together to tell her story, thus far.  It’s a tale not unlike other great artists, poets, and storytellers, which lends itself to heartfelt and thought-provoking art.  Her music has been called folk, smart pop, folk pop with a hint of country, but the one constant, transcending genre description, is it’s expressive nature.  It’s clear when listening to Morgan Bracy sing her crafted songs that every word has been lived and felt.

Bracy’s influences include Joni Mitchell, Sarah McLachlan, Jewel, Stevie Nicks, Eva Cassidy, Patty Griffin, Mindy Smith, Over the Rhine, Damien Rice, Shawn Colvin, and Tracy Chapman, among others.  Like these artists, Bracy’s lyrics are especially emotional and explore her creativity.  She has been compared to the likes of Emmylou Harris, Mindy Ripperton, and Stevie Nicks.  This East Tennessee native made the trek to Nashville, TN, to hone her writing and communication craft and to pursue her love of creating and performing music.  Since 2002, she has been performing at clubs, coffee houses and other venues, writing, and recording in Music City.

Her debut album, Dirty Laundry, was released in 2007 before a loving crowd at the Bluebird Café.  Music Row Publication’s Robert Oermann said of Dirty Laundry, “Folk for modern ears. She co-wrote all 10 tunes, and they mark the start of what I hope will be a brilliant career.”  The album has received other nods from Britain’s Maverick Magazine, Broadtexter.com, and news fans across the country.

Currently, Bracy, along with Grammy-nominated producer/engineer John Merchant, is immersed in the creation of a new project, the sound of which is large with orchestral interludes and rich with inspiring lyrics. The CD is somewhat of a soundtrack, as the songs paint a movie with snippets of love, dreams, and life to create a complete, cohesive album.

Among both critics and peers alike, her songwriting has been deemed a heated mixture of sultry vulnerability and raw emotion. Her powerhouse vocals, in combination with her poignant lyrics and piano driven songwriting place her in a category all on her own. Meet Joelle Maddyson, a beautiful Nashville-based redheaded songstress who has taken [...]]]>

Among both critics and peers alike, her songwriting has been deemed a heated mixture of sultry vulnerability and raw emotion. Her powerhouse vocals, in combination with her poignant lyrics and piano driven songwriting place her in a category all on her own. Meet Joelle Maddyson, a beautiful Nashville-based redheaded songstress who has taken the music industry by storm with her awe-inspiring talent. Born in southwest Louisiana, Joelle Maddyson was singing long before she could speak. Her musical journey took off in her early teens, soon after her family relocated to California’s central valley. It was during high school that Joelle began winning awards for her vocal performances in addition to participating annually in both honor choir and band. During her senior year, Joelle took on composition head on, by teaching herself how to play piano and writing original music. When Joelle received the only Command Performance award given at The Solo & Ensemble Festival in 2002, she was immediately recruited to CSU Stanislaus. She received the highest scholarship at the time for her vocal audition. She then spent three years studying both Vocal Performance and English Literature. As it became clear that her true passion lies in songwriting, Joelle took a break from school and began performing in local venues. Within months, Joelle was touring across California. She was invited to play on news programs, radio stations, and was nominated two years in a row for the prestigious Modesto Area Music Association Award. Joelle’s journey led her to Nashville, where she teamed up with Billy Smiley of Northern Shore Productions. Joelle was also awarded the LaFaMos Grant for Independent Artists. She is also the newest member selected to join SESAC, and invitation only promotional rights group for songwriters. With no end in sight, Joelle continues her dedication to sincere and fearlessly personal songwriting. .. …. ..

“Girl, you sound like a neat glass of single malt in a world of Michelob Ultra.” Those were the words of Grammy award-winning songwriter Mike Reid (“I Can’t Make You Love Me”) when he heard Kira Small sing. This slinky, sultry, soulful siren combines the smoothness of Norah Jones, the rawness of Bonnie [...]]]>

“Girl, you sound like a neat glass of single malt in a world of Michelob Ultra.” Those were the words of Grammy award-winning songwriter Mike Reid (“I Can’t Make You Love Me”) when he heard Kira Small sing. This slinky, sultry, soulful siren combines the smoothness of Norah Jones, the rawness of Bonnie Raitt, the hip-ness of Alicia Keys and the flat-out-wailing of Aretha Franklin to bring forth her mix of spellbinding original material and R&B classics.

While Nashville (her current home base) is most known for country music, there is a deep vein of southern soul and R&B running through it that Kira has tapped into, and it has become her lifeblood. What really happened is she found herself surrounded by a bunch of greasy old R&B dudes from the serious south and felt so at home they decided to make a record. That record is her latest CD, Love In A Dangerous World, which was produced by Bruce Dees (James Brown, Ronnie Milsap). It features numerous Motown and Muscle Shoals R&B veterans and sounds pretty much like rib meat falling off the bone.

How does this white chick from Wisconsin sound like anything but a white chick from Wisconsin? Who knows, who cares…it’s working. Maybe it was the gospel, jazz and R&B she discovered in high school. Maybe it was Berklee College of Music’s many and varied influences. Maybe it was her years of soaking up soulfulness in Austin, TX. Maybe it was the position of the moon and stars at the precise moment of her birth. Whatever it was, this is an old soul speaking through a vibrant and powerful new voice.

Kira has followed her muse to many musical and geographical destinations. She sang and danced in production shows in San Antonio, witnessed Mardi Gras from behind the piano at Pat O’Brien’s, became a fixture in the Austin music scene, returned to Boston as a member of Berklee’s voice faculty in 1999, and finally (for now) landed in Nashville in 2001 where she has worked with Wynonna Judd, Martina McBride, Gretchen Wilson, Radney Foster, Alan Jackson, Ray Stevens, the Jordanaires, Jimmy Hall, Wayne Jackson of the Memphis Horns, and the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, among others.

After each energized performance, Abi Tapia always hears the same question: “What does your guitar strap say?” The answer is a word that describes not only her music, but also a big part of her personality: “Wanderlusty.”

Abi Tapia happily calls Austin home, but to say she’s simply a Texas [...]]]>

After each energized performance, Abi Tapia always hears the same question: “What does your guitar strap say?” The answer is a word that describes not only her music, but also a big part of her personality: “Wanderlusty.”

Abi Tapia happily calls Austin home, but to say she’s simply a Texas songwriter wouldn’t give the whole story. The daughter of musicians, Abi was born in Alabama and lived until she was fifteen in various towns around the Southeast and Texas. She has since lived in the Midwest (where she was a Sociology major at Grinnell College) and New England (where she began her professional music career). Characteristics of all of these regions inspire Abi’s songwriting: The inviting warmth of the South, the expansiveness of the Midwestern Plains, and the pluck and determination of a New England Yankee are all mixed up with a nomadic restlessness.

While living in Maine, Abi found herself attracted to the sweet twang and straightforward approach of Country music. This sound drew her to Austin in 2002 where she quickly rooted herself in the city’s thriving live music scene. With its blend of country sincerity, cosmopolitan irony and plethora of skilled pickers, this openhearted music community is the perfect setting for Abi’s work. Here she writes lyrics that are at times simple and sincere, but can turn sassy in a flash, while her melodies seem pre-destined to be surrounded by licks on mandolin and Dobro. As host of the Cactus Café’s Monday Open Mic night, Abi sits on the front lines of the emerging songwriter scene, welcoming new musicians to town every week, hoping they find Austin as hospitable as she has.

But don’t assume she’s settled down. Perhaps because she’s lived in so many places, Abi has never been daunted and is, in fact, inspired by the enormous undertaking involved in heading out solo for a cross-country tour. Driving hours by herself, living out of the car for weeks at a time, and playing for strangers in each new town, she is fed by the thrill of exploring new places, meeting other artists, and the blessing of having audiences applaud her everywhere she performs. The diversity of the venues she has played keeps road life interesting. Some nights bring her to legendary listening rooms like Club Passim, The Bitter End, The Bluebird Café and Eddie’s Attic, while other nights Abi might be seen in crowded living rooms, libraries, a gazebo on a sprawling Texas ranch, or at a bicycle race finish line. Her songwriter’s sensibility allows her to appreciate details and subtle differences of each place she visits, so for Abi, even the shortest trip offers potential adventure and inspiration.

Tapia’s 2005 release, One Foot Out The Door, is a driving collection of songs about loving and leaving that is garnering rave reviews and comparisons to Austin’s best songwriters. The creation of this music was like a year-long road trip with Abi (vocals, guitar and harmonica) driving and Chris Gage (producer, engineer, guitars, keys and vocals) sitting shotgun with the maps. They picked up a few hitchhikers along the way including musicians who have contributed to albums from the Dixie Chicks, Eliza Gilkyson, The Greencards and countless others. With song titles like “Somewhere to Go” and “Nothing to Hold Me Down”, you can bet that this disc will take Abi Tapia to lots more cities and car stereos, and lot more people will be asking questions that can be answered with the word “Wanderlusty.”

Jennifer Daniels performs with a power that rivals Ani DiFranco, and combines it with angelic melodies and lyrical rhythms reminiscent of Dido or Sarah McLachlan. Her intense, raw passion captivates the audience while her humorous banter between songs endears them. Paste Magazine writes, “It is a rare gift that someone can express such [...]]]>

Jennifer Daniels performs with a power that rivals Ani DiFranco, and combines it with angelic melodies and lyrical rhythms reminiscent of Dido or Sarah McLachlan. Her intense, raw passion captivates the audience while her humorous banter between songs endears them. Paste Magazine writes, “It is a rare gift that someone can express such depth and power in lyrics, and it is even more rare that the lyrical gift is accompanied by such an amazing musical talent.”

Daniels tours the country with Jeff Neal, whose touch on guitar and mandolin embellish her melodies with ethereal moods and textures. They perform frequently at The Bitter End in New York, and Eddie’s Attic in Atlanta where they won the prestigious Eddie’s Attic Shootout. Creative Loafing said that “her clear superiority in every ranked category – particularly vocal performance – were what clinched it for her. Whether throwing back her head to hold a magnificently sustained high note or expertly accompanying herself on a 12-string guitar, Daniels clearly outclassed the strongest competition.” This along with a cornucopia of awards has merited Jennifer opportunities to share the stage with GRAMMY award-winning artists like John Mayer and Indigo Girls.

“Dive & Fly” thrust Daniels onto the national scene when Performing Songwriter named it one of the Top 12 DIY Releases in 2002. FM Odyssey not only awarded “Dive & Fly” Album of the Year, but the nationally syndicated radio show also chose Jennifer Best New Female Artist at their Alternative to the Grammy’s music awards. “Dive & Fly champions the elementary emotional characteristics of singer/songwriter folk-rock and pushes the genre forward with a sound that is contemporary and commercially accessible,” says Tom Semioli of All Music Guide. Daniels’ is featured regularly on Laney Goodman’s Women on Air, and has also performed live three times on Michael Jonathan’s Woodsongs Old-Time Radio Hour.

Jennifer’s latest release “Summer Filled Sky” was mixed and mastered by legendary engineer and producer Rodney Mills who has earned 37 gold and platinum albums for mixing, mastering, and producing artists including Sheryl Crow, Pearl Jam, Gregg Allman, and REM. Mr. Mills successfully captured just the right vibe for Daniels’ distinct style and inspiring lyrics, and set her most impressive instrument -her voice- perfectly in the tracks.

“Summer Filled Sky is the third and most fully realized release from this Southern spirit,” says Creative Loafing. “If you’re in need of an antidote to all things Brittany-like, Daniels latest effort Summer Filled Sky is like taking 12 doses of sanity in a world gone wrong.” From joyful pop rock anthems like Day to Live and Welcome to Your Life to the beautiful melancholy of ballads like Tattoo and Spiderman, Summer Filled Sky leaves no emotion untapped and no feeling unstirred. Performing Songwriter says, “Jennifer flirts with pop, rock or anything else that comes into her musical path. The result is pretty damn great!”

In addition to playing nearly 150 shows this past year, Jennifer and Jeff were involved with the NARAS GRAMMY in the Schools program. Daniels served on a songwriter’s panel with Anita Baker and Ed Roland of Collective Soul, and Neal participated with producers Phil Tan and Butch Walker in a recording workshop. This national outreach program provides insight to high school students about careers that are available in music, and direction on how to prepare for them. Primarily held on university campuses across the country, GRAMMY In The Schools provides an opportunity for students to interact with professionals representing a wide range of careers.

Gary Nicholson

Residence: Nashville Hometown: Garland, Texas Genres: Americana, Singer/Songwriter, Country, Blues, Rock Website: www.garynicholson.com

A 2006 nominee for the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Gary Nicholson has had more than 350 of his songs recorded, has won 26 ASCAP songwriting awards and is responsible for more than a dozen major hits. [...]]]>

Gary Nicholson

Residence: Nashville
Hometown: Garland, Texas
Genres: Americana, Singer/Songwriter, Country, Blues, Rock
Website: www.garynicholson.com

A 2006 nominee for the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Gary Nicholson has had more than 350 of his songs recorded, has won 26 ASCAP songwriting awards and is responsible for more than a dozen major hits. Unlike most tunesmiths, he is not bound by musical genre. His songs routinely top the country hit parade. But rock bands, blues artists, folk stars and bluegrass acts have also embraced him as a songwriter.

“I’ve never found it difficult to ‘shift gears’ between different musical styles,” Nicholson says. “I let myself be dictated by the needs of the artist or of the writer I’m collaborating with. A lot of these guys are just looking for good lyrics. Songwriting is songwriting. A song is a song.”

As a guitarist, Gary Nicholson has brightened recording sessions and/or concert stages with the likes of Guy Clark, Billy Joe Shaver, Bobby Bare, Delbert McClinton and Tracy Nelson. During his long career, he has also played lead guitar in at least 10 of his own bands.

His musicianship led him into a career as a record producer. Gary Nicholson has produced two Grammy Award winning albums for Delbert McClinton. He has also guided projects by artists as diverse as “blue-eyed soul” singer Wynonna, Americana singer-songwriter Chris Knight, blues rocker Jimmy Thackery and Grand Ole Opry star Pam Tillis.

And then there’s the entertainer side of Gary Nicholson. Make that sides. He is actually at least three entertainers. A typical solo show will begin with him singing familiar hits he has written for others. After intermission, he reappears in the white suit, sunglasses and cap that are the uniform of “Whitey Johnson,” his bluesman alter ego. On other occasions, you might find him blistering a nightclub stage as a member of the rhythm-happy Fortunate Sons rock band. He has played The Bottom Line in New York, the House of Blues in Boston, Poor David’s Pub in Dallas, The Cactus Café in Austin, The Birchmere in Alexandria, VA and other prestigious venues.

“My kids are grown, so I’m having a great time performing live again. I’m doing stuff all over the country. I have a ‘Whitey Johnson’ band with different players in different cities. I’ve got a band in L.A. and one in Texas and another one in Nashville. I’ve got some guys in New York who can do it, too.”

This brings Gary Nicholson full circle. He began his career as a live performer in his native Texas. Fascinated by his older sister’s collection of classic rock ‘n’ roll records, he got his first guitar at age 10 so he could emulate the sounds of Elvis Presley, Little Richard, Jerry Lee Lewis, Buddy Holly, Fats Domino and the other “founding fathers.” By the time he was in high school, he was in bands playing Beatles tunes.

“The first one was called The Valiants. Then it was The Catalinas. Then The Untouchables. During summer vacation in 1966, we got a job playing at The Cellar in Fort Worth. It was my first gig, and I’ve still never played a place rougher than The Cellar.”

The group played from 8 p.m. until 4 a.m., rotating sets with another band, Texas Storm, which included future stars Stevie Ray and Jimmie Vaughan. At another gig, the band accompanied strippers, but was fired when the women preferred to dance to a jukebox. The underage Untouchables got away with all of this by telling their parents they were working at an all-night bowling alley.

“I didn’t realize it at the time, but I think coming of age in that Dallas / Fort Worth music scene was really important. There’s a certain guitar sound there. It was a great place to come up because there were so many great players around.”

Nicholson was soon captivated by local blues legend Freddy King, whose “Hide Away” had become a national hit in 1961. In college at North Texas State, the budding musician moved through a jazz phase, played lead guitar for the rock band The Nazz (“Hello It’s Me”) and then fell under the spell of the country-rock movement.

“We met The Flying Burrito Brothers. Gram Parsons came over to our little crash pad and we stayed up all night with him and had this amazing experience. He told us we should move to California. About a month or two later, we got in a car and drove straight through to the West Coast.”

Their first night in town, Parsons met the youngsters at The Palomino, country music’s California headquarters. Nicholson’s band won the club’s talent contest that night and met Delaney Bramlett, James Burton, Glen Campbell, Red Rhodes and Tony Booth. Parsons found the kids a place to stay and Rhodes introduced them to Linda Ronstadt and her producer, John Boylan. Known as The White Horse Brothers, the group soon attracted attention by performing Nicholson’s original songs with bluegrass harmonies.

Nicholson’s college classmates Don Henley and Jim Ed Norman joined him in L.A. Henley played drums with Nicholson’s band for its record-label showcase at The Troubadour, as well as on the demos that landed the group its recording contract. He then joined Ronstadt’s band, the group that evolved into The Eagles. Now renamed Uncle Jim’s Music, Nicholson’s group enlisted Boylan to produce its 1971 debut LP. Keyboardist Norman joined the band in time for its second album in 1972.

In 1973, Gary Nicholson married his college sweetheart Barbara and moved back to the Lone Star State. He joined Delbert McClinton’s band and also formed his own group, Hot Sauce. During the next several years both bands occupied him as a live musician. But he continued to write songs as well.

Meanwhile, his old buddy Jim Ed Norman was rising through the country-music ranks to become an in-demand record producer in Nashville. Nicholson sent him a tune called “Jukebox Argument,” which Norman recorded with singer Mickey Gilley. The song wound up on the soundtrack album Urban Cowboy 2.

“So in 1980, I finally got my courage up to move to Nashville,” Nicholson relates. “Jim Ed lured me. He gave me and my family a house to live in and a weekly ‘draw’ to write songs for his publishing company. I was just thrilled, because I’d been playing in country honky-tonks six nights a week, and on the seventh, I’d play a blues gig in Dallas. The possibility that I could write songs for a living was just amazing.”

To make money on the side, he continued taking road jobs. Guy Clark hired him as a guitar player on tour, then took him into the studio for the sessions that became the 1983 album Better Days. At his first Nashville recording session, Gary Nicholson played alongside such stellar players as Vince Gill, Hank DeVito, Tony Brown, Emory Gordy, Johnny Gimble and Rodney Crowell.

Out on the road with Billy Joe Shaver, Gary Nicholson became an eager pupil as the hit songwriter went over his lyrics with a red pencil in hand, grading them like a schoolteacher. Gail Davies also hired the guitarist for her road band. But country star Bobby Bare put an end to Nicholson’s touring days.

“In 1983, I had my first hit. That was ‘Your Love Shines Through’ by Mickey Gilley,” Nicholson recalls. “Then, in 1984 I had a No. 1 hit with ‘That’s the Thing About Love’ by Don Williams. Bare came on the bus one day, and he had a newspaper that had the record listed at No. 1. He laid that paper on my lap and said, ‘When we get back to Nashville, you need to help me find a new guitar player, because you need to stay home and write.’”

Gary Nicholson signed with the powerful Sony-ATV Tree publishing firm and adopted a strict work ethic that he maintains to this day. He came to the office daily, prepared to work with a variety of songwriting collaborators. “The Power of Love” (Charley Pride, 1984), “Break Away” (Gail Davies, 1985), “Working Without a Net” (Waylon Jennings, 1986) and “Brilliant Conversationalist” (T. Graham Brown, 1987) began a string of songwriting hits that has continued to the present.

Songs like “One More Last Chance” (Vince Gill, 1993), “The Trouble with the Truth” (Patty Loveless, 1997) and “She Couldn’t Change Me” (Montgomery Gentry, 2001) brought Gary Nicholson to the front ranks of Nashville’s songwriting army. After 14 years at Sony-Tree, he formed his own company, Gary Nicholson Music, in 1997.

His diversity as a songwriter is both unusual and impressive. Nicholson’s songs have been sung by country superstars such as George Jones, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, George Strait, the Dixie Chicks, Anne Murray and Willie Nelson. But he has also provided much material to the r&b community, with recordings of his tunes by B.B. King, The Neville Brothers, Etta James, Clarence Gatemouth Brown, Irma Thomas, Keb’ Mo,’ Junior Wells and more.

Nicholson’s songwriting talents have come to the attention of such pop/rock artists as Bonnie Raitt, Neil Diamond, Fleetwood Mac, String Cheese Incident, Ringo Starr, Los Lonely Boys, NRBQ, Robert Plant, Mountain and Gregg Allman. In the folk field, his songs have been recorded by the likes of John Prine, David Wilcox, Patty Griffin, John Sebastian, Paul Brady and Dave Olney. Even bluegrass artists have come to him for material – Doug Dillard, Vassar Clements, Del McCoury, Tim O’Brien, New Grass Revival and Peter Rowan among them.

He got his feet wet as a record producer by co-producing his own 1995 CD The Sky Is Not the Limit. In 1997, albums for River Road and Delbert McClinton furthered Nicholson’s producing reputation. T. Graham Brown’s acclaimed Wine Into Water (1998) came next. Nicholson produced Wynonna’s powerful New Day Dawning, plus The Judds’ landmark Reunion in 2000. McClinton won Grammy Awards with the Nicholson-produced Nothing Personal (2001) and Cost of Living (2005). Singer-songwriters Jessi Alexander and Chris Knight kept him busy in the studio in 2005-2006. Nicholson has also produced the upcoming Pam Tillis CD Rhinestoned.

“I’ve had an awful lot of fun,” says Gary Nicholson. “Nashville is so cool. I’m booked to co-write with someone almost every day. I have my ‘Whitey Johnson’ gigs. I have the Fortunate Sons. I have the studio work. It’s all good.”

Sights & Sounds

Music: (click here listen to music on Rhapsody)

Videos: (click to watch on YouTube)

• Gary Nicholson live with The Fortunate Sons

Artist website: www.annemccue.com

Anne McCue’s career has covered punk, Lilith Fair, Australian awards and Vietnam. She has released her fourth solo album, Koala Motel to critical acclaim and has recently co-produced two albums by other artists – Stephen Rowe and Leila Florentino. She has appeared as guest guitarist/vocalist on albums by Michelle Shocked [...]]]>

Artist website: www.annemccue.com

Anne McCue’s career has covered punk, Lilith Fair, Australian awards and Vietnam. She has released her fourth solo album, Koala Motel to critical acclaim and has recently co-produced two albums by other artists – Stephen Rowe and Leila Florentino. She has appeared as guest guitarist/vocalist on albums by Michelle Shocked and Gina Villalobos. Her two most recent albums, including Roll‚ (Messenger Records) was recorded at Dusty Wakeman’s Mad Dog Studios in Burbank, California. McCue and Wakeman co-produced the album. Going in with the philosophy of some of Anne’s favourite three piece bands she played the guitars, Dusty played bass with Dave Raven on the drums. The three jammed on the material, some of which McCue was still writing at the time. Guests on the album are Carl Byron (keyboards and accordion), Eric Gardner (drums on “Machine Gun” and “Tiny Little Song”and Mike Stinson (drums on “I Want You Back”). The album has received critical acclaim from such publications as Billboard, Entertainment Weekly and XM Satellite Radio (Top 5 Album of the Year) and was picked by Bob Harris of the BBC as his favourite album of 2004.
After Anne graduated from Sydney’s University of Technology with a degree in Film Production and Film Studies she moved to Melbourne with little more than a $60 guitar she “borrowed” from her brother, a large blue suitcase, and a plan to write a novel. Finding the writer’s life a little isolating, she answered an ad in the paper which read “Wanted: Wild Women For Rock’n'Roll Band” and joined a pop rock band as lead guitarist, touring the country and topping the independent charts for weeks at a time. On the side, she studied music theory and began honing her own song writing style. After four years and an ARIA nomination (the Australian Grammys) for the band, Anne pursued her solo career which took her, rather surprisingly to Vietnam.

Offered the chance to play music in Ho Chi Minh City Anne found it, “an unbelievable experience and it really changed my life. It also gave me the chance to hone my lead guitar playing.” Anne rode a 1965 Vesper and toted her guitar around on the bike ‘just like the locals’. After playing in all kinds of bands almost every night it was time to return to Melbourne where she frequented the blues jams.

She continued recording her original songs but took the opportunity to become a member of a group which was soon signed to the biggest record label in the world giving Anne the opportunity to tour the U.S. and Canada as part of the “Lilith Fair.” This experience brought her on stage with many of the greats such as The Pretenders, Emmylou Harris and Sarah McLachlan and took her to Los Angeles. The band proved to be creatively frustrating for Anne, so she left the group to pursue her interrupted solo career. Eventually she completed her debut album “Amazing Ordinary Things”. Anne co-produced all the tracks except “Angel Inside” which was produced by Larry Klein (Joni Mitchell). The CD is named after a painting by Jules C. McCue, Anne’s sister, whose artwork is found throughout the packaging and Anne has co-written several songs with her brother Mark. He’s the one she “borrowed” the guitar from.

McCue also released a live recording from her tour in 2002 with Lucinda Williams entitled “Ballad Of An Outlaw Woman”‚ and is currently editing the DVD which chronicles her time on that tour.

Artist website: www.amycook.com

Everybody knows the stars at night are big and bright deep in the heart of Texas, and the celestial has always been proudly represented in Lone Star culture, be it bands (Explosions in the Sky), sports (Houston Astros) or the state nickname itself. Amy Cook also sees something unique up [...]]]>

Artist website: www.amycook.com

Everybody knows the stars at night are big and bright deep in the heart of Texas, and the celestial has always been proudly represented in Lone Star culture, be it bands (Explosions in the Sky), sports (Houston Astros) or the state nickname itself. Amy Cook also sees something unique up there, but the alt-folk singer-songwriter isn’t content simply marveling at the enormity of what lies beyond earth. On The Sky Observer’s Guide—written in a prolific four-week gush—she tells simple, bittersweet, earthbound stories, refracted through the panoramic scope of the heavens. Things like this happen when you leave the industrial clamor of L.A. for a humble, weirdly-named West Texas town like Marfa.
“I named the record at the very end after I realized, going back on all these songs, there’s a song about an eclipse [‘Coming Home’], one called ‘Bright Colored Afternoons’—it really was all about the sky, the weather, the planets, the stars,” Cook confirms.

“Marfa’s nothing but open sky and a million stars and I think that got me on those sort of analogies—thinking about the bigger picture of it all, putting yourself in the place of just being here on this planet, where you can cover the moon with the tip of your thumb like an eclipse. It doesn’t make you feel insignificant, but it changes your perspective to be somewhere with a wide-open sky.”

Although her songs popped up all over the teen drama continuum (Dawson’s Creek, Laguna Beach, Veronica Mars), Cook grew weary of the industry grind in 2005 and packed up for Austin. Along the way she took a timeout in Marfa and met Leisha Hailey of Showtime’s acclaimed original series The L Word. The actress and the songwriter made fast friends; Hailey not only got Cook her best show placement of all (“The one on The L Word is my favorite because [Leisha’s character] was doing a radio show and she said, ‘That was Amy Cook on Marfa Records,’ which was better than being background music at a party somewhere,”) but encouraged her to write The Bunkhouse Recordings (slated for re-release this year with bonus live tracks), a full-length so intimate that Cook and her acoustic are backed by chirping crickets and a restless dog. Falling in love with Marfa—a quirky convergence of Mexican-Americans, artists and musicians where Ray’s, the bar with the “best coffee in the world” is inexplicably called Lucy’s—was inevitable.
amy cook profile “For me, [Marfa] is one of the last places around where you can actually make small dreams come true,” says Hailey. “You feel like a pioneer: no judgment, no expectations. I was looking for someone willing to take the dive with me in this new label. When I heard Amy, it all became clear to me. I hadn’t heard someone with a voice like that unless I paid a high ticket price for it.”

Cook claims she excels in a community of collaboration and the gorgeous packaging to The Sky Observer’s Guide backs up the sentiment. Artist Amy Adler, who had previously curated Joni Mitchell’s only sanctioned art show, fashioned five 5X5 sepia renderings of Cook, in turn providing stories that inspired the deeply personal narratives.

“I think she feels a tiny bit trapped by the idea that art doesn’t have sound,” Cook notes of Adler, “so she wanted to do a project that kind of combined the two things, where the art influenced the music and the music influenced the art.
In the end we really did inform each other in so many ways. I don’t think I would’ve written the album without her, and she wouldn’t have done these pieces.
“At first she would send me stories about her life—which were really, really beautiful—and they just set something off. I toyed with writing about her, then I decided that these songs were really about me. Not that we have completely similar life experiences, but it was just certain things that she said and the way that she wrote them. She was writing a lot about her father, which got me writing about my grandmother.”
That reminiscence, “Pearl,” is beautifully typical of Cook’s oeuvre, soaked in delay, slide and strum, abetted by guitarist Brad Rice, bassist Bobby Daniel and drummer Nina Singh. From the upbeat drawl of “The Answer” to the sparse, cautiously optimistic “Sunshine,” The Sky Observer’s Guide is beset with an epic light and dark representative of its creator.

“The songs might be melancholy, but there’s always something sort of hopeful about them,” she shrugs. “Probably because it’s the way that I am.”