Sometimes life gets in the way, sometimes it makes a better artist.  Over the last few years ArtFRONT has been keeping an eye on the musical projects of  Mandi Rae.  When we first discovered Mandi Rae at an Americana Folk festival near Nashville where the Avett Brothers and Old Crow Medicine Show were just getting their early fan bases started she was a solo folkie storyteller with a guitar who was entertaining enough in that incarnation to get her an opening spot in one of our best attended concerts to date.  She has sinced developed into a true country poet with a dedicated, tight, swinging full band.  As a songwriter Mandi Rae knows how to put the hooks into each of her songs.  Her subject matter is always memorable and her tunes stick in your head like the gum under the seat of an Alabama church pew.   Earlier performances and recordings put her almost in the arena of comedienne storyteller but several years of growing up, becoming a mom  to two little girls and suffering the loss of her husband to an incurable illness has  refined her in to one of the more solidly developed artists to emerge from the underground sub-Dixie circuit.  Birmingham and Nashville have taken notice and Mandi Rae and her band are now poised to start turning heads and developing a widespread fan base starting throughout the southeast then spreading wherever people get a chance to experience one of her solid and melodically satisfying performances.  This collection of songs and videos are all the recordings that comprised her 2006 full length album called Mandi Rae & Westover Water “Gettaway.”   I have replaced two of the songs with live video versions from Nashville’s Music City Roots performance which occurred just a couple of weeks after the tragic loss of her husband.  This was a significant turning point in her style of delivery.  Making an already potent entertainer who was filled with humor and the ability to grab an audience’s attention, into a mature and intense multifaceted presence who is in the game for the win.  As focused a performer as anyone out there, the current Mandi Rae shows are worth paying attention to  for a lot of reasons.  Elements of Bob Dylan, Loretta Lynn,  and a genuine southern voice that most Americana style performers can only emulate.  Mandi Rae is the real thing and You need to be paying attention.  ~R.

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Russel and Cameron Cook  of the  Little Country Giants

One of our favorite “real country”/Americana groups,  Little Country Giants are coming back to Barking Legs Theater on Friday Nov. 29th.  for a double billed show with Angel Snow in one of the best venues in the southeast for sound quality and intimate settings.  Their last CD is titled “60 Grit.”   Here are a couple of songs for You to listen to before the show.  It was difficult to choose which ones to post here because everything on the album is great,  So I may switch them with others before the show so check back.   You can buy the full CD directly from the band on the night of the show. Look for full details on these musicians, more announcements and purchase advance tickets for this event HERE.

And please give a “like” to our ArtFRONT Presentations facebook page to stay alerted to our events and insights if that’s how You get your info these days .  ~R.

Eliza Rickman is coming back to play @ Barking Legs Theater in Chattanooga, TN  Thursday Nov. 15th, 2012. . Eliza Rickman’s performance last April @ Barking Legs Theater convinced me she is completely ready for much bigger stages once the media and then the public catches on to her amazingly dynamic stage presentations, chilling vocals and captivating stage presence. Her looping capabilities rival that of Andrew Bird and we will once again roll out the Grand Piano for her performance in order to accentuate her signature set which includes toy piano and other technological marvels as well. Don’t miss Eliza Rickman while You can still see her in this up close & intimate environment. You can read about this show and link to complete information on all the artists who will be performing HERE once our updates are complete for this show.     Eliza will also be appearing on Richard Winham’s afternoon music program on WUTC NPR 88.1 fm in Chattanooga @ between 2 & 4pm on The day of the Show. You can link to their live webcast as well.   Until then You can listen here  to two  of my personal favorites from Eliza’s most recent album
“O You Sinners” which was released in March of 2012.

 ~R.

Last year’s  Hope for Agoldensummer’s April show @ Barking Legs Theater in Chattanooga, TN turned out to be the week of one of the most devastating Tornado outbreaks in memorable history but the show still went on!  If  You missed the band that weekend due to the chaos, lack of power at your house or worse, they will return on Sunday April 15th 2012 along with HuDost and dance performer Lacy Jo.   You can read all about this show HERE. ~R.*

Great fortune has it that this spring’s Hope for Agoldensummer performance coincides with the release of their most impressive studio album to date.    “Life Inside The Body.”  You can listen to these selected streaming audio files here and then  see  Hope for a Goldensummer live along with Ontario’s Americana & World Music duo HuDost who will be collaborating on dance numbers with Chattanooga’s own Lacy Jo of  Zanzibar studios Tribal fusion bellydance.   All the details for this show with links to all three artists’ websites and more of their online music, videos and info is right here.
www.ArtFRONT.com/BarkingLegsPressRelease

Keep in touch with Hope for Agoldensummer through their website and be sure to get the new CD soon as it’s released: www.HopeforAgoldensummer.com
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