Upon releasing her 2014 album, Ease My Mind, singer-songwriter Michaela Anne garnered considerable acclaim for her introspective songwriting. The New York Times praised the “plain-spoken songs of romantic regret and small-town longing” and the Village Voice listed it among its Top 5 Country Albums of the year. Since then, however, this once-solitary diarist has transformed herself into a gregarious storyteller. Michaela Anne has discovered her inner extrovert.

Her latest, Bright Lights and the Fame, recorded at Farmland Studio in Nashville, is full of sharp observations and easy wit, with several upbeat numbers tailor-made for the dance floor of the nearest honky-tonk. While there are gentler, more personal aspects to it that recall her earlier work, Bright Lights and the Fame displays a newfound brashness, starting with the album’s cover image, in which Michaela Anne sports a bedazzled denim outfit, a vintage find that’s perfect for catching the spotlight.

Her work is candid and convivial, heartfelt and fun, like a night on the town or an intimate conversation with a friend. You’re definitely going to want to hang out awhile.

NPR selected her song “Where Will I Be Found” for it’s Songs We Love feature this past July. You can read what they had to say as well as listen to the song here.

Join us for our season opener this Friday, March 3 at 8:00pm(doors open at 7:30). Click here for more info and to purchase tickets.

Saturday night: Cale Tyson

Cale Tyson is a singer and songwriter from Nashville, Tennessee. Born in a small town in Texas, he was raised in Fort Worth, the home of Townes Van Zandt and the place where he first heard the classic country sounds that have inspired and enriched his gentle, melancholy, and undeniably whiskey-soaked sound.

With a nostalgic heart and an ear for melodies from long ago, Tyson’s debut Introducing is a beautiful collection of songs that continue the legacy of some of the legendary songwriters whose music he first heard as a child – Gram Parsons, Guy Clark and Willie Nelson, to name but a few. Recorded in Nashville, Introducing features some of the town’s finest players including guitarist Kenny Vaughan (Marty Stuart), keyboard player Tyson Rogers (Don Williams), John McTigue on drums and Mike Rinne (Caitlin Rose and Andrew Combs) on bass.

Careless Soul is the follow up and was recorded in Muscle Shoals, AL at the legendary Fame Studios. It’s a country soul record, recorded in the heart of soul music history. The album includes classic themes from love-found to love-lost to who-am-I-and-what-am-I-doing-here. The record was produced by Michael Rinne, who currently plays bass with Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell. Jeremy Fetzer (Steelism, Andrew Combs) played lead guitar, Pete Lindberg played rhythm guitar, Brett Resnick played pedal steel, Skylar Wilson (Caitlin Rose) played keys, David Hood (from Fame house band The Swampers) played bass, Jon Radford (Steelism, Lilly Hiatt) played drums, and Jordan Lehning composed all the strings and horns arrangements.

The end result is at once a loving tribute to the great country songwriters that have come before him and also a persuasive plea to those who might think that country music’s best days have been and gone. As long as Cale Tyson has a say in it, the best days might yet be still to come.

Join us this Saturday, March 4 at 8pm (doors open at 7:30). Click here for more info and to buy tickets.

By martha

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