Saturday July 18
Nikki Talley,
Laura Blackley
and Lyndsay Wojcik
at White Horse Black Mountain
8pm
http://www.whitehorseblackmountain.com/
Billed as the Asheville Songwriter’s Tour, the in-the-round performance will feature Nikki Talley, Laura Blackley and Lyndsay Wojcik. “We did this little weekend thing last February and it was really cool,” said Talley. “I’ve known the girls quite some time. We all stay pretty busy, so we’re all just making an excuse to hang out together. Strength in numbers is our motto on this tour.”
In 2007, Talley beat out more than 300 competitors to win the American Idol-esque Carolina Star competition. The self-proclaimed acoustic rocker has opened for Susan Tedeschi and Edwin McCain. Talley’s most recent release, the self-produced To Be A Bird, featured guest appearances from friends Mike Guggino (Steep Canyon Rangers), Tim Gardner (High Windy Band), Richard Foulk, Aaron Price and Jason Sharp. The disc placed #27 on WNCW’S prestigious Top 100 Releases of 2008. To hear music by Talley, click to www.MySpace.com/nikkitalley.
Currently a DJ on WNCW and host of the station’s Local Color show, Laura Blackley has long been one of Asheville’s most respected musical storytellers. Writing music since she was 5 years old, Blackley’s gritty murder ballads, ghost stories and done-somebody-wrong songs cut through the emotional ether with the author’s fiercely independent spirit. To hear songs by Blackley, click to www.MySpace.com/laurablackley.
“She’s not older than me necessarily, but she’s been doing the music business thing in this area longer than I have,” said Talley. “It’ always been fun to work with her. She’s always given me pointers and things like that.”
Combining a musical mixture of roots, folk and soul, Wojcik brings a refreshing twist to the often mundane and repetitive styles of the present-day music industry. Using her savvy lyrical sense, she paints her interpretation of life onto her audience as if they were the wet canvas on which she worked. She has won several competitions such as the Gibson Songwriters
contest in Nashville, placed second in the NSAI songwriter competition in Charlotte, placed second in a competition in Knoxville and has appeared on the CMT television show The Big Break with country star Sara Evans. To hear songs by Wojcik, click to www.MySpace.com/lyndsaywojcikband.“Lyndsay brings a very different vibe musically to the table,” said Talley. “She’s just got this soul-funk thing going on. It’s just a good, diverse show. There’s a song in there for everybody.”
Talley said she is excited about performing in the round and added that the girls have also worked up a handful of songs to perform together, including an a capella version of “Didn’t Leave Nobody But The Baby” from the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack.
“I’m kind of new to the “in the round” thing. I realize now why people have been doing it,” Talley said. “You feed off the other artists. It’s more interactive; you just kind of feed off the vibe that each girl is throwing out. It’s very interactive.”
