By Chuck Whiting
MCAU Editor
NASHVILLE,
Tenn. (August 2013) – Country/pop/Americana artist Amy Allen will celebrate the release of her second album on
Aug. 17 (Saturday) with a hometown CD release party and concert at the South
Arkansas Arts Center, 110 E. Fifth St.
Allen
has spent the past two years writing and recording songs for her "Someday
Is Today" CD, which features 11
original songs inspired by real-life experiences. She will celebrate with fans,
friends and family during a ticketed cocktail reception at 6:30 p.m., followed
by a two-hour concert at 7:30 p.m. The artist will be joined onstage by
Nashville bass player Avery Gardner,
sax and clarinet player Max Niederle,
guitarist Rick Perry, and
drummer/percussionist Mike Wagel.
Former El Dorado resident Jody Lopez-Robinson will make a special guest appearance as background
vocalist. The event is sponsored by Hepco Inc. and Possibilities.
"El
Dorado will be the first stop on my 'Someday Is Today Tour'," said Allen,
who has performed at venues ranging from the White House in Washington, D.C.,
to the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville. "Every note I sing or every note or
chord I strum is given with all of the love I have for the song I am
performing. My voice is the voice of someone who has been down many different
roads."
The
artist describes her sound as a versatile mix of blues-accented country, pop
and Americana with hints of Aretha Franklin, Janis Joplin, Elton John, and
Patsy Cline. She has opened for country acts such as John Conlee, Patty
Loveless, and Brooks & Dunn. El Dorado residents have enjoyed her
performances at Fayrays on Elm Street.
Tickets
to Allen's Aug. 17 "Someday Is Today" CD release party and concert are
$25 per person. Admission includes all-you-can-eat hors d'oeuvres,
all-you-can-drink wine and beer, and two hours of live music. The concert will
feature a mix of originals and covers. To buy tickets, visit the South
Arkansas Arts Center box office at 110 E. Fifth St.
Recorded
in Nashville, "Someday Is Today" offers heartfelt ballads, mid-tempo
crowd pleasers, and rock-accented dance numbers. Allen is joined by an
all-star cast of Nashville session musicians, including guitarist Scott Neubert, background vocalists Jaimee Paul and Vickie Carrico, electric guitarist Jason Roller, and keyboardist Steve Peffer. The album, which retails for $15, is distributed by
Wormwood Records.
Allen
left the music industry in 2001 to raise a family in her hometown of El Dorado.
She is returning to the national stage with the help of noted producer Denny
Martin, the Nashville Songwriters
Association International, and others. Her concert tour, which will begin in
September, will include stops in Arkansas, Tennessee, Virginia, Maryland,
Pennsylvania and Texas.
"I
produce a lot of artists in my studio, and Amy is truly an original," said
Denny Martin, who co-wrote her bluesy ballad, "Cryin' Time".
"Her natural-given voice is stunning in its clarity and expressiveness.
Her sense of humor and joyful personality come through in her writing and her
singing. I consider myself extremely fortunate to know her, to write with her,
and to produce her. The world is about to hear what I've been hearing for more
than two years."
Amy's
songs are an emotional reflection of what's she's experienced as a singer,
songwriter and mother.
The
title cut, "Someday Is Today",
was written for individuals who are patiently waiting for their dreams to come
true. Allen's passionate alto vocals express the joy of overcoming life's
sometimes-difficult road to discover what she's always longed for -- making
music to change lives. Her country/pop anthem encourages listeners to believe
that anything is possible in a fast-changing world of constant doubt.
The
CD's 10th cut, the moving ballad "Putting the Music Back In Me", expresses love and appreciation to the
teenaged girl who encouraged Allen to sing again. She shares a
thought-provoking story when introducing the song at her concerts.
Amy was only 20 years old when she was
first "discovered" in an Arkansas honky-tonk by a music industry
executive. Her rendition of Tina Turner's "Proud Mary" led her to the
footsteps of Shoney's on Music Row and eventually a contract with an
independent record label. With stars in her eyes, she recorded her first album
with some of Nashville's top musicians.
Then
came heartbreak. At age 22, Amy experienced a mild heart attack after going on
a strict diet and losing more than 100 pounds. Although Amy was her ideal
weight, she was told she must have plastic surgery to keep her contract. Amy
faced a hard decision. She could continue to pursue her dreams under very
difficult circumstances or return home to marry and raise a family. As her car
climbed the ramp onto Interstate 40, she thought her days as a songwriter and
singer in Nashville were over.
Some
years later, while going through a very difficult divorce, Amy heard a
12-year-old girl singing songs from her first album, "Night Vision".
"It
was as simple as that," Allen added. "Somehow, every emotion flooded
through my body at that very moment, as well as the first realization that my
musical story was not over. I wrote the song as a gift for that teenager. That
experience is what led me back to Nashville."
Allen's
role as a loving parent is revealed in "Josie Rae", a mid-tempo country pop song that can easily
be renamed to reflect any mother's love for a daughter. The singer-songwriter
writes, "You make my world such a wonderful place to stay... Thanks for making everyday
for me Mother's Day."
The
artist closes her "Someday Is Today" CD with the rocky, rousing,
dance-inspiring "Tailshaker". Allen shows her versatility and ability
to just let loose. She feels totally comfortable taking the nightclub stage,
growling to her listeners, "I'm a tailshaker, money maker... I'm a woman,
I'm an entertainer... I'm in a different town every night... And I bet you
think you're my first Mr. Right...."
Allen
joined the Winchesters soon after arriving in Nashville in the 1990s, appearing
at tourist bars on Broadway and at festivals in Arkansas and Tennessee. The
artist also served as a studio singer for Warner Music Nashville. She has taken
the stage as a solo artist at the Statue of Liberty, the White House, the Ryman Auditorium, Disney's Magic Kingdom, Vanderbilt University, and the Garden Hotel in Machakos, Kenya.
The
artist delighted audiences for the first time at age 4 as a singing angel in
the children's choir at First Christian Church in her hometown of El Dorado,
Ark. With her grandmother's encouragement, she spent her childhood years
soaking in recordings by artists such as BB King and The Rolling Stones. She
was only 12 when she joined the Down Home Band as a vocalist and pianist,
giving her first professional performance at the American Legion Club. The band
played dozens of bars across Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas. She joined the
Ralston Girls country duet at age 15, opening for country artists such as John
Conlee, Patty Loveless and Brooks & Dunn. While attending South Arkansas Community College and
the University of Arkansas, she sang and played guitar and piano for the band
Spare Change.
Since
the release of her first album, "Night Vision", and return to her
hometown of El Dorado, Ark., she has performed regularly at Fayrays restaurant;
the South Arkansas Arts Center; hundreds of house parties and charity events;
Timberlane Health and Rehab; and numerous churches.
"I
can sing the blues as well as put a tear in my beer with country music,"
Allen noted. "I have been blessed with diversity and the ability to touch
people with different musical styles.
Allen
will take her "Someday Is Today Tour" to concert venues, arts centers,
nightclubs, art galleries, hotels, casinos, festivals, assisted living centers,
and churches.
The
"Someday Is Today" CD will be released on Sept. 24. Selected songs
from the album are available for download at iTunes and other online retailers.
A limited number of CDs will be available for pre-sale before, during and after
the El Dorado event. For more information about the CD or booking Allen for
an upcoming event, call (870) 918-4403, send an email message to
info@TheAmyAllen.com, or mail correspondence to Wormwood Records, 736
Bodenhamer Drive, El Dorado, AR 71730. To learn more about the artist, visit
http://www.TheAmyAllen.com. Media inquiries may be directed to
Arts@WhitingPublicity.com or by calling (615) 423-9857.
###
I have watched Amy Allen grow up from a little girl to a beautiful talented mother and entertainer. Her voice is impeccable and she can entertain one person or a full arena. Amy truly has been blessed and she knows it.
ReplyDeleteWendy Walton
El Dorado, AR
Classic Rock, Blues and Country--Amy Allen can do it all! Amy is an unbelievably talented song writer, singer and pianist. She can move you to tears through her heart wrenching ballads and then get you out of your seat dancing and singing to classic rock and roll original songs and covers. I can't wait to celebrate the release of her latest CD, "Someday is Today" in El Dorado and urge everyone to attend. You don't want to miss it!!
ReplyDelete