Mary Beth Cross to Release New EP 'Feels Like Home' on May 15

            DENVER (March 2016) – Award-winning folk-Americana artist Mary Beth Cross will release an eight-song  bluegrass EP on May 15 that celebrates the importance of home in the lives of average, everyday Americans.

            "Feels Like Home" will include original songs, as well as classics written and/or performed by legendary artists such as Paul Simon, Linda Ronstadt, Garry White, Van Morrison, George Gershwin, and Dubose Heyward. The recording will spotlight Cross's soaring, pure-tone soprano vocals. It was produced by veteran banjoist Chris Pandolfi, who joins nationally respected musicians Jeremy Garrett on fiddle, Tyler Grant on guitar, and Adrian Engfer on bass. The EP is dedicated to her late nephew, Christopher Chmiel, who died unexpectedly in 2015.

            "My latest project will include cover songs that are part of the tapestry of my upbringing in Wisconsin, as well as originals that reflect my current home in Colorado," said Cross, whose last project, "Beyond Good and Evil", was named "2014 Folk-Country CD of the Year" by the National Traditional Country Music Association. "We went with less is more, taking an approach that feels live, acoustic, down-to-earth, and not too far from home. Good memories or sad memories are evoked by some of my favorite songs."

Mary Beth Cross (Photo by Katy Tartakoff)

            Cross plans to celebrate "Feels Like Home" with a listening party at Baur's listening room and the Swallow Hill Music Association in Denver. She will attend the IBMA conference and Bluegrass Ramble in Raleigh, N.C. Among the covers is "Kathy's Song", a classic written and recorded by folk-pop legend Paul Simon. To listen to a preview release of the song from the EP, visit http://www.MaryBethCross.com.

            Cross received national exposure in 2013 with release of her fourth CD, "Beyond Good and Evil". That project, which was produced by Dave Bechtel, landed a top-five ranking on Airplay Direct. Critics around the world praised the album, with Country Music News International calling it worthy of "Americana CD of the Year".

            “I’ve discovered that people are yearning to find acceptance and solace in a dizzying world of pressure-filled expectations,” Cross added. “People long for an authentic, non-formula approach.

            An accomplished vocalist and tunesmith, Cross moved to Denver in the 1980s to pursue a nursing career. Her music is influenced by the rural farmland and forests of her Wisconsin upbringing and the Rocky Mountains where she now resides. She carefully chooses acoustic instrumentation to bring her story-driven songs to life. Her music represents a few of the cultures that have contributed to what has become American music today.

 

            To learn more about Mary Beth Cross or her music, call (303) 842-1587, send an email message to MaryBeth@MaryBethCross.com, or visit www.MaryBethCross.com or www.reverbnation.com/marybethcross.

Mary Beth Cross to Celebrate Latest CD with Special Concert

          DENVER (January 2013) – Denver folk-Americana singer-songwriter Mary Beth Cross will celebrate her fourth CD with a special concert and signing from 4-6 p.m. Jan 27 (Sunday) at Fourteen Seventy-Two Lowcountry Dining, 1472 Pearl St. in Denver. 

          The artist’s latest album, “Beyond Good and Evil”, celebrates the pioneer spirit of the American frontier with original songs and cover tunes. The free event will include live music, hors d’oeuvres, a full bar, and prize giveaways. 

          Recorded in Nashville, “Beyond Good and Evil” features performances by eight-time International Bluegrass Music Association “Fiddler of the Year” Stuart Duncan. Cross spent the past year penning songs reflecting the spirit and grit of the pioneers who blazed a trail from the East to the West in search of what they treasured most: beauty, adventure, a land to call their own, new opportunities for work, and freedom from oppression. 

          “All of these are part of the collective tapestry of a country that continues to forge on and grow despite great adversity,” said Cross, who performed last summer at the Spiritual Project’s “10^th Anniversary Gala” at the University of Denver. “The choices, sacrifice and yearning for a place that feels like home remain timeless.” 

          “Beyond Good and Evil” is being promoted nationally to folk-Americana radio by Nashville-based Bill Wence Promotions. 

          An accomplished vocalist and tunesmith, Cross moved to Denver in the 1990s to pursue a nursing career. She has emerged on the regional and national music scene with appearances on radio station KRFC-FM’s “Live @ Lunch” show at Colorado State University and musical performances at the Summit Foundation’s “Great Rubber Duck Races” in Breckenridge, Colo., and the “Rockygrass Academy Band Scramble” in Lyons, Colo. Cross, who holds a nursing degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, will speak and perform at the National Association of School Nurses annual conference in Orlando, Fla., in June 2013. 

          To learn more about Mary Beth Cross or her new album, “Beyond Good and Evil”, call (303) 842-1587, send an email message to MaryBeth@MaryBethCross.com, or visit http://www.MaryBethCross.com or http://www.reverbnation.com/marybethcross.

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