JUNE 4, 2009 ISSUE
Asheville Female Singer-Songwriter Tour Comes To Dragonfly June 11
Asheville-based singer-songwriters (from left to right) Nikki Talley, Laura Blackley and Lyndsay Wojcik will perform in the round at Dragonfly Theater & Pub on Thursday, June 11.
Forget the Spice Girls. A real dose of girl power will hit the High Country next Thursday, June 11, when a trio of Asheville-based female singer-songwriters combines their considerable talents for a show at Dragonfly Theater & Pub in Boone.
Billed as the Asheville Songwriter’s Tour, the in-the-round performance will feature Nikki Talley, Laura Blackley and Lyndsay Wojcik. The show starts at 9:00 p.m. and the cover is $5.
According to Talley, the Asheville Songwriter Tour is just an excuse for her to pal around with Blackley and Wojcik—two of her best friends and most respected peers in the town’s tight-knit musical community.
“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 addition to the trio’s show in Boone, Talley, Blackley and Wojcik’s tour will hit stops in Little Switzerland, Raleigh and Winston-Salem. To their local fans’ dismay, the artists decided not to play a show in their hometown.
“We play our hometown so much, we just want to get out of our comfort zone and have some fun together,” said Talley.
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.”
For more information about the Asheville Songwriters show, call the Dragonfly at 828-262-3222.
Want To Go?
Date: Thursday, June 11
Time: 9:00 p.m.
Location: Dragonfly Theater & Pub
Cost: $5
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