Summer Tracks at Rogers Park continues with Nikki Talley and Letters to Abigail Aug. 9
Published 9:23 am Wednesday, August 7, 2013
Nikki Talley plus Letters To Abigail take the Summer Tracks’ stage for the fifth concert of the 2013 season at Rogers Park in Tryon on Aug. 9. The event, sponsored by Jerry Steel and WNCW 88.7 Radio, starts at 7 p.m.
The evening begins with Letters To Abigail featuring songs from their just released debut CD titled “Say Anything.”
Hendersonville’s “home town band,” Letters To Abigail is an acoustic three-piece, modern-day string band including James Harrell (guitar and vocals), Kelli Redmond (vocals) and Lauren Bandy (bass and vocals). Their multi-genre style, lyrics that stretch emotional boundaries and tight harmonies take you on a journey with a new and refreshing approach to a sweet familiar sound.
Asheville’s Nikki Talley and bass player-guitarist and husband Jason Sharp take the stage next. A mountain girl with a big voice, critics have compared Talley to an early Liz Phair and Gillian Welch.
However, to leave the comparisons there would be a disservice to her fiery stage performance, lifted by a voice that harkens back to her Appalachian roots and shored up on the edges of Southern rock, country, blues and jazz.
Talley’s energy is as big as her voice and has taken her all over the southeast, playing such prestigious festivals as Magnolia Fest in Live Oak, Fla. and the Shakori Hills Festival in Pittsboro, N.C. She also has had the pleasure of opening for such national acts as Edwin McCain and Susan Tedeschi.
Talley’s release Beautiful Charmer garnered the No. 7 spot in WNCW’s top 20 regional releases of 2010 and 23rd spot in top 100 releases. Their latest release Nikki Talley Live at the Altamont Theater, includes previously unreleased originals as well as some traditional numbers.