Back in 2005, when Brandi Carlile first came on the scene, a DJ friend of mine – knowing my deep love for female singer/songwriters – told me to take a listen. So, I hit YouTube and found a shaky video of Brandi and Shawn Colvin singing “Calling All Angels” at the Birchmere.
The simple story of Brooke Waggoner’s life belies the complexity that is her artistry. She grew up studying classical music in Louisiana – though plump with music, it’s not exactly a state known as a classical hotbed. That didn’t stop Brooke, though, who earned a degree in Music Composition & Orchestration from LSU before trotting off to Nashville to make some noise.
Graham Colton somehow escaped the standard country music calling of his native Oklahoma, making his way, instead, into the wild world of rock. Regardless of the genre, he’s done well enough for himself to make the home crowd proud.
Since debuting in 1998 with Dressed Up Like Nebraska, singer/songwriter Josh Rouse has tread one of the least straightforward musical paths you can imagine. His early records were full of impressively solid and accessible tunes representative of his Midwestern roots.