BRIAN VANDER ARK:
Brian Vander Ark is the lead singer and principal songwriter for the multi-platinum alternative rock band The Verve Pipe, recognized worldwide for their radio hits Photograph, Hero, Happiness Is, Never Let You Down, and the #1 smash single The Freshmen.
In addition to their success on radio, TV and film, sold-out concert dates throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe and Australia, features in Rolling Stone, Interview Magazine and many more, and videos on MTV and VH1, Brian and the band have made numerous television appearances, including The Tonight Show With Jay Leno and Late Night With David Letterman.
During breaks from his work with The Verve Pipe, Brian set out on his own to launch a multifaceted solo career that has included releasing four acclaimed independent studio albums - Resurrection, Angel Put Your Face On, Brian Vander Ark, Magazine as well as his most recent, a collection of cover songs called Planet Sunday Sessions, Volume1. He recently collaborated with actor/musician Jeff Daniels on an album of original songs, while also putting the final touches on the new rock album from The Verve Pipe, Parachute.
Brians reputation as a skilled songwriter and producer continues to grow. Challenged by the demand for a more personal fan experience, Brian created the Lawn Chairs and Living Rooms house concert series, performing over 600 intimate shows in the homes of fans across America. Hes also a sought-after featured speaker, telling his compelling story of success and reinvention to both motivate and inspire the management and staff of corporations, financial institutions, schools, non-profits, and more. Whether solo or with The Verve Pipe, Brian performs in concert throughout North America, including notable appearances at Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits Festival, Lincoln Center, Hangout Music Festival, Summer Stagein Central Park, and many more.
CHRISTOPHER GOLD:
Christopher Gold is a Kentucky-born songwriter living in Wisconsin. Together with his band The New Old Things he has written and recorded folk songs, country songs, rock & roll songs, and everything in between citing a love for songwriters like Townes Van Zandt, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and anybody else whose work begins with paper and pen. He travels primarily as a solo act, carrying on the folk tradition of performances that blend music, storytelling, and humor.
Crescendo On Wisconsin Presents:
SINGER/SONGWRITER SHOWCASE
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 2021
Featuring
Glen Phillips
(of Toad the Wet Sprocket)
w/ special guest
Erik Kjelland of The Mascot Theory
GLEN PHILLIPS:
Glen Phillips has always been a courageous and inviting songwriter. During his years as lead singer of Toad the Wet Sprocket, the bands elegant folk/pop sound and his honest, introspective lyrics helped them forge a close bond with their fans. Since starting his solo career, Phillips has pared his
music down to its emotional core, concentrating on the simple truths of love and relationships, with a profound spiritual understanding.
The Swallowed by the New album takes on lifes difficult transitions and delivers some of the Phillips' most vulnerable songs. I made this album during the dissolution of a 23 year marriage, Phillips says. A major chapter of my life was coming to a close, and I discovered early on that I had to work hard to get through the transition with compassion and clarity. These songs were a big part of that process.
The album was recorded in May of 2015 with producer/bass player Paul Bryan (Aimee Mann, Lucinda Williams), Jay Bellerose (drums), Chris Bruce (guitar), Jebin Bruni (keys) and Ruby Amanfu (vocals). The sparse arrangements are centered on Phillips vocals and acoustic guitar.
Swallowed by the New is full of the inviting melodies that have always marked Phillips work, while his singing reaches a new degree of intimacy and immediacy. The arrangements hint at country, soul, folk, rock and classic pop, without ever sounding derivative. The emotions may be raw, but they are guided by Phillips steady vocals towards healing and renewal.
I enjoy the spontaneity of acoustic performance, where I can take the show wherever it needs to go and follow the lead of an audience instead of following a set list. Theres more talking, more stories, and more of a loose feel. The subject matter is on the serious side, but I feel like the perspective is ultimately positive. Life is about changes, no matter how we may try and pretend otherwise. This album is all about learning how to face change. - Glen Phillips
https://www.glenphillips.com/
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ERIK KJELLAND:
Erik Kjelland has been writing and performing music for over two decades throughout the midwest and has recorded over twenty albums of original music with various acts. Currently, Kjelland fronts the Madison, WI-based folk-rock band The Mascot Theory, winners of over twenty Madison Area Music Association awards. The band has played major festivals throughout Wisconsin including Summerfest, Freak Fest, and Mile of Music Festival, and have shared the stage with BoDeans, Vance Joy, Frank Turner, The Jayhawks, The Verve Pipe, Chase Rice, Kaleo, The Wild Feathers, Guster, Blitzen Trapper, Cory Chisel, Don McLean and America. Kjelland also won the 2017 WAMI (Wisconsin Area Music Industry) award for Best Male Vocalist in the state. His songwriting partnership with fellow Madison singer/songwriter Beth Kille has developed into the duo (and sometimes full band) Kerosene Kites. Alongside mega-producer Butch Vig, Kjelland also created and curated the Wisconsin Vinyl Collective project that released three vinyl (and CD) albums of previously unreleased original songs from artists with Wisconsin roots while raising funds and awareness for the Keep Wisconsin Warm/Cool Fund charity. Kjelland also co-founded the Crescendo On Wisconsin Campaign, a statewide effort committed to helping struggling Entertainment Industry workers stay safely in their homes by providing emergency energy & rental assistance during difficult times.
http://themascottheory.com/
Crescendo On Wisconsin Presents:
SINGER/SONGWRITER SHOWCASE #1
MONDAY, JULY 26, 2021
Featuring
Leigh Nash
(of Sixpence None The Richer)
w/ special guest Hannah Busse
LEIGH NASH:
Growing up in the Texas Hill Country of New Braunfels, Leigh Nash officially started her music career singing country music and learning old country songs on the guitar when she was just 12 years old.
With a desire to be on the stage, she started calling clubs on her own to book herself to perform. Before long, the young teen was singing Loretta Lynn and Tanya Tucker songs, such as "You Ain't Woman Enough to Take My Man" and "Texas When I Die,” on open mic Sunday nights while being backed by a middle-aged band of town locals. It was in the early 90’s when she met guitarist and songwriter Matt Slocum and together they formed the band Sixpence None The Richer, a famed pop group that went on to win numerous awards and accolades, including two GRAMMY® Award nominations.
In their career, Sixpence None The Richer recorded four full-length albums. Their debut, which released when Nash was just 16, was 1994’s critically acclaimed LP The Fatherless & The Widow. In the years that followed, the band released numerous timeless songs and huge radio hits, from the GRAMMY-nominated “Kiss Me” to “There She Goes,” among many others.
Leigh Nash also recorded the song "Need to Be Next to You,” written by famed songwriter Diane Warren, for the 2000 movie Bounce, which became Nash's first solo single. She also made guest appearances on albums from bands such as Los Straightjackets and Delerium. Nash eventually pursued a solo career and debuted her first album, Blue On Blue, in 2006 (One Son/ Nettwerk). She also became a member of Fauxliage and Movement Nashville.
Today, Nash is based in Nashville working as a touring solo artist and songwriter, and she continues to tour with Sixpence None The Richer. “Get Happy” is Nash’s latest release (2.14.20) and features the 20th Anniversary Edition of “Kiss Me” and a tapestry are new songs “God Gave Me Horses” (Leigh Nash/Connie Harrington), “My Love My Drug” (Leigh Nash/ Aaron Espe), “Something Worth Leaving Behind (Leigh Nash/ Jaida Dryer/ Park Chisolm), and Don't Let Me Die In Dallas (Leigh Nash/Tom Douglas).
HANNAH BUSSE:
Hannah Busse is a folk-pop singer-songwriter, recording artist, worship director, wife, and mom. Ranging from driving to quirky to reflective, Hannahs songs hold common threads of honest lyrics and captivating melodies driven from her piano. She writes about the inner life, culture, relationships, and parenting.
Named the Madison Area Music Associations 2018 New Artist of the Year, Hannahs repute as a songwriter and performer is on the rise. Hannah's music has been aired on Wisconsin Public Radio's Simply Folk, WORT FM's Her Infinite Variety, and Max Ink Radio, and has been praised in publications including the Isthmus and The Badger Herald. She has opened for the likes of Gungor, Sara Groves, Danielle Ate The Sandwich, and Brady Toops, and has shared the stage with numerous other artists such as The Sea The Sea, Beth Kille, and Emma Jayne.
A host of influences have shaped Hannah's music-making: a Midwestern upbringing with lots of singing around the piano. A progressive education at a Big Ten university. Years of leading community worship gatherings with combo bands and choirs. Classical training as a vocalist, pianist, oboist, and choir director. A love for old musicals. A spouse who introduced her to Weezer, Green Day, and Pearl Jam.
Underneath Our Surface, Hannahs debut solo EP, is a collection of songs about the hidden desires, wounds, and memories underneath the surface of our ordinary lives.
Hannah and her husband Will live in Madison, Wisconsin with their three exuberant little daughters.
