Entertainment List

“Nikki Talley – Out from the Harbor: I know, there are seven million singer-songwriters out on the road these days, but this woman delivers the type of North Carolina country you wished your local radio station played.” -No Depression

“Nikki Talley has traveled a lot of miles these past few years and called numerous places home, but we in Western NC still want to claim her as one of the area’s finest singer-songwriters. Always genuine and down to earth, she and her partner Jason Sharp deliver her latest songs on Out From the Harbor in a beautiful, laid-back style — just in time for a beautiful, laid-back summer. “ -Martin Anderson WNCW Music Director & Host

250,000 miles click over, Nikki Talley just smiles.

After 4 1/2 years of hard touring, 150-200 shows annually, Nikki continues traveling on, bringing her gorgeous voice & thoughtful songs all across the nation. Hailing from the mountains of western North Carolina, it’s only fitting that her songs are as eclectic as the state that boasts the mountains and the sea. Along with her guitar & clawhammer style banjo, her musical partner & husband Jason Sharp adds resonant lush guitar tones as well as harmonies to round out the duo’s sound.

Out From The Harbor is a collection of 10 songs recorded at Asheville’s Echo Mountain Studio. With only a few other additions to the record, including Michael Ashworth (Steep Canyon Rangers) on bass & tasteful percussion, the stage is set for Nikki’s soulful vocal and storied lyrics while Jason Sharp’s guitar soars alongside.

As expected Out From The Harbor often travels through the element of water be it the sea, rivers, rain or tears. Nikki’s silken voice is on full display. The album opens with “Rainy Day”, a song about how sometimes you need a rainy day and that ‘all the sunshine in California couldn’t make this go away’. “Let’s Go Out On The Water” recalls a day of fishing with friends, a pastime Nikki & Jason enjoy while making musical tracks throughout the U.S. Whether it’s from the hills of haunted Appalachia, the seashores of the Gulf or the dry dusty heat of the desert, each song takes the listener along on the journeys that sometimes mirror the everyday adventures of the musical couple especially on the track “Travelin On” with lyrics “Travelin on just like we were kids on a merry go round and round / We’re somewhere in the middle of chasing our tails and chasing our dreams down”.

You can find Nikki & Jason chasing their dreams down in their van, Blue Bell all across the country playing festivals, venues & house concerts.

One thing she isn’t: afraid of the microphone. Talley has undeniable stage presence…     –Mountain Express

Talley’s always silken, yet adaptable voice is on full display on this album, whispering sweet nothings to the listener on some songs, belting out her passion with full desperate power on others and crooning out her heartache honky-tonk style.    –Bold Life Magazine

Burton’s career started in 2006 with a broken heart, a broken down van, and a haphazard tour across Canada in a van named Lucky. This set the tone for an artist life driven by adventure, spontaneity, and a desire to connect with people from all walks of life. 3 Minivans, and several greyhound trips later, Sarah has played 200+ shows a year, released 4 albums and played many festivals across North America, finding and sharing the inspiration for hundreds of songs. Rooted in folk, and skirting pop, rock and country – Sarah’s music is a collage of her own adventures, and the people she meets along the way. Her songs have made their way to the big screen, earned college radio charting in US and Canada and commercial radio play in Canada and Europe.

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GIVE ME WHAT I WANT

One bad breakup, two robberies, a few trips to the ER, and moving to the West Texas desert are just a few of the turns that led to the creation of  SARAH’s  fifth studio album, Give Me What I Want. It’s a vignette of a new age wild west with songs about internet dating, crazy exes, getting older, and that feeling you get when everyone around you is in love and you’re not. In it, Sarah delivers an unapologetic demand with a finger in the air, howling with the underdogs who are sick of getting scraps. It’s a raw and real album that skirts Americana, folk, rock and country; the songs tell classic stories in a modern age from love and lust, to enchantment and disenchantment, and that constant search for fulfillment.

2018 Folk/Americana "Entertainer Of The Year"  Josie Music Award

She is the perfect blend of organic, deep-mountain roots, folk (with a little splash of soft blues), rock and country.  Put it all together and you have the makings of an Americana artist.  Her name is Jordyn Pepper, and she has something to sing about. Recently signed to Howlin’ Dog Records Jordyn just released her freshman album "Mountain Rain." Her first single "Back to My Roots" was released earlier this year followed by her second single "1862" both from the album. This Nashville based singer/songwriter is described by many as a breath of fresh air, with crystal-clear vocals and a uniqueness that only says, “That’s Jordyn Pepper.” 

"We here at Howlin’ Dog hear shades of Loretta Lynn, Natalie Maines, Stevie Nicks and others in the lineage of great female singers, but most of all we hear Jordyn Pepper, weaving all of these threads into a seamless expression of a young woman venturing out into the world,” Don Richmond, engineer/producer at Howlin’ Dog, said. 

Originally from Monte Vista, Colorado, Jordyn says growing up in a small town on a potato and barley farm with not much music influence was hard for a girl trying to find her voice.   

 “I would sing as much as I could whether it would be in church, driving the tractors in the fields or even in my room with a hairbrush,”  she said. “I would sing all the time! My mom would always say,  ’I hear a diamond in the rough,’ when I was singing.”  

In her early years, Jordyn was very influenced by country music, mainly because that was the only radio station in her small town.  Her favorite group back then were the Dixie Chicks; which you can hear a little weave of their influence in some of the music she writes today.  Since moving to Nashville (and just plain growing up), she became more influenced by other groups and singer/songwriters such as Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Nicks, Patty Griffin, John Butler Trio, Led Zeppelin, and Mindy Smith.  You can hear a little of each of these artists — with  her own twist on them _— in her songs.  One of the highlights of Jordyn's career was winning two years back to back the 2016 and 2017 Josie Music Awards for Individual Vocalist of the Year for Folk/Americana/Bluegrass.   

Jordyn's been hitting the road all summer on her first tour to promote her album "Mountain Rain."  She's had a blast meeting new faces and seeing great places.  Her tour continues into the fall and she is busy planning her next tour for the coming year.  If she is in your area come in and join the fun!  Find out why she plays her shows barefoot.  Join Jordyn's mailing list to find out what's happening and what's in the future for her adventures.  She is your organic, free-spirited, barefoot hippie and her story continues to be written. 

http://www.jordynpepper.com