Thompson Square with Special Guests: 6 Degrees West
Sponsor: La Fuente Mexican Restaurants
7:00pm Saturday, July 26th, 2014 Kearney Amphitheater
Price: $35.00 at the Gate Day of Event
Thompson Square
In the world of entertainment, music arguably demands the most personal
investment from its artists, and it doesn't get any more intimate than Thompson Square.
While most celebrities go to tremendous lengths and expense to carve out
personal space in a Twitter-manic, paparazzi-fueled culture, husband and wife
Keifer and Shawna Thompson veil no aspects of their relationship. In fact, they
put their 13-year marriage on display in each song and, night after night, on
tour. Hence, their sophomore album Just Feels Good is a compelling view of a
relationship that offers no distinction between the personal and the
professional.
"Much more than the first record, Just Feels Good explains exactly who
we are," Shawna says. "This is a very personal record." Adds her
husband, "It's a stronger, more accurate representation of who we are and
where we're at right now in our life and our music career ... " and, she
finishes, "who we are as artists, who we are as individuals and who we are
as a married couple, as well."
Far from the crassness of all-is-bared reality television, a romanticized
version of their relationship or a campy veneer, Thompson Square's music reveals a
profound level of honesty for which there may be no precedent. In that light,
Just Feels Good might just as accurately be titled "Just Feels Real."
The assertion that Just Feels Good is actually a more intimate introduction
into the psyche of Thompson Square
than their self-titled debut is a big statement considering that album's
history-making in-roads. Powered by a trio of hit singles including the No. 1
double-platinum-selling "Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not" as well as
"I Got You" and "Glass," Thompson Square swept the 2012 Vocal Duo
awards (CMA, ACM, CMT, ACA). "Kiss" was the most-heard song at
country radio in 2011 (Mediabase), and secured multiple-week runs atop the
sales and ringtone charts as well as two GRAMMY nominations. Major media (Leno,
Kimmel, Conan and more) and major tours (Jason Aldean, Lady Antebellum, Luke
Bryan) put them in front of tens of millions of viewers and two million concert
goers. Thompson Square
is also the only established married duo to ever receive CMA Vocal Duo of the
Year honors. Keifer and Shawna Thompson's hot streak continued when they won
the ACM Vocal Duo of the Year honors for the 2nd consecutive year in April
2013.
And despite the promotional pounding and a grueling 250-date-per-year
schedule, they managed to create a more grounded and cohesive collection of
songs as they went. "This album evolved on its own in a way we weren't
even aware of," Keifer says. "That's one of the coolest things about
writing, finding songs, recording and going through a process like this. The
music takes on a life of its own. When we got done I called Shawna over to look
at the list of songs, because it hit me that they actually tell a bigger story
about our journey to Nashville,
finding each other, making it work, life on the road and everything else. We
didn't actually sequence the album that way, but you could. It's us. And it was
completely by accident."
That bigger story, which they've told often, is one of Nashville's best-known 10-year overnight
successes. Arriving in Music City the same week - Keifer from Miami,
Oklahoma, Shawna from Chatom, Alabama
- they met almost immediately at a singing competition and have been
inseparable since. Realizing their solo aspirations weren't getting any
traction, they finally closed the second ring in their marriage-and-music
connection. Thompson Square
signed as the flagship artist on Stoney Creek Records, and the rest is history.
"Ever since we've been married, we've always worked together,"
Shawna says, trying to explain their multilayered success. "I don't know
that the other way would work." Keifer adds, "We actually tried it at
the very beginning, and it didn't. Obviously we fight like everybody else and,
when we do, we do it really well. But if we had a choice between being together
all the time and not being together, we'd choose the former."
That sense of unity, and the natural struggle implicit in any committed
relationship, gives Just Feels Good a deeper well of experience upon which to
draw, particularly when writing. "As a married couple duo, you're a little
gun shy about doing certain things, because you don't want to be coined as the
boring married couple," Keifer admits. "And that's just not our
lifestyle at all - it's actually quite the opposite. We grew up in very rural
small towns where it's redneck and people like to party. So we stretched the
reins with our writing to keep from being painted into a corner."
Shawna and Keifer have credits on six of the album's 13 songs, including the
first single "If I Didn't Have You," already their fastest selling
AND rising to date. That song's message of a big, even universal, love is
echoed in postcard-picture "Maybe It's You" and the rhythmic,
who-out-kicked-who debate of "For The Life Of Me."
More playful themes are found in the rollicking romantic interplay of "Everything
I Shouldn't Be Thinking About," the fast-paced, recurring relationship
saga of "Here We Go Again," the aquatic-romantic metaphor of
"Testing The Water" (which even features a rap by Shawna Thompson), the
unbridled, glass-raising party anthem "Here's To Being Here" and the
sunny-day stroll of the title track. The dramatic, surging power ballad "I
Can't Out Run You" and never-say-die "Run" offer divergent takes
on that verb. And the deeply personal rises again in the autobiographical
"That's So Me And You," an erstwhile mantra for their relationship,
the Springsteen-esque "You Don't Get Lucky" and the hypnotically
smooth closer "Home Is You."
For the production of Just Feels Good, Keifer and Shawna once again teamed
with New Voice, the four man collective behind their first album. "We
intentionally went outside the box a little bit and stretched the Thompson Square
sound," Keifer says. Shawna agrees, "We used some different loops and
approaches to get what we wanted. And it's very diverse. We were listening the
other night and there are a couple of songs that sound really country - more so
than a lot of the first album. And then there are songs that sound a little
more edgy."
Expanding sonically while drawing close to their core in writing and song selection,
Thompson Square have taken the next bold step in one of the most thriving young
careers in country music. Having done that while also sustaining one of the
most thriving marriages in country music is truly astounding - or maybe it's
just their secret ingredient.
"There's growth in terms of the production, we've grown as songwriters
and we're more focused," Keifer says. "These last couple years, we've
really honed in on what Thompson
Square is and how we want to communicate that.
It's a fun record, a bit of a roller coaster ride, and there are a lot of
emotional turns." Shawna punctuates the statement: "Much like our
lives."
6 Degrees West
6 Degrees West is an explosive country music act with
dueling lead guitars and solid harmony vocals. The band, deriving its
name from the "six degrees of separation" in the music business, was
founded by lead singer, Tim Pardee, in 2008. Tim had a vision to put
together a talented group of musicians that could create a great sound along
with an electric stage presence in their live shows.
Tim met the group's drummer, Ray Santo, early on in the development of the
band. Hailing from Boston,
MA, Ray's versatile playing style
was a great fit for this rock edge country sound. Tim
and Ray quickly shared the vision of a band that would rise to success by
focusing on making the music great and the fans
entertained.
The band later brought on guitarist, Shannon Pearce. Shannon
brought a stand out personality on stage with some rich harmony vocals.
Pearce was the missing link that the group had been searching for to round out
their sound.
The last piece of the puzzle was guitarist, Tyler Merle. Tyler
brought those hot Nashville
licks to the table and added a smooth tone to the
group. It was evident that this player was needed to complete 6
Degrees West and take them to the next level.
The band has seen a great rise in success over the past two years with the
release of their single, "She Got Me There." Shortly
after, by the request of country radio, the group released their titled EP cut,
"Bowchickawowow." This song quickly became a
highly requested tune from DJ's and fans alike at shows. The song
exhibits the band's personality and energy on stage.
6 Degrees West has opened for some of the best acts in
country music, including, Eli Young Band, Little Big Town, Kenny Chesney, Eric
Church, Locash Cowboys, Gloriana, Dustin Lynch, Tyler Farr, Blackjack Billy,
Lonestar, Brett Eldredge, Zac Brown Band, and many more.
Ryan L. Marcotte
Assistant Director, Parks & Recreation
The City of Kearney
100 E. Washington
P.O. Box 797
Kearney, Mo. 64060
816-903-4730 (office)
816-903-4747 (fax)
info@kearneyamphitheater.com
Eric Marshall
Director, Parks & Recreation
Emarshall@ci.kearney.mo.us
816-903-4724
Directions from Kansas City, Missouri:
- Take I-35 N towards Des Moines
- Take the MO-92 exit (6th street), EXIT 26, Turn Right onto MO-92
- Follow MO-92 (6th Street) to Jefferson, Turn Left
- Take Jefferson N through town to Jesse James Park (~ 2-3 miles)
Directions from St. Joseph, Missouri:
- Take I-229 S to I-29 S
- Continue to the MO-92 exit, EXIT 18, toward Smithville Lake (~25 Miles)
- Turn Left onto MO-92, continue on until Jefferson St in Kearney (~23 Miles),
- Turn Left
- Take Jefferson N through town to Jesse James Park (~ 2-3 miles)
Click here for a Google Map
Children 10 and under are free, unless otherwise noted
*Gates open 1 hour before each event
Blankets & Lawn Chairs are suggested.
Be courteous, kind, and helpful to your fellow festival goers.
Kearney Amphitheater Rules:
- No Tents (Pop-up or otherwise)
- No Outside Food/Drink or Coolers
- No Pets in Amphitheater Area
- No Fireworks at Any Time
- Non-Alcoholic Tailgating Only
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