New Face Showcase ~ Jake FM

A few of the most exciting new faces in country music just got together for an amazing showcase in Norman, Oklahoma. It was all thanks to local country station Jake FM and their annual New Face Showcase. On May 12th, the Riverwind Casino played host to the free event. This year the spotlight was on Ryan Kinder, High Valley, Lindsay Ell, William Michael Morgan, and Chris Lane. The set up for this multi artist acoustic show was a bit different then most. Because the artists were not all on the stage at the same time. Ryan Kinder was the first out to perform.

Ryan Kinder, Photo Creedit @Little_Bridgie

Kinder had his bassist and cajon player with him and it was fun to watch them interacting with each other and the crowd. I hadn't seen Kinder perform in over a year. So it was a serious treat to discover we would be getting longer sets from each artists than expected. Kinder played us several songs which included a beautiful ballad titled "Still Believe In Crazy Love," a song about hoping for a second chance titled "Kiss Me When I'm Down," and his single "Tonight." Kinder has an album available on iTunes and Spotify called Deconstructed Studio Sessions. The only duo of the night, High Valley, took the stage next. 

High Valley, Photo Credit @Little_Bridgie

High Valley was also accompanied by their bassist and cajon player, but they had a banjo\dobro player as well. Among the crowd pleasing songs the duo played was their single "Make You Mine," a sweet song called "She's With Me," and perhaps the most stunning cover of "I'll fly Away" I have ever heard. It was truly amazing to hear the entire crowd singing along with them word for word. In most duos there is a predominate singer and the other provides back up vocals. That is not the case with this Canadian duo and their vocals blended beautifully. You can download or stream the duo's music, including their newest single, on any music platform. The ever talented Lindsay Ell was out next.

Lindsay Ell

Ell was the first artist of the night to take the stage solo and she owned it. At times she would even record her own guitar playing and beat boxing to play along with her during a song. Ell started her set with her upbeat, catchy single "By The Way." She kept the great time going with more of her original songs including "Criminal" and "Eyes Off Of You," as well as a few covers. On top of fantastic vocals, Lindsay Ell is amazing on the guitar, both electric and acoustic. You can download or stream her single "BTW" on music platforms like iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify. William Michael Morgan took the stage next.

William Michael Morgan

Like Lindsay Ell, Morgan was alone on the stage. However, it did not make a difference to the crowd.  They absolutely loved his traditional sound. A sound that is currently earning him a lot of praise. He opened his set with a cover of one of my favorite Mark Chesnut songs, "It's A Little too Late." Morgan currently has an EP out right now and he played several songs from it including his current single "I Met A Girl," and a song about an old fashion kind of love called "Vinyl." You can download or stream Morgan's self-titled EP from all music platforms including iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify. The last artist of the night to perform was Chris Lane. 

Chris Lane

Lane was accompanied by two guitarist (one who played a cajon at the same time) and a banjo player when he took the stage. Lane played several songs from his EP Fix including the title track, "Her Own Kind Of Beautiful," and "Saturday Night." The covers Lane performed were a balanced combination of classic country hits and some crowd moving boy band hits. Lane was all over the stage performing and interacting with the crowd. Fix is available to stream or download from all music platforms including iTunes, Google Play, and Spotify.

While each of these artists may be "new faces," they definitely have what it takes to be around for a long time. William Michael Morgan didn't even let breaking a guitar string mid song slow him down! It was clear looking around the venue that night, there is definitely a growing fan base for each of these up and comers.