Artist Spotlight

Charity Event Captures the Heart of Alannah McCready

inacountryminute
Aug 16, 2022
2 min read

I think most people have a charity they connect to in some fashion. Recently I was chatting with independent Nashville artist Alannah McCready and we talked about a charity performance she will be taking part in that is close to her heart. Alannah will be performing at the Willow Tree Winery in Ham Lake, Minnesota, at Summer Sounds Charity Music Fest on Saturday, Aug 27th. This event is for the Brown Boys Benefit which supports the funding for the families of NICU babies at Children’s Hospitals in Minneapolis and St Paul. Alannah's nephew was born premature and spent the beginning of his life in the NICU. He is now 11 months old and her brother and sister-in-law have him facetime with his auntie every day.

Alannah is originally from a suburb on the north side of Minneapolis, where she successfully balanced singing and playing hockey. She spent her high school years singing in the choir and bouncing between goalie training and team practices. Alannah earned a full athletic scholarship and attended the University of Wisconsin in Madison, completing her years there with 2 NCAA Women’s National Championships as a hockey goaltender.

Alannah moved to New York to pursue a career in public relations for a sports management company, where she managed the daily lives of about 20 NFL players. Her love of music came calling and she packed up and moved to Atlanta, traveling back and forth to Nashville to pursue music full time before taking up her residence in Nashville. Alannah has released 2 prior projects, Love Hangover in 2015 and Ricochet Heart in 2018. She has been able to use her communications education and experience to do much of her own promoting. She has since partnered with a publicity team at Aristomedia and plays on stages for writer's rounds in Nashville and regularly at the Tin Roof locations.

The pursuit of sports and music seem different in so many ways, but some things bridge the two fields, like building character and wisdom. Having learned to function in such a structured schedule, and being self-motivated are both assets to have in any career. Sports teaches so many aspects of teamwork and how to maneuver through different personality traits and opinions. It also teaches decisiveness and self-confidence and those are all fabulous qualities to have in the music industry.

Alannah McCready is a powerful singer with a fantastic smoothness to her vocals. She writes relatable music, pouring her experiences into songs. You'll hear an influence of the 90’s country style with a mix of soul and pop country to please anyone's taste in music. The 5 song EP Back to Me has a mix of these song styles starting with duet partner Will Gittens in Can I Call, explaining the sorrow of change in a relationship. A self-confidence charmer in the title track Back to Me that would make Martina McBride and Trisha Yearwood proud. The remaining 3 tracks have equally powerful lyrics. Something Like That, Take it Slow, and On my Own complete this EP perfectly.

It was a pleasure to chat with you Alannah and I hope to catch up with you again to celebrate your success with these recent releases.

there you have it, In a Country Minute

Rose

Photos by Alex Berger

Weird Candy Creative Group

Matt Graunke wears many hats

inacountryminute
Aug 8, 2022
4 min read

I love hearing about people's lives. It is intriguing to me and quite frankly, inspirational to hear about people overcoming their struggles. I find it fascinating how musicians’ lives function and how they maintain balance through such a demanding lifestyle in the music industry. Sometimes I get to peek behind the scenes of life off stage. It is my favorite part of interviews because when people tell their own story to someone it reminds us all to focus on the good things instead of highlighting the negative things.

Meet Matt Graunke, a singer/songwriter from the great state of Minnesota. His main career is in the fabrication industry in a sales and marketing position. His passion is in music and has been for a couple of decades. He has been a member of several successful local bands, and has been playings solo acoustic shows but more recently has put a full band together; The Crow River Rebellion. Matt Graunke and The Crow River Rebellion are booking shows and those shows are listed on the website linked below.

Contrary to many other musicians who take advantage of the summer months in Minnesota for festivals and outdoor shows, Matt focused on enjoying his summer and is booking more shows into the fall season. He is a motorcycle rider and likes camping and four-wheeling while the weather permits.

Matt has worn a few hats, including a fireman's hat for about 10 years. He was able to volunteer time to serve and be a part of his community. When he left that position, it left a bit of a void and he needed a new way to fill it. His love for music brought on an opportunity and he switches his hat. Matt became a member of Midwest Country Organization at its beginning stages and is now on the Board of Directors. The Midwest Country Music Organization consists of people who promote local country musicians, their teams, sound engineers, radio personnel, and others in the music industry for the upper Midwest.

I asked him how he keeps his life in balance in such time-consuming endeavors when it comes to traveling, writing music, family, work, health, etc. His response was to stay organized and limit social media use. Matt said he has about 10 calendars going most of the time and noted that “if it gets out of balance, all of it suffers.” He keeps his music career organized on his website and has let social media for the most part drop off his radar.

If he is in the audience you'll likely find Matt sitting in the back of a small venue watching the show. (Funny, I prefer the exact opposite, or this short girl can’t see a thing, just in case you wondered.😉)

I asked him which bands would be on his lineup to see, living or not. Matt had a hard time deciding but would have to include Black Label Society, the Allman Brothers, The Thrillbillies, and Blackberry Smoke. His personal playlist consists mostly of outlaw country bands.

After Matt Graunke and I had been chatting for a little while, we had quite a lengthy discussion about another hat he's happily wearing, probably the most personal and the most challenging. He is a 3-and-a-half-year cancer survivor. He found out he had an extremely rare tumor after episodes of breathing problems following a health change and weight loss. Once it was discovered in his chest wall, he began treatments, had surgery, and is now cancer free! He documented his journey on a caring bridge site, and it was written in possibly the most positive wording that I’ve read in a while. He attributes his positive influences to three men. Matt gave credit to his dad and his stepdad for showing him how to be a good man and live his best life. He also gave credit to his friend Joe Mottlow for his influence. Joe helped him stay focused and remain positive during his recovery. Matt has continued to pay attention to his diet since his recovery. The most impactful things that changed for Matt have been his perspective and patience with life. Cancer recovery taught lessons on "how to handle the things that matter most and to always address them (problems) after they're identified. Focusing on things that really hold value and not minor things that you cannot change." He re-reads his caring bridge entries often enough to remind himself what he has survived. Matt’s recovery story is inspiring, and he reminded me that cancer can be part of a story, but the story is the journey.

I asked him what would be on his highlight reel if we watched it right now.

The first thing was when he was a firefighter even though he said there wasn’t any specific moment that came to mind, secondly, his cancer journey including everyone who had been supportive, and the resilience he gained, then a fundraising effort he was a part of and a couple of motorcycle trips.

Thank you, Matt Graunke, for taking the time to chat with me and talking so openly about your life and letting me share it.

Matt Graunke and the Crow River Rebellion will be performing at the #LIVIN festival on September 16-17 and is dedicating his performance to a friend who took his own life not long ago.

click the button below where you'll also find music, upcoming events, and some recipes too.

Matt Graunke and the Crow River Rebellion

ree — Matt Graunke photo credit- Bo Allen

ree — Matt Graunke , photo credit unknown

ree — Matt Graunke- photo credit Chris Walden

Dustin Herring may consider himself an "Acquired Taste" but I like the spices he's using

inacountryminute
Jul 5, 2022
3 min read

Updated: Jul 6, 2022

I have a special place in my heart for singer/songwriters and greatly respect independent artists. I understand the work that goes into scheduling shows, answering emails, returning calls, exploring new venues, introducing yourself to managers, and trying to keep up on social media posts. Of course, there's also making time to write and record music. It's a juggling act at times.

I recently got a chance to talk with Dustin Herring about his career, show schedule, and of course his new album released on May 10th titled ACQUIRED TASTE. After releasing several singles in between albums, the excitement of a full album release was quite apparent in our conversation. Dustin said if he “had one chance to make a real record, what would be me? ....this would be it.” He worked with three producers on this project starting with Dave Smith, whom Dustin has a good history with and favors more of a ’90s country sound, and adds his talent into Alabama Clay. Another producer Dustin used on this album is guitarist, producer, and longtime friend, Jake Curry, (who also plays guitar and produces for Priscilla Block). Curry helped bridge the traditional country base to a modern sound for this record. Robbie Artress was the third producer lending his talent to complete Acquired Taste. That trio of talent sounds like a hit in itself.

Dustin is an Alabama native and an Auburn graduate, which is where he discovered an interest in playing guitar and eventually writing songs. He graduated with a degree in agricultural business economics and a Masters's Degree in plant pathology. After teaching in graduate school, he left to go to the Mississippi Delta where he began working for a research company. Herring continued in a career there and grew deeper into writing songs and getting songs cut by other artists. Dustin moved to Nashville about ten years ago to pursue a music career full-time and is making that busy touring life a success. I wondered if he missed that old lifestyle, his answer was genuine and heartfelt, "I used to sit on that tractor and think about writing songs I don't hardly ever sit on a stage and miss a tractor."

The lyrical inspiration and the base of most of these songs are real-life situations and were easy for Dustin to write with a great level of authenticity to the storytelling side of the songs. I immediately heard some familiar traditional sounds that I would compare to Mark Chesnutt, Tracy Lawrence, and Kenny Chesney ringing through the chords and vocal style of this record. I like to guess which artists are in the listening catalogs of other artists. He confirmed that the artists I thought of were in his catalog, among other favorites like Jamey Johnson, who is understandably a cowrite goal for Dustin, especially after opening shows for him and experiencing his style and stage presence.

Acquired Taste has 10 songs included with the bookends featuring (his) Paw Paw in the introduction and conclusion. The song selection for this record has a good variety of storytelling options for a listener to enjoy. There are edgy stories coming through which bring me to Same Devil Different Demon and then Half a Heart resonated with me immediately upon listening and I think that it will with many people. There are break-up, lost-love songs, and deep thinking songs (It's Me Again Jesus), and fun ones including one with a song giving a nod to none other than Willie Nelson in Myself Willie.