Sandra McCracken Concert SOLD OUT (Updated 2/25)

[Folks, the Sandra McCracken concert is SOLD OUT!  The waitlist is also closed.  I will advise those on the waitlist as space becomes available.  ]

It's a great delight to be able to finally hear Sandra McCracken in concert.  I have all of her solo albums and have listened to her grow in maturity as a songwriter and singer.  Finally, I get to see her live!  I truly expect a sellout for this evening, so be sure to reserve now and don't wait.

The talented Sandra McCracken first came to my attention through the revitalized hymnody of Indelible Grace.  Many churches now sing some of the new musical settings of traditional hymns given new life by McCracken and others, but her gifts and musical aspirations have grown beyond hymns, leading to the release of six independent records, including one of my favorite "hymn" records of all time, The Builder and the Architect, and a killer Americana record, Best Laid Plans.  Yes, she is also the wife of former Caedmon's Call frontman Derek Webb, lately mildly controversial in Christian music because of the prickly content of his songs (spiritual provocation, possibly), but her work stands on its own, not serving up trite answers but asking deep questions about life and faith.

Sandra has moved from songs in an Americana vibe, a bit folk-country at times, to the alternative folk-pop stylings of her latest release, Red Balloon, an album Christian Music Today called a "near-perfect balance of Christian inspiration, poetry, and introspection."  A new mother, Sandra says she recorded Red Balloon as a symbol of childhood, hope, and freedom, after the classic movie of the same name.

Country, hymns, pop, folk, alternative --- Sandra McCracken can do it all, and do it all well. If you like mainstream artists like Sheryl Crow or Sarah McLachlan or Christian music artists like Sara Groves, you'll like Sandra.  Join us for a warm winter night of song.

As a special treat, joining Sandra and opening for her will be her fellow musician Chelsey Scott.  Though she has lived in Tennessee for the better part of ten years, Kentucky-bred Chelsey spent much of her life growing up just south of the Mason-Dixon line in Louisville, Ky., a city that has produced some noteworthy music acts over the years (Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Ben Sollee). With her hometown’s influential roots, Scott’s songwriting also reflects the unique sounds that are arising from her current home of Nashville; sounds that are fresh, though steeped in their own tradition and history based on alt-country, folk and americana standards.

At the end of 2007, Chelsey finished her first EP, a small house recording that was mixed and mastered by fellow Nashville musicians, including Kenny Hutson (Vigilantes of Love, Over the Rhine), who served as the project’s producer. The debut of this collection, “the little boat ep”, resulted in local acclaim and Scott’s first major tour, opening for artists Sandra McCracken and Derek Webb.  An obvious singer-songwriter by nature, Scott has been compared to the likes of Jolie Holland and Gillian Welch, fitting into a genre of americana music that’s been shaped by modern (and specifically, Nashville) influences. 

Well, that's the offical bio, but I have to say that after listening to Chelsey's record I'm a believer.  I suspect we'll all say after the concert that we just didn't get to hear enough of her.