City concert series goes country for week 3
[update: this show has been canceled due to the threat of some potentially dangerous weather]
It will be country night in Mayo Park on Sunday as Canadian singer and multi-instrumentalist Lindsay Ell takes the stage with support from Rochester country artist Debbie Anthony.
The show is the third in this summer’s lineup of the Think Bank Down by the Riverside free outdoor concert series. The music starts at 7 p.m.
Ell’s rise to stardom came fast and isn’t finished yet. She’s toured with a who’s-who of modern country stalwarts, like The Band Perry, Sugarland, Keith Urban and Brad Paisley — and before any of those bands came calling, blues legend Buddy Guy took notice and had Ell open for him on tour in 2008, at the young age of 19.
Ell’s music walks the line of modern country with influences from the best blues guitarists in the world, making her sound palatable for the most casual country fan and hardcore musicians alike. Her latest record, The Project, peaked at No. 4 on the U.S. country charts in 2017. It marked her first album since 2009, just after touring with Guy and turning 20. The musical growth in that time is evident, just as much for the listener as it is for the now 30-year-old Ell herself.
“I feel like I’ve finally found myself,” Ell said in her website’s bio. “I’m a better guitar player, I’m a better singer, I’m a better songwriter. I’m just a different artist, and I’ve never felt about music the way I do now.”
In addition to The Project, Ell released a cover album of John Mayer’s 2006 smash record Continuum, which she titled The Continuum Project. It’s her self-proclaimed favorite record of all time, and even though her version was released to the public last year, the covers were recorded in two weeks before recording for The Project even started. It was a move engineered by Ell’s producer (and half of legendary country duo Sugarland) Kristian Bush, and Ell credits that decision for a renewed focus in her songwriting.
“It made me realize that I love music when it’s great, and simple,” Ell said in her bio. “When it’s great, it can stay simple — it doesn’t need to be that complicated.”
Ell’s talent isn’t lost on Debbie Anthony, a country singer and Rochester resident who will open Sunday’s show.
“She’s absolutely astounding as a musician, she’s an incredible guitarist, she’s beautiful, and she has an amazing voice,” Anthony said. “I’m very excited to meet her, because she’s the real deal. She’s just a hero to me. She’s the next big thing.”
Anthony, a Mayo High School graduate who has spent most of her life in Rochester, only recently became a serious artist. In the last few years, Anthony said her music has taken her farther than she’d ever dreamed.
“I’ve been able to work with some amazing, amazing musicians,” Anthony said. “My producer was working with me on my voice — and this person has worked with Chris Stapleton, Kacey Musgraves, the big ones — and she believed in me and brought me to the next level. To sing with these amazing musicians and to feel comfortable with who I am, that’s probably what I enjoyed the most.”
Country music, while widely associated with the South, is a wildly popular genre across America. The Upper Midwest is no exception — festivals like Country Fest in Wisconsin have thrived for decades, and country night at Riverside is consistently well-attended. As a Minnesotan and Canadian get ready to play Rochester’s latest installment of country night, Anthony said the appeal of the genre lies in the lyrics.
“It’s songs about real people,” Anthony said. “I think that’s what gets to people, and that’s what drew me in initially. It’s easy to sing along, the melodies are fun, and it’s always talking about real people and their problems. It’s easy to identify with a country song.”
Story written by reporter and musician Isaac Jahns.
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