Photos
In the House at the GrinderHouse - 2/05/2021 - James Crowley and Allen Morrell
We are honored to host James here at the Grinder House with his second appearance.
One of six Grand Prize winners in the 2020 Tennessee Songwriter's Week Contest sponsored by The Bluebird Cafe and The Tennessee Tourism Board for my original song "Songwriter".
The July 2020 Bluebird Cafe Golden Pick Winner, co-sponsored by Taylor Guitars.
The opportunity to perform at some incredible venues such as The Grand Ole Opry House, The Ryman Auditorium, Bridgestone Arena, The Bluebird Cafe, Douglas Corner, Commodore Grille, The Walnut House Murfreesboro, Puckett's Franklin, Arrington Vineyards, GMA Seminar in the Rockies, and The Nashville Network.
Beyond fortunate to have co-written songs with some of my favorite songwriters of all time including Bobbie Cryner, Jimmy Yeary, John Scott Sherrill, Gary Nicholson, Cyndi Torres, Jeff Pearson, Michael Salacuse, Brittany Allyn, Thad Guerra, Craig Karp, Kim Parent, Shelly Rann, Don Goodman, Shirley Myers, Rod Nicholson, Rob Heath, Sheila Stephen....and many others along the way.
Being a part of the band Passenger in the early 2000's with treasured friends Barry Hackett, Mike and Kristy Rhode, Matt McGee, Mike Mahaffey, Mark Smith, and Joseph "Billy" Fulk.
Winner of several awards at the 2002 Academy of Gospel Music Arts competition (AGMA) 2002 including: Southern Gospel Song and Overall Song of 2002 for "Passenger", and Praise & Worship Song of 2002 for "If I Did Not Sing."
Nashville, Tennessee-based indie-folk trio TOWNE consists of longtime singer/songwriter collaborators Steevie Steeves, Jon Decious and guitarist Luke Marshall. Like Steeves, who cut her teeth singing in Pittsburgh’s riverboat and cover band scene, Decious spent the years prior pursuing a career in songwriting, leaning on his poetically simple, “Kentucky talk”, style of writing to land songs on albums of up-and-coming roots and Americana artists such as; Caitlin Rose, Anderson East, and most recently, Lucette. Inspired by the likes of everyone from; Gram Parsons & Emmylou Harris, Heart, The Killers, and the perfectly imperfect harmonies of Stevie Nicks and Tom Petty, the two set out as an acoustic duo for years. Eventually, landing slots on The Pilgrimage Festival, Master Musician’s Festival, 30AFest, performing alongside artists such as; Willie Nelson, Travis Meadows, and Eddie Vedder, among others. The pair released two EP’s: 2016’s Games We Play, and 2018’s Audacious (which included the single “Camouflage” that placed 2nd in the International Songwriting Competition), before meeting guitarist, Luke Marshall, while guest-speaking at a Kentucky 4-H music seminar. Marshall, along with his Johnny Marr-meets-Nels Cline-inspired playing, proved to be the missing link for the duo that had been forever in search of “that sound”.
In late 2018, the trio caught the eye of Grammy Award Winning producer, Mitch Dane, while playing a show at a bar on a slow Sunday night in Nashville. Long story short: it was meant to be. TOWNE was looking for a producer that could capture their live sound on tape and Mitch was looking for a band with a live sound the he wanted to capture. Soon after, sessions were booked at Mitch’s Nashville studio, Sputnik Sound.
In early 2019, TOWNE’s fans came together, organizing two fundraising concerts to finance the recording of the band’s first full-length album, “In The In Between”. The album is set for release in August of 2019.
"In the House" at the Grinder House is broadcast live on WFMC Jams every Friday from 6-8pm central.
Alley Bei is a storm of whimsical energy- Each song has a distinct sound that adventurously fuses genres and themes. Her style is thoughtful, vibrant and varied, creating a space for many moods and tastes to meet. She speaks Spanish, Mandarin Chinese, and English fluently, and injects all three languages and cultural influences into her work.
December 2020 saw the release of her artful debut album, "All the Things". The album, produced with Thomas Francis O'Brien V and Chris "V" Viera, received congratulations and praise from industry Giants- an encouraging sign of feedback for a rookie artist stepping into the spotlight.
Alley has performed her original songs in the USA from Atlanta to San Francisco, and internationally as far as Beijing, China. 2021 will see a mix of full band and acoustic shows across southern and middle America.
Alley is an avid anime and cartoon fan. Her web comic "A Bei in the Life" personifies her album songs as characters in an exaggerated slice-of-life and workplace comedy.
She is also voicing/singing for a grassroots animated series.
Also an eccentric athlete, Alley occasionally performs aerial hoop (lyra) for circus sideshow.
Roy Saunders is a Southern musician who blends the sounds of country, southern rock and blues. Certain obvious influences stand out including The Highwaymen, Cody Jinx, and Blackberry Smoke. Add in a little family style flavor of The Allman Brothers and Lynyrd Skynyrd and you’ve got a distinctly original southern sound.
Born in the mountains of North Georgia, his musical heritage goes back to North Florida with his grandfather, a professional popular pianist and Musician's Union president, and father, a touring guitarist and recording artist.
Self taught, Roy formed the Atlanta based band 11th Night in 2012 with his brother, Ryan. He then moved to Savannah where he co-founded the Garth Brooks style duo "Escaping Fate," with low country legend and musical mainstay, Jay Morelock.
While in Savannah, Roy opened for, Ian McLagan, international touring artist Hannah Wicklund and the Steppin Stones, People's Blues of Richmond, Zack Myers of Shinedown fame, and Austin Webb.
Now based in Atlanta, Roy played 150 shows in five states in the past year alone. He also released his swampy original single ‘Stranger’ on streaming platforms with an EP to follow in 2020.
Roy has built a full band featuring guitarist Jay Morelock on guitar, his father Steven Saunders on bass and seasoned percussionist Tom Dickenson. The group recently performed at Shezmu Cellars in Marietta, GA to promote the single ‘Stranger.’
2020 sees Roy booking at new venues, working on more recordings and scheduling a pending southeastern U.S. fall tour. The best is yet to come for this rising country music outlaw.
Combining energetic performance with raw talent, Sam Roark is paving the way as an influential Musician in the modern generation of music. Music saved Sam's life, now she is connecting with others through her music. Music is healing, music is POWERFUL. Sam has the most powerful vocals, that will give you chills. Since embarking on her career in 2000, Sam Roark continues to captivate fans with her signature sound, fierce passion, and unique performances. You will be hooked from the first note. Read on to learn more about this talented musician.
EPK: Relative Harmony! Keeping it all in the family, Credenda consists of two siblings and their mom, all contributing to the songwriting.
Their music is reminiscent of a time when lyrics impacted a generation, bringing healing and hope for the future.
Genre defying, Credenda's signature sound of unique sibling harmonies is showcased in their original and compelling songs.
Currently based in Nashville.*Their debut EP is scheduled for release 27 February 2019
It started with Barbara who began songwriting as a young adult. She was heavily influenced by Bob Dylan, Larry Norman, and some jazz artists like Cleo Lane. She grew up being exposed to multiple genres, particularly jazz and rock n’ roll. After nursing school, she worked for a while in the UK and then applied for a job in California where she met her husband Joe Bruton. They had a family and out of that family musicians began to develop! Soon, members of the family were writing and jamming together. Barb plays keyboard for the band and is one of the primary song writers.
Daniel started playing the guitar while living in England from 2003-2008. Dad worked on the streets with homeless folks and runaways. His parents bought him an electric guitar and small portable amp for his eleventh birthday, and he practiced literally four to five hours a day for five years. He admires artists such as Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, BB King, and more modern artists such as Ed Sheeran. He loves to play electric and acoustic and bass guitar as well as the cajon.He is always looking for ways to incorporate a Celtic sound. This may be after having lived in the Northeast of England where Celtic influences are very strong. He often co-writes with Barb Bruton, as well as writing his own songs.
Anna is our lead female vocalist. She started singing with Credenda when she was sixteen. Now 23 years old, she is a pro. She loves big band jazz artists such as Cleo Lane, Frank Sinatra, and Nat King Cole. She’s also a big fan of singer songwriters such as Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan, as well as blues artists such as Mavis Staples. She is an accomplished song writer and is currently expanding her skills on the keyboard and guitar. Anna often co-writes with other members of the band and helps with the arrangements.