You don’t have to go to Nashville, Tennessee to hear talented country artists. On Saturday, March 26th at 6 PM, the Birdseye Lounge in Portsmouth, New Hampshire will host some of the most talented country singer/songwriters from New England. Ten artists from various New England towns will be performing country acoustic originals and cover songs.
All musicians are in the group ‘New England to Nashville’ (NETN), an organization started in 2011 by founder Matt Casey. NETN has over are over 700 talented New England musicians and songwriters in their network. NETN puts on shows in both New England and Nashville, as the artists travel back and forth from ‘Music City’ in Nashville, Tennessee to their original roots in New England.
The country music scene is growing rapidly in New England as more and more local country artists are becoming well-known and country concerts are selling out faster than ever. While country music is extremely popular with the younger, college crowd in New England, it is becoming increasingly favored by all ages in the northeast.
A few of the artists are New Hampshire natives themselves, (Colin Axxxwell, Andrew Merzi, Brandon Lepere and Rory Scott.) All of the artists performing on March 26 at the Birdseye are New England born and raised and are looking forward to returning to New Hampshire. Featured artists at the event include: Andrew Merzi, Ashley Dawn, Brandon Lepere, Colin Axxxwell, Haley Chic, Jimmy Connor, Martin and Kelly, Kevin Herchen, Lauren Weintraub, Rory Scott, and Tom Dixon.
These artists from small New England towns have taken off with their music careers, receiving huge respect in the music-oriented city of Nashville, with many of them winning noteworthy awards. Receiving Junior Male Vocalist of the Year in a national competition in Las Vegas as a teen, New Hampshire native Brandon Lepere collaborates with many renowned producers and songwriters in Nashville. Still others have won awards such as New England Country Music Organization’s 2015 award to Jimmy Connor for Male Vocalist, Male Entertainer, and Instrumentalist of the Year and Tom Dixon’s 2011 award for Entertainer of the Year followed by the 2013 Country Act of the Year. Rory Thurston, another artist who will be performing on March 26, won 2011 Male Entertainer and Male Vocalist for the NH Country Music Association.
Many of the performers are collaborating with well-known and accomplished musicians in Tennessee to record songs and are appearing on major market radio stations. Opening for some well-known country singers such as Miranda Lambert, Eric Church and Keith Urban, Jilly Martin and Ryan Brooks Kelly are definitely ones to watch. Tom Dixon who is currently part of the ‘Taste of Nashville Tour,’ is impressing audiences by opening for well-known national acts such as Eric Church, the Zac Brown Band, Sugarland, and Lady Antebellum.
You’ll have plenty of room in this 200-plus seat music and entertainment venue located in beautiful Portsmouth NH to hear these talented artists on March 26. With its full menu and bar, the Birdseye Lounge prides itself on being one of New Hampshire’s premier venues for experiencing national, regional and local acts in a relaxed, warm atmosphere.
Come see the talent first hand on March 26th at this unique country music round robin showcase at the Birdseye Lounge. The Birdseye Lounge is located at 41 Vaughn Mall in Portsmouth NH. (603)766-3333 Click here for tickets. Ticket prices are $12 at the door and $10 in advance.
For more information on the artists playing, click their names below.