Saturday, April 21, 7 p.m.
Ohnward Fine Arts Center, 1215 East Platt Street, Maquoketa IA
Cited by Rolling Stone as among the “10 New Country Artists You Need to Know,” the Farewell Angelina quartet performs an April 21 concert at Maquoketa's Ohnward Fine Arts Center, its sound described by Roughstock.com as “stunning,” and its musicians, according to TasteOfCountry.com, a “super-group of über-talented female musicians, songwriters, and vocalists.”
A contemporary country group comprised of four women who all write, sing, and play, Farewell Angelina features Lauren Lucas, Lisa Torres, Nicole Witt, and Andrea Young, all of whom had impressive résumés long before teaming up. Lucas was a gifted singer and guitarist whose early work earned her ACM Award nomination and a Tony nomination for helping compose the score to Broadway's Urban Cowboy. Torres was a skilled multi-instrumentalist who sang backup on sessions for Jason Aldean, Trace Adkins, and Josh Thompson. Witt, who had a background in bluegrass music, wrote tunes recorded by George Strait, Rodney Atkins, Terri Clark, and Point of Light. And classically trained Young accompanied the likes of Bo Bice, Stella James, and Pavlov's Dog in addition to opening shows for Brooks & Dunn, Rascal Flatts, and Jason Aldean.
In 2012, Witt, Young, and singer/guitarist Elizabeth Elkins joined up with singer Vanessa Olivarez to form the group Mama's Blue Dress. Boasting spirited songs and strong harmonies, Mama's Blue Dress cut two independent albums before Olivarez left the group and teamed with Elkins for the duo Granville Automatic. In 2014, however, Elkins, Witt, and Young reunited, bringing Torres aboard and adopting the moniker Farewell Angelina after the Bob Dylan song of the same name. The group released the singles “Radioactive,” “Hillbilly 401k,” and “Shotgun Summer” in 2016, and by the end of the year, Farewell Angelina had released a self-titled five-song EP and experienced a personnel change, as Elkins left the group and Lucas joined. Since then, the band has opened for the likes of Blake Shelton, Rascal Flatts, and Dierks Bentley, with Rolling Stone praising its hit “If It Ain't with You” for doing “a great job of bringing together everything that Farewell Angelina does best – witty lyricism and deft playing – into one sonic knockout punch.”
Tickets to Farewell Angelina's 7 p.m. concert on April 21 are $13-25, and more information and reservations are available by calling (563)652-9815 or visiting OhnwardFineArtsCenter.com.
