Artist To Watch: Thompson Square

If your a follower of music, it's no surprise why Tragic Kingdom is featuring the husband-and-wife duo, Shawna and Keifer Thompson of Thompson Square.  The two singers met at a singing competition, where they had immediate romantic chemistry, after moving to Nashville separately to pursue solo careers.  And although the chemistry didn't initially lead them to share the stage, eventually the pair found it making sense.  When a mutual friend - who had once tried to pursuade them against forming a duo - saw the pair perform at local Nashville club, he was blown away be their energy and cutting-edge style. It became obvious that their on-stage chemistry could be just as successful as it was off.  After a few phone calls, the pair were performing in front of the heads at Stoney Creek Records.

Early last year, Thompson Square signed with Nashville-based label and hit the ground running.  It wasn't long after that their first single, "Let's Fight" was released to country radio.  After a short lived stint on the Hot Country Songs chart, peaking at number 58, the band prepared the release of their second single.  And, what seemed like overnight, Thompson Square had music fans everywhere asking, "Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not" over and over again.  Now on heavy rotation on most mainstream radio stations, the song and duo seem unstoppable.  "Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not" is rapidly climbing a number of Billboard charts.  This week Thompson Square landed in the top spot of Billboard's Heatseekers chart, number 51 on the Hot 100, and climbed to the number 20 spot on the Hot Country Songs chart.  As the song continues to skyrocket each week, fans anticipate the upcoming arrival of their debut album.

The self-titled album, out February 8th, follows in the successful second single's footsteps.  It combines Keifer's soulful chops, influenced by the likes of Merle Haggard and Tom Petty, and Shawna's traditional, and tender, country vocals, meshing to make a unique sound that is inspiring to the country community.  Although the first major hit from the record features more Keifer than Shawna, the album delicately allows them both to shine.  For example, on the radio-ready track, "Glass", Shawna tears at heartstrings comparing a fragile girl's resemblence to a sheet of glass. And the two share melodies, blending beautifully to create "My Kind of Crazy" and the Bonnie & Clyde-esque "Getaway Car", a song about chasing dreams like a "couple young hearts".  The standouts on the disc, aside from the aforementioned smash single, are ironically the upbeat opening number, "I Got You", and the last track, "One of Those Days", a recount of a day when nothing seems to be going right.  But with the inevitable success Thompson Square is about to endure, it's hard to imagine them having one of those days anytime soon.

Be sure to pick up a copy of their debut album, Thompson Square, in stores and online February 8th and check out the video for the hit single, "Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not" below.




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I Can Take It

When I moved to Nashville from Denver last fall, I knew things wouldn't be easy.  Meeting new people, integrating into a new environment, and learning my way around a new city were the exciting challenges that I was ready to take on. In the next couple of weeks, I am going to shift focus from music for a minute here and there to introduce you to some of the exciting findings from my journey.

While proving to be worth it, the journey to Nashville has been a rough road. When I started going through the catalog of Tragic Kingdom's first featured songwriter, John Edwards, I couldn't help but connect with one song specifically.  "I Can Take It" is the inspirational tune Edwards wrote, inspired by his own rough road and never-ending drive to the top.  And as things start to pick up here in Nashville for me, I know that I too can take it.

Take a listen to demo for the track below and be on the look out for more exciting Nashville findings soon.



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The Harder The Life, The Sweeter The Song

Since moving to Nashville late last year, I have learned one thing: Nashville is full of true talent.  It's not just the songbirds who spit out twangy vocals, this town has musicians (some of the best in the world), engineers, publishers, and songwriters.  As a new feature to Tragic Kingdom in 2011, the Songwriter Spotlight will give songwriters a chance to get much needed, and well deserved, attention.  First up, is by far one of the most sincere storytellers in town, John Edwards.

Born in the hills of Lenior, North Carolina, songwriter John Edwards was destined for success. At the age of three, his mother moved John and his brothers to Arizona to escape from an abusive marriage. Growing up watching his mother struggle to raise three boys on her own, John learned just how hard life could be without a strong male role model in his life. The experiences that he faced as a young man shaped him into a sincere and real storyteller, which he later learned to share through the gift of music.

With only the dream of writing hit records and hearing them played by the city’s finest, Edwards packed up his Arizona based roots in January of 2001 and headed east for Nashville, Tennessee. Upon his arrival in Music City, he took on renovation projects at a rundown, local motel in return for a place to stay. When the project concluded, Edwards found a roof at the, once famous, Spence Manor, where he again traded his handy work for rent. The historic hotel, and its guitar shaped swimming pool, that was once home to Frank Sinatra, Tammy Wynette, The Beatles, and Elvis, was being transformed into condominiums on Music Row. When John wasn’t knocking on doors looking for opportunities to play his music, he hopped in the front of a taxi cab and, with his guitar in the passenger seat, transported people around town writing melodies and lyrics in between stops.

In 2004, his drive to succeed and determination on Music Row paid off when he got the chance to sit down with one of Nashville’s top publishers and songwriters, Roger Murrah (“Don’t Rock The Jukebox”). Edwards was signed to a publishing deal with Murrah Music after playing five of his self-penned tracks. The deal he had been dreaming of was his, but unfortunately it only lasted two years - not long enough to make an impact. In the wake of the blow, John turned to music to tell the personal story of a fateful night when his mother pulled the trigger on her husband, only to find the gun was not loaded. With rent due and jobs scarce, John returned to his Arizona home. Ironically, just two months after being released from his obligation to Murrah, he learned that the personal song and story of his mother’s struggle, was going to be his first major cut. The song, “What She Had To”, appeared on Lonestar’s 2006 release Mountains. Around the same time, his track “Cowboy and a Dancer” was cut for Tracy Byrd’s first independent release, Different Things.

On the heels of the good news, Edwards returned to Nashville and began looking for new representation. In April 2007, Edwards had found his home. Benny Brown of Broken Bow Records signed John to a publishing deal at Magic Mustang Music, home also to Tragic Kingdom's Featured Artist, Jason Aldean. John approached Aldean’s band members, appreciating their unique sound and ability to blend with his vision for tracks. Tully Kennedy, Rich Redmond, and Kurt Allison started playing on his demos. The three year relationship with ‘the boys’ led to the second major cut of his career, a southern love song called “Country Boys World”. The track appeared on Aldean’s smash 2010 release My Kinda Party as one of the album’s standout tracks. With My Kinda Party being one of the biggest selling country album’s of the last year, it is clear that Edwards is on his way.

In Nashville, industry insiders call it a “ten year town” and as Edwards closes his first decade in Music City with a bang, it looks like the rumors are true. He’s paid his dues in full and does not regret, or look back at, one part of his hard rise to success.

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