Alma native returns home to record debut album
Posted on Friday, June 15, 2007
During college, Shannon Wurst spent summers as a whitewater rafting guide in Colorado. She also spent six months working as a dog musher in Vermont.
But her most exciting adventure has been putting together her debut CD, she said by phone from her hometown of Alma.
But like all the other tasks she has taken on, she met her goal with Thursday's release of "Sunday Pie."To show off her new songs, Wurst will perform three times this week in Fayetteville: today at GoodFolk Productions, Monday at Jose's Restaurant & Club and Wednesday at George's Majestic Lounge.
Wurst had the music bug from an early age. Her dad played Southern rock, and her stepfather often hosted all-night bluegrass picking parties for his friends. She didn't learn to play until high school, but the thrill of music had long been established.
After graduation, Wurst left Alma for the University of Arkansas. After earning a degree in interior design, she had a major change of heart. She moved to Green Mountain, Vt., and led tourists on dog-sledding excursions. When the snow melted and the season was over, she decided to press on with the dream of creating music.
Wurst wanted her music to sound like that of her favorite performers: Dolly Parton, Gillian Welch, Doc Watson and Loretta Lynn, to name a few. Her intrepid spirit took her to Boone, N.C., a small town in the Blue Ridge Mountains, where she immersed herself in the culture of the region that made bluegrass music famous.
"I knew that everything I wanted to do musically was there,"she said. "I got to play with some amazing people there."
After a year and a half of playing the club scene, Wurst was awarded a grant by the North Carolina Arts Council to record an album. She knew exactly who she wanted to collaborate with so she packed her bags and headed home.
In the Ozarks again, she surrounded herself with musician friends, including her father and stepfather, and began to record. On the album, Wurst is accompanied by a host of musicians on bass, mandolin, fiddle and other instruments typical of mountain music.
Among Wurst's favorites is "Patsy Montana,"a song she wrote about the Arkansas-born country singer who became the first woman to sell a million albums.
Wurst could be on her way to the same success, and judging by the number of gigs she'll be playing in the coming days, it appears she is putting down roots. She couldn't be more content, she said, and the album's title reflects that. "Sunday Pie,"she said in a voice as sweet as the pastry itself, is about enjoying life's simple pleasures.
"It's about a really great day. It's pretty good when you're sitting around eating pie on a Sunday,"she said.
* * *
SHANNON WURST
When: 8 p.m. today
Where: GoodFolk Productions, 229 N. Block Ave., Fayetteville
Admission: $10; make reservations by calling 521-1812
* The concert is a CD-release party for Wurst's debut album," Sunday Pie."Wurst will be joined onstage by many of the musicians who contributed to the album.
When: 7 p.m. Monday
Where: Jose's Restaurant & Club, 324 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville
Admission: free
* Wurst will be backed by Fayetteville band Charliehorse and will perform traditional country songs. They will play each Monday night at Jose's through August.
When: 8 p.m. Wednesday
Where: George's Majestic Lounge, 519 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville
Admission: $5
* Wurst will sing a solo acoustic set as part of the Sisters in the Round event. Female songwriters Tiffany Christopher, Sarah Hughes, Tanya Shylock and Cindy Woolf will also perform.
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