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Music highlights Saturday's festival lineup
By: Kurt Kloeblen, Staff writer kkloeblen@sunpublications.com
Country music star Jo Dee Messina loves playing venues such as Gardner's Festival on the Trails.
“A bulk of what we do are fairs and festivals during the summer,” Messina said Wednesday during a phone interview from Nashville, Tenn. “I love the festival setting. The whole family can come and it's affordable n you don't have to pay 50 bucks and be over 21 just to get in.”
Messina performs Saturday night at Festival on the Trails. She hit the country music scene 10 years ago and has nine No. 1 singles to her credit, including “Bye, Bye,” “I'm Alright,” “Stand Beside Me” and “Bring on the Rain.”
“I like to put a lot of hits in there,” Messina said of her show. “I don't want (the audience) to get bored.”
Messina said she will approach Saturday's show like any other.
“It's a lot of fun, there's something for everyone,” she said. “It's high energy; we come out rocking and stay high energy all the way through. We just love playing.”
Messina just finished her fifth album, “Unmistakable,” and is working to get it released. The first single is “Biker Girl.” Messina said she went for a different sound with this record.
“The new album has a grittier sound,” she said. “I wanted to simplify things rather than have that thick wall of guitars. People kept saying I sounded better live than on records, so I wanted to try and change that a little.”
Messina said she is careful with putting new songs into her show and tries to mix them in with her hits.
“It's hard to play songs people don't know,” she said. “If they cling on to a song and applaud after the first chorus, that's a good sign. The title track of the new album 'Unmistakable' has been a new song that has definitely gone over huge with the crowd.”
Messina, a Massachusetts native, started her career writing and recording songs with Tim McGraw. In 1999, she won the Country Music Association Horizon Award and Best New Artist award.
Messina has gone through tough times in her personal life, recovering from alcoholism and breaking off an engagement with her former manager. Messina said her experiences provide fodder for her songs.
“It just comes from life,” she said. “The people I meet, my friends … I pull a lot material from them.”
Messina said she has played the Kansas City area many times and is excited to get back.
“Oh, yeah. I absolutely love it.”
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“A bulk of what we do are fairs and festivals during the summer,” Messina said Wednesday during a phone interview from Nashville, Tenn. “I love the festival setting. The whole family can come and it's affordable n you don't have to pay 50 bucks and be over 21 just to get in.”
Messina performs Saturday night at Festival on the Trails. She hit the country music scene 10 years ago and has nine No. 1 singles to her credit, including “Bye, Bye,” “I'm Alright,” “Stand Beside Me” and “Bring on the Rain.”
“I like to put a lot of hits in there,” Messina said of her show. “I don't want (the audience) to get bored.”
Messina said she will approach Saturday's show like any other.
“It's a lot of fun, there's something for everyone,” she said. “It's high energy; we come out rocking and stay high energy all the way through. We just love playing.”
Messina just finished her fifth album, “Unmistakable,” and is working to get it released. The first single is “Biker Girl.” Messina said she went for a different sound with this record.
“The new album has a grittier sound,” she said. “I wanted to simplify things rather than have that thick wall of guitars. People kept saying I sounded better live than on records, so I wanted to try and change that a little.”
Messina said she is careful with putting new songs into her show and tries to mix them in with her hits.
“It's hard to play songs people don't know,” she said. “If they cling on to a song and applaud after the first chorus, that's a good sign. The title track of the new album 'Unmistakable' has been a new song that has definitely gone over huge with the crowd.”
Messina, a Massachusetts native, started her career writing and recording songs with Tim McGraw. In 1999, she won the Country Music Association Horizon Award and Best New Artist award.
Messina has gone through tough times in her personal life, recovering from alcoholism and breaking off an engagement with her former manager. Messina said her experiences provide fodder for her songs.
“It just comes from life,” she said. “The people I meet, my friends … I pull a lot material from them.”
Messina said she has played the Kansas City area many times and is excited to get back.
“Oh, yeah. I absolutely love it.”