Tupelo Honey

Heather Turner and Katie Wefer, along with their band Tupelo Honey, have released a new seven song CD that is an absolute joy to listen to. The harmonies are beautiful, the voices are appealing, and the instrumentation is unique and soothing.

Heather and Katie graduated from Highlands High School in 200 and were close friends as students at the University of Kentucky. They have developed their own sound as musicians in just a few short years.

Each of the seven songs on the album is an original and the sound is rich and tight with Heather and Katie on acoustic guitars, Kristen Shaw on violin, Stephen Anderson on bass, and Daniel Peterson on drums.

"We started recording in January and finished up in March," said Heather. "I wrote two of the songs, Katie wrote two of the songs and three were written by both of us together. "Our songs are what they are," said Heather. "We write what we feel and what comes out of us. Usually we write the music first and then add the lyrics. It may be a bit unpolished and unstructured but it reaches out and has a positive influence on people."

The songs are a mix of folk and rock with an occasional Latin influence and a touch of soul. "I'd say we combine folk and rock," said Heather. "It's really casual folk and rock with a little country and the blues."

Heather's biggest musical inspiration is Patty Griffin and Katie is most inspired by the music of Sheryl Crow.

Listening to the seven songs, it's easy to pick uo in the influence of the Indigo Girls on their music. One can also detect the influence of the Dixie Chics and a little Natalie Merchant on the CD.

The seventh song on the album may be the most unique because it is sung entirely in Spanish.

Tupelo Honey was produced and engineered by Ted McConnell at his studio in Cincinnati. McConnell also plays classical guitar, bass, and percussion on the album. "Ted has great equipment and we recorded in his basement," said Heather. "We even used the same type of microphone used by Nora Jones."

Tupelo Honey got it's start a few years ago when Heather and Katie played with Andrew Ross of Ft. Thomas. Andrew moved on and Heather and Katie decided to keep the band together by adding three new musicians. They got their name from the name of a cafe they love in Asheville, North Carolina.

Heather and Katie will have a CD release party in the ballroom of the Southgate House in Newport on Saturday May 12.

"We've been playing a lot of live music and working our full-time day jobs," said Heather. "Now we're preparing for our concert at the Southgate House."

Katie worksa as a preschool teacher and Heather has a job with the Social Security Administration.

"We'd love to make music a career but I'm not sure that we're anywhere close to leaving our full time jobs." said Heather. "Traveling is one of my passions, but I'm a self-taught guitarist and my skills are probably average at best. And the music business is tough. There's nothing easy about it."

Tupelo Honey's new CD can be purchased at cdbaby.com and also at Shake it Records in Northside.

-Bill Thomas of Inside Fort Thomas - Fort Thomas Living

Aunt Tupelo
Local Folk/Pop band Tupelo Honey releases its new seven-song CD, Sweet, this Saturday at the Southgate House. The release party also features support acts Kelly Thomas and the Fabulous Pickups, Wojo, Pete Dressman and the Soul Unified Nation and Lauren Houston.

Capturing the barebones, lilting essence of Folk music couldn't have been an easy task for two suburban-born, Pop Rock-bred college girls. But Katie Wefer and Heather Turner, whose natural musicality had no plans to sit idly by, started with what they already had going for them -- two equally impressive sets of pipes, twin only in their matching emotive power. They went from there, adding violin, bongos and a rock-steady rhythm section. The product -- as bold and braless as it is shy and simple -- became a set of sweepingly organic stingers that rake in the stripped-down seriousness of Indigo Girls, Gillian Welsh's subtle masculinity and the sheer fun of Country darlings, the Dixie Chicks.

"Ian's Song" is the undeniable stand-out with loosely staggered, impeccably simple acoustic melodies and the kind of nuanced and empathetic vocal harmonies that, when emitted for the first time, cause two singers to stare in wide-eyed awe at one another, mildly unsettled at the prospect of such an effective combined effort. Perfect synchronization doesn't come without practice, though, as is clear in "Devuelve Mi Corazon," sung in fluent though clearly secondary Spanish. The track is one of surprisingly few youthful hiccups on a masterfully produced first effort -- and any concerns are immediately dispelled by the gorgeous "Believe Me Now," a heady come-to-Jesus ode that shows much wiser tones with darkly prophetic, Fleetwood Mac-esque violin/vocal pairings.

Soul-soothing Girl-Folk sets common themes of heartache and yearning against a backdrop of plucky thumbs-in-her-belt-loops sanity, a formula that abounds in "Leave Me Tonight," sweetly urging that universal and ubiquitous "him" to "Remember your woman will be just fine." Indeed. (Hannah Roberts)

- City Beat

A big thank you to all the old timers and new timers that showed up at the Old Timers Day festival. We had a perfect day. There was a steady crowd during the day made up of families and children participating in the fabulous Raven Circle art tent. The Old Timers Day parade consisted of about 30 kids wearing wild, rainbow, fairy-ish outfits and the old Model-T's led the troops! During the evening the crowd shifted to the stage where there was great music all night long... and then some, I hear.

Ben Pedigo and Forrest Utley, the two hardest working men in showbiz, burned up the front porch for almost two hours. They are always a treat and always requested for.

On the stage... John Lawson from Frankfort, kicked off the music with some storytelling and Guy Clark hits. He captured the audience with his beautiful, simple sound. Anna and Dareth from Nashville were next and they are always a local favorite.

Tupelo Honey started their set with a Janis Joplin tune that stopped the fest. I have a beautiful memory of watching and listening to those girls on our locally crafted stage with the river as a backdrop and the leaves blowing off the trees (not to mention the lawn filled with loyal, happy customers). Thanks for the memory.

Jake Speed and the Freddies were awesome! We just can't ever get enough of this band and the good spirit they bring to any event. They did a little photo shoot by the barn. Can't wait to see those pics!

The Downtown County Band and all of their groupies were essential to the success of the festival. I am thankful they bring the party and it was certainly kind of them to take it with them. A genuine and true class act. Things picked up a notch when Lance pulled into Rabbit Hash in his '57 Cadillac and got front row parking. They didn't rock the barn this time, they rocked the whole town! You know it's gonna be good when they show up wearing rhinestone bowties.

Ray and Jeff of the Cashman out of Austin electrified the audience. Their hardcore delta blues, foot stompin', nerve rackin, partner swingin' music not only brought the crowd to their feet but also on top of the picnic tables.

The art show in the Lowell Lee Scott Visual Art Center was a huge success as well (and you can read a review of the show here ). Thanks to Jane Burch-Cochran for all her hard work. One of the artists from the art show, Tom Judge, and his wife Julie, had a great working artists booth on Old Timers Day. The kids did block prints there. They were incredible.

Thanks to all my volunteers! It could not be done without you. - Rabbit Hash

Newcomers Tupelo Honey's talent and enthusiasm has quickly endeared them to the local music scene

Interview By DANIELE PFARR

A couple of weeks ago, Heather Turner and Katie Wefer packed their bags and left Fort Thomas, Ky., with only one goal: getting to Dallas. They were ready for any adventure along the way. While stopping underneath the Tupelo city sign in Mississippi to get their picture taken, a car pulled over and, in a friendly southern way, the guys in the car asked Heather and Katie if they were musicians. Of course the answer was "yes," and right there on the roadside in Tupelo, they entertained the group of guys with the guitars and voices that make up Tupelo Honey.
Turner and Wefer went to high school together and ended up crossing paths again in college. Tupelo Honey started out as therapy for them when they were both going through breakups. After teaching themselves how to play guitar, and getting some positive response from friends, the early-twentysomethings entered a talent competition at Austin City Saloon in Lexington, Ky. They sang "Sweet Child O' Mine" by Guns N' Roses and won $100. Another night, after coaxing from a friend, Heather played her guitar at a bar closing and the owner was impressed enough to offer the girls a full-night gig.

Throughout these first encounters with playing music in public, the girls were constantly reminded of their amateur status. During their first talent competition, they had the words written out and the sound guy had to push the microphone in front of Katie's mouth. Never in a million years did they think they would go further than cover songs and small talent competitions. Enter Kelly Thomas and the Rivertown Music Club.

In March, they got a chance to play at Thomas' monthly happy hour gig at the Courtyard Café and she noticed their potential instantly.

"They both have great voices and they harmonize really well," Thomas says. "They have a very organic sound in the vein of the Indigo Girls and Patty Griffin. Personally, I clicked with them instantly. They are good people and I love their wide-eyed enthusiasm for music."

Realizing that they needed to add some depth to their sound, a full band was sought -- the group now includes Stephen Anderson on bass, Daniel Peterson on drums, Kristen Shaw on violin and Kelly Gray on the bongo drum). After many pains, and what they refer to as "typical band drama," they got a chance to really tighten up.

"Right now we're just at a growing point," Wefer says. "We're only focusing now on what actually sounds the best, where before we just threw musicians in because we just needed to fill in our acoustic sound. Now we actually get to find the sound we want and work on it."

Since then, according to Wefer, it's snowballed. They've played in venues all over the city, and other local acts are becoming interested in their potential as well. After playing the Roots & Rock Festival In October, they were invited to take part in another festival that will be hosted by Sweet Ray Laurel. On Tuesdays in November they will be hosting a female-oriented night at the Poison Room. And at the start of the new year, they will take part in another female music series at the Southgate House where, with the help of Kelly Thomas, Kinsey Rose, Kristen Key, Jesse Thomas and Lauren Houston, monthly donations will be made to local charities that focus on women's issues. Turner takes this event especially to heart because her mother is a 10-year breast cancer survivor.

Flashback to a couple of weeks ago when the girls took their passion for music and hit the road. They made connections, which is all they were planning to do in the first place. After all, who gets to play on the side of an interstate in Tupelo every day?

Sitting with Turner and Wefer, their peaceful demeanor as they express their love for music is just one way they are appealing. They are humble, excited and happy to be sitting here talking about their passion.

"That's the art of it all," Turner says. "Music is an art, just like everything else. It's just self-expression. Hopefully people enjoy it. We've gotten way more positive response than I ever expected." - CityBeat

New series from Rivertown Music Club kicks off Jan. 6 at Southgate
www.cincinnati.com
New series from Rivertown Music Club kicks off Jan. 6 at Southgate

Contributed by kelly thomas
Thursday, December 21, 2006


Newport, KY-The Rivertown Music Club has been combining great local music and charity for the past 3 years. On January 6, 2007, RTMC’s latest series, "One More Girl On A Stage" will carry on that tradition. The series will support and celebrate women via monthly shows at Southgate House featuring local and national female musicians with a donation being made from each show to benefit a woman-focused charity/organization.

The show on January 6 will kick off the series with some of the most talented women from the Greater Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area; Kinsey Rose, Jesse Thomas, Tupelo Honey, Lauren Houston, Kelly Thomas & The Fabulous Pickups, Wussy, The Fairmount Girls, Kristen Key, Twisted Wood, The Whitney Barricklow Band, Holly Spears, My Wife The Tiger, Viva La Foxx, Chakras, Foxfire, The Reverend Mother and The Tammy WhyNots. Along with National performer, Shanna Zell (New York City). The line-up is extremely diverse and includes acoustic acts and full bands. A website has been set up at www.myspace.com/onemoregirlonastage with links to all the performers, along with pictures and sound clips.

The show will benefit The Pink Ribbon Girls (pinkribbongirls.org), a breast cancer survivor’s organization. This show has personal meaning for many of the musicians involved that have faced breast cancer either personally or with a loved one. There will also be a raffle, at the show, to help raise money for the organization.

The Pink Ribbon Girls Mission
Pink Ribbon Girls (PRG) are committed to helping young women diagnosed with breast cancer by creating a support network of survivors through personal contact as well as the internet. Young women are offered the flexibility of joining a group that doesn't require a monthly commitment, such as that of a formal support group. Having a monthly night out provides young women with an outlet for sharing many aspects of their life, including breast cancer. Topics of discussion and guest speakers for each meeting include issues more specific to being diagnosed at an earlier age, such as dating, caring for young children while undergoing treatment and fitness and nutrition. PRG offers its members support in many ways, including a welcome packet filled with a membership directory, helpful tips, a personal journal, and many other useful materials. Other means of support include providing meals to PRG members and their families during treatment or after surgery. PRG also realizes that until there is a cure, we must all do our part to educate women about this disease and focus on the early detection of it.

PRG Contact Info
PO Box 33011
Cincinnati, Ohio 45233
Banita Bailey
513.207.9975

pinkribbongirls.org


Suggested donation at the door is $7. Ages 21 and up welcome. Doors at 7 p.m.
For more information, visit www.myspace.com/onemoregirlonastage

- City Beat