Too often, musicians are in it for themselves. Forget collaborating with anyone else, they’re more concerned about earning a buck and winning over fans than helping out fellow singers and songwriters. It’s especially true in cities with larger music scenes, such as Nashville.
Enter the folk movement known as Ten Out of Tenn. The Tennessee-based collective was started in 2005 by Kristen and Trent Dabbs as a way to get some of Nashville’s strongest songwriters noticed while putting songs first instead of egos. While some of the musicians have performed with Paul McCartney and Sarah McLachlan and had songs played on TV, the collaborative effort is more about the camaraderie the musicians find on stage.
The Ten Out of Tenn tour, which will stop at the Neighborhood Theatre on Sept. 30, features a rotation of songs and singers while the rest of the musicians back each other up. Instead of a regular round-robin of performances, the entire group stays on stage and helps each other through instrumentation and/or backing vocals. From start to finish, the concert provides music fans an opportunity to not only check out the abilities of 10 different singers, but witness true collaboration in a supportive environment. Past tours have included Erin McCarley, Griffin House and Joy Williams, who is now one half of the folk duo The Civil Wars.
Here’s a quick rundown of some of the musicians participating in this year’s tour:
Matthew Perryman Jones — Jones has shared the stage with Jim James and Patty Griffin, among others. His song “Save You” was featured on Kyle XY while others have been heard on Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice, Bones and One Tree Hill. Jones has four albums out, including 2011’s Until the Dawn Appears. His vocal tone resembles Harry Connick Jr..
Katie Herzig — The Grammy-nominated singer released her first solo album in 2004. Herzig had songs featured on Grey’s Anatomy, leading to tours with The Fray and Brandi Carlile and a spot on the Paste Songwriters Tour. Her 2009 song “Hey Na Na” was featured in the Drew Barrymore movie Going the Distance as well as commercials for Target and Honda. Herzig’s voice has a pop sensibility to it. Her album, The Waking Sleep, was released on Sept. 22.
Butterfly Boucher — Originally from Australia, Boucher is also a producer and multi-instrumentalist who has previously toured as Sarah McLachlan’s bass player. She has had several songs on Grey’s Anatomy and Charmed in addition to having her duet with David Bowie on the Shrek 2 soundtrack. She’s in the process of completing her third album. Her vocals find the right balance between pop happiness and emotional heartache when the song calls for it.
Jeremy Lister — Lister’s a capella group, Street Corner Symphony, was a fan favorite on NBC’s The Sing Off, ending up in second place. He has toured with Ben Folds, Colbie Calait and Brett Dennen, and his new album, The Bed You Made, features a duet with Alison Krauss. His obvious strength is in his vocal abilities — a smooth tone with a broad range into falsetto.
Trent Dabbs — A co-founder of the Ten Out of Tenn tour, Dabbs has released six solo albums, had songs featured on Grey’s Anatomy, Private Practice and Vampire Diaries, and earned an opening gig for R.E.M. He has co-written songs with a number of the TOT artists, as well. With so many credits to his name, Dabbs’ focus is clearly on songwriting and the layers or music behind his vocals.
Andrew Belle — Belle’s vocal style has a hint of rasp that works well against the Americana backdrop it’s presented on. He’s had songs featured on TV shows including The Real World and The Vampire Diaries. His song “Sky’s Still Blue” was featured in a Microsoft commercial. He has released one studio album, 2010’s The Ladder, in addition to two live LPs and an EP.
This article appears in Sep 27 – Oct 3, 2011.
