This year’s Welcome Weekend concert at UW–Platteville is expected to sell out, according to David Nevins, director of campus activities.
The Labor Day concert will feature country music performers Chris Cagle, Jason Michael Carroll and Scarletta.
Cagle will take the Williams Fieldhouse stage at 9:15 p.m. His sixth and newest CD, “Back in the Saddle,” features 11 tracks, including the hit, “Got My Country On,” as well as “Let There Be Cowgirls,” and “Dance Baby Dance.” His credits include two gold albums, two number 1 albums and 12 charted songs.
According to Cagle’s official website, born in DeRidder, La., and raised “all over,” he set off for Nashville after trying his hand at college in Texas and finding the pull to pursue music too strong to ignore. Like many young artists, he spent several years working odd jobs in Nashville and scraping up enough cash to record four original songs for a demo tape.
Thanks to a couple of chance meetings and the opportunity to be heard by Scott Hendricks, Cagle was signed to Virgin Records in 2000 — that first album featured the unaltered version of his demo songs. He quickly earned critical and commercial success and attracted a legion of fans that included industry heavyweights and country fans alike. Cagle’s first number one smash, “I Breathe In, I Breathe Out,” remains a fan favorite.
“I want my music to be an environment, to strike chords, passions, memories, faults, loves, angers and redemptions,” said Cagle. “Imagine my music just on the outside of town right where the road turns to the rural route. A dirt road cul-de-sac with trucks all parked in a circle. I would love to see my music fit into that.”
Carroll will perform at 8 p.m. According to his official website, after winning a radio station’s karaoke contest, Carroll was asked to join a local country band in need of a singer. He began paying his dues in clubs, and his mother signed him up for a televised talent show in Raleigh/Durham, N.C., which he won.
Soon, Carroll was signed to Arista Nashville, and his first album, “Waitin’ in the Country,” debuted atop Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart. His first two singles, “Alyssa Lies” and “Livin’ Our Love Song,” shot into the top five. He opened for Brooks & Dunn, Trace Adkins and Alan Jackson, and became part of the 2008 tours of Carrie Underwood and Martina McBride.
Carroll’s latest project, “Numbers,” marks his first studio album since 2009. The album was released July 25 through Cracker Barrel Old Country Store. The title track, “Numbers,” was released as the first single and quickly made its way up the charts. The second single, “Meet me in the Barn,” is being released in December with a full-length video debuting on Halloween weekend.
Scarletta will open the event at 7 p.m. The band includes three members — guitarist Benji Harris, fiddler Nathan Stoops, and lead singer Aubrey Collins. The band recently released its first single, “Right Here, Right Now.”
Prior to forming Scarletta, Northwest Ohio native Stoops was a classical violinist. While still in college, he was offered a position with a professional orchestra in Jackson, Mich. During this time, he discovered a love for country music. He explains, “I still love classical music, but country has allowed me to branch out into other aspects of music, such as singing and songwriting.”
Texas born and raised, Harris began singing and playing guitar when he was 12, long before he came to Nashville for an internship at a studio on music row. That first taste of Nashville was all he needed. He soon moved to town and found success as a bandleader, background vocalist and session musician for up and coming artists, including a tour with Bice. During a session in 2009 he met Stoops.
Collins is no stranger to the spotlight. By age 16 she was touring and actively sought after by major labels. She moved to Nashville in 2007 to replace Heidi Newfield as lead singer of the commercially successful country band, Trick Pony. Aubrey left the group after a year to pursue other opportunities and soon after met Stoops and Harris.
A limited number of tickets for the concert are available. Admission is $10 for UW–Platteville students and $15 for non-students before Aug. 30. Beginning Aug. 30, all tickets will be $20. Taxes and a handling fee will be added to each ticket order. Tickets can be purchased at the University Box Office or by calling 342-1298 or toll-free 1-877-727-1CFA.
