Alaina & Filmore play for The Signal Foundation
There’s no such thing as “professional jealousy” in music. Oh, jealousy abounds to be sure but there’s nothing professional about it, and the musicians that know their worth eschew that sort of pettiness, leaving it to the small-minded, thin-skinned, fragile egos who wouldn’t know what to do with success if someone handed it to them on a silver platter.
For the bulk of us who claim the title of “pro” or at least aspire to it, musicians are all part of the same tribe regardless of style or background. To see one of our own “make it” is cause for celebration.
That truth becomes more poignant when the rising star is from your town. Not only is there a collective sense of pride that a local has gone on to conquer the world at large, there is the practical realization that yes, you can be from here and go on to fame and fortune.
Moreover, it elevates the status of the music scene itself. No one can ever say again that “nobody from there ever accomplished anything” and if recent trends are any indication, it appears that each new success story paves the way for two more.
It was only a week ago that this column featured a young rapper who is now signed to one of the biggest names in the industry and our own Strung Like A Horse is in the middle of a wildly successful European tour, while local favorites Lon Eldridge and James Leg have recently returned from the same.
And then there is Lauren Alaina. No matter how removed you may be from local music, there’s a name you likely know as the young lady from Rossville who made it all the way from audition to the final round of the tenth season of American Idol back in 2011.
Miss Alaina finished the season as runner-up, sufficient achievement to not only see the declaration of “Lauren Alaina” in her own town, but to launch a career whose success is uncontested. In short, the Wildflower took off like wild fire.
A couple of hit albums soon followed, along with hit singles, performances at the Grand Ole Opry, the White House, and the world. Lauren Alaina is a star, no two ways about it.
This Friday, the ACM New Female Vocalist of the year will be appearing at The Signal along with fellow “face of new country” star Filmore.
The event is billed as a “Concert for a Cause”, a fundraiser for the Songbirds Foundation here in Chattanooga. The Songbirds Foundation’s Guitars for Kids program provides music education, instrument lessons, and music therapy for the youth of eastern Tennessee.
It’s a chance to see two of country music’s fastest rising stars up close and personal, while lending some much needed support to the arts in our own community. Tickets are available now via The Signal’s website at thesignaltn.com. Doors open at 7 p.m. with the show starting at 8:30 p.m.