Beat the Winter Blues with Some Live Music!
Looking for a way to break out of winter’s rut? How about treating yourself to some free live music! We host a great TN musician every Friday from 7-10 pm on our Firefly patio. Come relax and start your weekend off right. Bios for each performer are below the schedule.
January
6- Chris Marshall
7- Slade Adams
13- Alex Forester
14- Bill Fonner
20- Alicia Harvey
21- Alex Forester
27- Chris Marshall
28- CJ Warren
February
3- Alicia Harvey
4- Bill Fonner
10- Slade Adams
11- Shaun Abbott
17- CJ Warren
18- Jonah Tran
24- Chris Marshall
25- Alex Forester
Chris Marshall
Originally hailing from East Texas, Chris Marshall is an accomplished multi-instrumentalist singer songwriter and cover artist based out of Knoxville TN. His cover catalog is vast and an eclectic mix of classic rock and popular tunes from the last five decades. His originals are sometimes whimsical and often poignant and are an interesting mix of Americana, Jazz, and Reggae. If you are looking for an evening of high energy favorites delivered with a charismatic twist, Chris Marshall always delivers.
Follow Chris at https://www.facebook.com/chris.marshall.58910
Slade Adams
Slade Adams is a Knoxville, TN singer-songwriter using rhythmic soul country to bring healing to others. Gaining his influence from artists such as Tyler Childers and Jason Isbell, his sound is unique and true to his southern heritage.
Follow Slade at https://www.facebook.com/sladeadamsmusic/
Alex Forester
Having played music since he was only 7 years old, Alex Forester has performed from coast to coast with a music career spanning over 15 years. With a wide array of influences such as Led Zeppelin, Elton John, The Killers, Kings of Leon and many more, Alex has honed his skills and mastered performing classic & alternative rock hits as well as blues & soul classics. A multi-instrumentalist, Alex has played the stage at the world-famous Whiskey A’ Go-Go in L.A., rocked out with Spring breakers at the notorious Floribama and opened for major acts such as Big Gun, Moon Taxi, Pretty Boy Floyd, Cherub and the Avett Brothers. An award-winning songwriter, Alex has graced the airwaves on college radios & streaming platforms across the nation as himself, his bands and as a writer for other artists. Though he’s been fortunate enough to travel all over the world, Alex prefers to call the South home spending time with his girlfriend and German Shepherd, Zuko, when he isn’t busy playing music.
Follow Alex at https://www.facebook.com/Alexander.Holly.Forester
Bill Lee Fonner
Bill Lee Fonner started playing acoustic guitar at the early age of five and by the age of nine he was already playing and singing on stage from Ohio to Florida. He was signed to Arista records at the age of 16 and currently resides in the Great Smoky Mountains of TN.
His music sounds like James Taylor and Neil Young. He has written over 1,500 original songs and performs over 300 cover songs ranging from 70s to current pop and country.
Follow Bill at https://www.facebook.com/bill.fonner.3
Alicia Harvey
Alicia Harvey is a Knoxville, Tennessee-based songwriter whose country influences can be heard in her voice and guitar work. Patsy Cline and Patty Loveless. Terri Clark and Clare Dunn. Women who share stories in their songs, both heartwarming and heartbreaking.
You can hear these same themes in Alicia’s own original compositions. Whether celebrating finding the right one in “The Real Thing”, or the crushing realization of “You Didn’t Love Me”, Alicia finds the best songs are the ones that flow from her and take on a life of their own.
In 2016, Alicia had the honor of composing the song, “A Little More Country”, requested for a friend who had written lyrics about the loss of her husband. She considers this song one of the highlights of her career so far, and credits the experience with inspiring her to begin writing music again.
In 2018, Alicia was voted a semi-finalist at “The Voice Off” at the Wild Wing Café in Knoxville. While performing for peers and critics can be a bit nerve-wracking, the enthusiastic crowd made it an enjoyable experience. Thanks to those who cheered her on!
Alicia also enjoys performing cover songs of her favorite artists. She chooses a well-rounded blend of material to keep the listener interested, involved, and entertained. She understands the importance of playing to everyone in the audience, and has performed everywhere from churches to honky-tonks in Tennessee.
CJ Warren
Clifton Joseph Warren (aka CJ) born in Cleveland, Ohio on April 30th, 1968 started his musical interest at the age of 8 with the help of his music teachers that gave him opportunities to sing, dance and act in leading roles of school plays. His mother gave him the privilege to study piano at the age of 12, started composition and self-taught in music history and theory.
Clifton composed his first Piano Sonata at 17, a serenade for string orchestra at 28, and other piano works between the ages 15-22. At 26, Clifton got his first break playing for the Jazz Ensemble at Mercer University in Macon, Ga directed by Dr. Douglas Hill in the years 1992-97.
During that time other professional musicians noticed his talents and gifts and hired him as their keyboardist in bands such as Danger Zone in 1995-1999, Voltage Brothers in 1999-2012.
Traveling with the Voltage Brothers gave him opportunities to see celebrities and to open shows for artists like Morris Day & the Time, James Brown, Commodores, Gladys Knight, Boyz II Men, Kirk Franklin, Earth Wind & Fire, Alan Jackson, Travis Tritt, Clint Black, George Strait, LeAnn Rymes, and Martina McBride.
Today, Clifton plays like Liberace, swings like Ellington, improvises like Chick Corea, sings like Luther Vandross, transposes and arranges like David Foster, and mixes like Sting. Clifton is a composer in classical music with 350 piano compositions, 157 chamber, orchestra works and chorales, yet versatile in other genre by writing 12 country tunes, 37 jazz compositions, 87 Christian contemporary songs, 40 pop tunes, 10 heavy metal songs, 7 rap songs, and 15 big band originals. When the audience expects a variety of music, he has over 3,500 cd’s of all sorts of music, can learn a hard piece in less than 15 minutes, and a very long cover tune list of over 1,000 songs.
Follow CJ at https://www.facebook.com/cjw1968
Shaun Abbott
Shaun Abbott is a country singer/songwriter and touring artist from Knoxville, TN. Abbott has toured across the US and has opened for artists such as Jeff Cook from Alabama, Chase Rice, Josh Thompson, LANco, Corey Smith, Ashton Shepherd and John Michael Montgomery.
Download his latest single “Never Have This Night Again” on iTunes today! To learn more about Shaun Abbott, head on over to www.shaunabbottmusic.com.
Follow Shaun at https://www.facebook.com/theSHAUNofficial
Jonah Tran
Jonah Tran is a solo acoustic singer based in Knoxville TN, and plays a blend of styles ranging from pop, rock, rhythm & blues, blues, and singer/songwriter
Follow Jonah at https://www.facebook.com/JonahTranMusic/