Forrest Frank: The Jesus Generation Tour

The Houston-born 29-year-old, who’d temporarily put the idea of making solo music on the back burner to keep building on his band’s success, craved the freedom to make music just for himself again, like he’d once done for eight hours daily in his college bedroom, classes and homework be damned. Forrest’s expansive, needle-moving new project is the culmination of the ten years the producer and vocalist has put into honing his craft, from early days recording himself singing in the front seat of his car as he learned how to strengthen his voice, to his years tinkering with beats on his iPhone in his bedroom. Forrest says. “Making music and putting myself so out there was a huge overcoming of those nerves and fear. To see the music so well-received is mind-boggling. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to fathom that it’s hitting so hard.” Through his self sufficient learning of social media he has been able to create viral moments with a soundtrack that is shifting the christian music scene exponentially and only continues to grow on a daily basis.

<p>Tori Kelly first rose to attention when her cover of Frank Ocean’s “Thinkin Bout You,” went viral, racking up over 22 million views. To date, her YouTube channel boasts over ONE MILLION YouTube Subscribers with over 89 million views. Now, two EP’s later Handmade Songs, which Kelly self-penned, produced, mixed and released, and Foreword, she plans to release her first full length debut this spring.</p> <p>Kelly co-wrote “Nobody Love” off her 2015 Spring debut alongside Rickard Goransson and Max Martin. Martin says, “After hearing Tori sing, we felt so inspired that we had no choice but to get involved. It’s been such a pleasure to be a part of her journey.” She also co-wrote with such vets as Savan Kotecha, Toby Gad, Claude Kelly, Chuck Harmony, Wolf Cousins, and Ed Sheeran. The album, she says, does not depart from her soulful roots. “It’s like a marriage between that soulful urban thing and a mainstream pop vibe. It was hard to get to that place, but once we had ‘Nobody Love,’ I knew we’d cracked the code. It felt seamless.”</p> <p>Working with one of the most successful hit makers in the industry is a long way from Kelly’s early years making songs in her bedroom and posting them online. Born and raised in Temecula, California, Kelly is the daughter of musicians, her dad is a singer and bassist and her mom plays piano and saxophone. She sites early influences like gospel singer Crystal Lewis, Jill Scott, Jeff Buckley, and Maxwell.</p> <p>Over the past year and a half, Kelly has sold out shows in several major cities (including The Troubadour and The Roxy in Los Angeles, the Bowery Ballroom and Gramercy Theatre in New York City, and Bush Hall in London), headlined a nine-city sold-out U.S. tour, and supported Ed Sheeran, and Sam Smith on tour.</p> <p>“I’m excited to get out and play for people. That’s always the dream.”</p>

Louisiana’s sweethearts the Figs have been charming revelers across the South with their unique blend of sassy, rowdy, and sweet. Born of sultry summer garage practices, a propensity for harmony, and a shared love of nice dresses and high heels, the Figs will please your ears, your eyes, and your shimmying feet. Their sugar-sweet harmonies lace through songs about guns, boats, trains, broken hearts, and rambling – some originals, some old-time rockabilly or country or swing, all made freshly and uniquely Fig. But really, you’ve got to see it to believe it… "The all-women sextet The Figs looks like a country-time tea party of pretty girls in pretty dresses, but it rocks, Cajun-style, like a roadhouse full of moonshine and buckshot." --- Allison Fensterstock, GAMBIT WEEKLY | New Orleans, LA