Musicians Dan Wallace, Tom Cline, Frank Harrison Jr., Caitie Thompson, and Leslie Alexander pose at the New Market Creative print shop. Credit: Shea Sooley | Lantern Reporter
Columbus music fans can get a taste of Nashville, Tennessee’s distinct concert scene this weekend.
The “Unplugged & Unhinged” country show — featuring musicians Dan Wallace, Frank Harrison Jr., Tom Cline and the Lucky Penny Sisters — will begin 7 p.m. Saturday at The Summit Music Hall, located at 2210 Summit St. The concert will be performed “in the round,” meaning musicians will be onstage at the same time and take turns playing songs, Wallace said.
Wallace said this “in-the-round” style is popular in Nashville, with groups of performers usually telling jokes and stories when they’re not actively playing. The style creates a more intimate connection with the audience, which Wallace is excited to bring to his home city of Columbus.
“It’s just a totally different vibe from when you’re playing with your band or even solo,” Wallace said. “We’re just up there telling jokes, and you just connect with the crowd on a different level.”
All four musical acts have different backgrounds, each bringing their own specific style to the show. Wallace said he has played guitar across the country for 27 years, but recorded his 2022 debut country album — titled “I-65” — in Nashville.
In addition, Wallace said he is now at a point in his career where he can put on his own shows and frequently collaborate with friends.
“When I say come full circle, I’ve learned a lot, and I’m really excited to be doing my own thing for the right reasons and not playing music for other people and for other reasons,” Wallace said.
The Lucky Penny Sisters is an acoustic female rock duo made up of sisters Caitie Thompson and Leslie Alexander, according to its website. Alexander serves as lead vocalist, while Thompson plays drums, guitar and adds backup vocals.
Thompson said while growing up in Delaware, Ohio, the sisters began their music careers together playing in a band known as “The Rip City Rockers.”
“I took up guitar probably about the age of 12,” Thompson said. “When Leslie and I were in The Rip City Rockers, I switched off and on the guitar and drums.”
After Thompson and Alexander became The Lucky Penny Sisters, their music style changed to what they now describe as “whiskey rock.”
“[Thompson] and I took a very long time to decide what kind of artists we wanted to be,” Alexander said. “We knew that we did not want to only do covers. We finally hit our stride and really found this, kind of, very organic — we call it ‘whiskey rock.’ It’s good, old-time rock and roll with a little bit of blues, a little bit of country and then a lot of grit.”
Cline, a guitarist and the show’s main rock act, said he has played guitar for 30 years and has always loved hard rock.
“My influences were always industrial, heavy-rock stuff,” Cline said. “I’m kind of like the rocker guy on this show.”
Cline said one reason why the “in-the-round” concert style works is because people tend to have diverse music tastes.
“It’s pretty neat to see our fans interact on this,” Cline said. “Country people love rock music, rock people love country music. So, this is kind of a cool idea to put us all together.”
Harrison Jr., a Columbus-based country rock artist, said his fascination with music began at a young age when he took an interest in drums and hip-hop music.
“My dad pretty much had a kit in his basement all the time, so I’d sneak down there and try to play it,” Harrison Jr. said. “As soon as I learned how to do a drum roll, I’m like, ’Oh, I can do this.’ And so, I would just sit with headphones and try to play beats back.”
Notably, Harrison Jr. said he began singing around age 12 and started teaching himself guitar at age 20. Despite the fact his father was a blues musician, Harrison Jr. said he learned how to play the instrument all by himself.
“I think that he felt that I could figure it out, so he wanted me to do that,” Harrison Jr. said. “If it was something that I was interested in, I’d figure it out, so that’s what I did.”
Wallace said he, Cline and Harrison Jr. played a different in-the-round show at Rambling House Music Bar — another local music venue, located at 310 E. Hudson St. — last month. Now, he’s excited to add the Lucky Penny Sisters into Saturday’s lineup.
“You got three different styles here, and it could not have went any better,” Wallace said. “This show is about to be that on steroids, adding these guys.”
For more information about the event, including how to purchase tickets, visit The Summit Music Hall website. Tickets for the show will cost $10, and doors open at 6 p.m.
