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Arts
November 16 - December 6, 2013
55
Messina heads to Rawhide Nov. 23 BY CHRISTINA FUOCO-KARASINSKI
Busy from a day full of radio interviews promoting the CMA Awards, Grammy-nominated country star Jo Dee Messina is surprisingly in a good mood. She laughs easily and takes even the most difficult subjects in stride. Messina, known for her hits “My Give a Damn’s Busted,” “Bring on the Rain” (with Tim McGraw) and “That’s the Way,” is excited to get a little sun in the East Valley. She performs at Rawhide as part of the “Rawhide Wild West Celebration” weekend on Sat., Nov. 23. Messina says she will perform songs from her forthcoming album, “Me,” during the concert, which also features The Swon Brothers, Frankie Ballard and Brodie Stewart. “Me” was funded through the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter.com. Her goal was $100,000; she raised $121,743 thanks to 1,017 backers in 30 days. “It was very nerve-wracking,” Messina says. “You had 30 days to fund the record or none of the money was collected. “I thought everyone knew what Kickstarter was. But they didn’t. I had to educate people (saying), ‘No, we’re not asking for money. You get something for your donation.’ It’s like having a garage sale. I use the money from the yard sale to make a record. That was really mindblowing to me that people didn’t get it.” Some of the gifts that fans received in return to donations were a chance to perform on “Me,” a private concert with Messina, CDs, posters, photo books and phone calls from her. The album is set for release on March 18, however, Kickstarter participants will receive it earlier. The project was a group effort, Messina says. Not only did listeners fund “Me,” they chose the songs for it as well as the first single, “Peace Sign.” The song received 220,000 votes.
COMING TO TOWN: Jo Dee Messina will perform tracks from her forthcoming album, “Me,” at Rawhide on Nov. 23. Submitted photo
“Via Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, I posted songs and asked people to give me your input,” Messina says. “They chose every song—including the single. They got to make the record with me. I let them pick the name of the album. It’s ‘Me.’ It’s the title of a song.” Now was the perfect time for Messina to go independent. After spending her career on record labels, they decided to part ways. “I did research,” she says. “I hired a company and had them research ‘the brand’—the brand of Jo Dee Messina— and tell me what they found out. “They found very useful information. We did the Kickstarter thing and they all showed up. It’s a way to
engage my fans and show them that they’re appreciated. These guys will move mountains for me and it’s not taken for granted.” Jo Dee Messina, The Swon Brothers, Frankie Ballard and Brodie Stewart perform at 6 p.m. Sat., Nov. 23, at Rawhide Western Town, 5700 W. North Loop Rd., Chandler. Tickets are $10.79 to $85. For more information, visit http:// rawhidewildwestcelebration.com/concert.html. Christina Fuoco-Karasinski is the editor of the SanTan Sun News. She can be reached at christina@ santansun.com.
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