Special to the
Opelika Observer
Up-and-coming folks artists Szlachetka and Sarah Aili will perform at The Sound Wall on Nov. 21, beginning at 7 p.m.
This is a bring-your-own-beer event. Tickets are $15 each and can be purchased on www.eventbrite.com. The venue is located at 605 Ave. B.
About the artists:
Rolling Stone hailed SZLACHETKA as one of the “10 New Artists You Need to Know,” describing one of his recent album’s “a soundtrack for both the highway and the heartland… a collection of road-dog roots-rockers and Americana ballads inspired by the people (and places) he’s left behind in the rearview mirror.” SZLACHETKA (pronounced SLA-HET-KA) draws a fan’s gaze back to a simpler time when music was less about stylized production and more about its experiential nature. His songwriting finds inspiration in the threads that connect us, weaving a tapestry of familiar moments that pay homage to the past while leaning into a future that promises both wonder and grace. Now based in Nashville, SZLACHETKA grew up in New England and began his career as the frontman for the acclaimed roots-rock band, The Northstar Session, with whom he recorded five albums and appeared in the second season of NBC’s “Parenthood.” After nearly a decade of touring, he left the band and struck out on his own, releasing his first solo album in 2014, “Waits for a Storm to Find.” SZLACHETKA’s sophomore album (produced by Grammy-winning producer David Bianco), “Heart of my Hometown” was released in early 2018.
Throughout his travels, SZLACHETKA has shared the stage with the likes of Mike Campbell (from Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers), Chris Isaac, Brandi Carlisle, Huey Lewis & The News, John Waite, Pat Green, Brandy Clark, Deana Carter, Tommy Emmanuel, Albert Lee, Doyle Dykes, Chris Hillman, Laurence Juber, John Jorgensen, Lee Roy Parnell, Cracker, Camper Van Beethoven, Matthew Sweet, Greg Laswell, Johnette Napolitano, Hanson, Fishbone, The English Beat, Madi Diaz and The California Honeydrops.
For more information, visit www.szlachetkamusic.com.
Sarah Aili
Nashville artist and songwriter Sarah Aili has built a career upon her ability to multitask, bridging the gap between different disciplines — especially the worlds of music and theater — along the way. She’s a creator of scripts, stories and songs, often juggling multiple projects at once. She embraces the full spread of her influences with her newest EP, shining a light not only upon her mix of Americana, jazz and classic popular music, but also the ways in which her artistic interests intersect.
Aili’s newest recording is the latest chapter in her ongoing artistic story. It’s a story that continues to unfold with each new project, including an upcoming album with Radney Foster, an original musical written with Eric Erdman, a recent role in Nashville Repertory Theatre’s production of Avenue Q and an upcoming role in the World Premier of Ahrens & Flaherty’s new musical, KNOXVILLE, directed by Frank Galati at Asolo Rep. Theatre.
For Aili, these projects represent different sides of the same artist — an artist who’s happy to embrace all of her creative interests under the same umbrella.
For more information, visit www.sarahaili.com.
About The Sound Wall
In 2016, husband-and-wife folk/rock duo Martha’s Trouble (aka Rob and Jen Slocumb) purchased an historical Victorian house, originally built in 1907, in downtown Opelika, and they rehabbed the abode into a creative studio space in their hometown over the course of a year. The idea for The Sound Wall was born out of the couple’s experiences with touring and performing.
“Artists get a place to stay, a place to create, a place to record, a place to have great meals together, and there is the walking-distance proximity of what downtown offers, too.” The Sound Wall is located right off Interstate 280 and it is nearly one and a half hours from Atlanta and two hours from Birmingham.