Lindsey Hinkle

When she was just 13 years old, Piedmont native Lindsey Hinkle wrote her first song for a class assignment.

At 15, she recorded her first demo in Nashville, which led to a tour bus driver for Fleetwood Mac hearing it. He, in turn, played the song for a manager that flew Hinkle to Ireland when she was 17 to record another demo.

“It was just about to be released when his daughter was brutally murdered, and, due to the circumstances, he just dropped the project completely,” said Hinkle, who headlines the Summer Concert Series at Quintard Mall July 21. “And I’ve just been playing shows, writing songs and doing live recordings since.”

The concert at Quintard Mall is special for the 27-year-old self-taught musician from Knightens Crossroads, a small community in Piedmont, because she gets to perform in her hometown for a crowd full of family, friends and fans who have been “a supportive community that’s been waiting for a while now to see something happen.”

Hinkle said she is working on a new album that is scheduled to be released no later than January 2013. And with a new manager, she is “excited to see people’s reactions to the new songs.”

“Honestly, I don’t try to blow lots of whistles,” she said. “There’s not going to be fireworks or pyrotechnics at the shows. It’s just me and my guitar, and I hope for now that’s enough and people just enjoy the songs.”

Hinkle has had the opportunity to open for big musical acts such as country music duo Sugarland and Grammy award-winning rock band Train. She credits her win at Eddie’s Attic Open Mic Shootout in Atlanta when she was 17 to the opportunity to open for those artists.

“One of the judges for that contest was actually Jennifer Nettles’ [of Sugarland] tour manager at the time and that got me the gig for opening for them,” Hinkle said. “I’m really fortunate to have opened for the very first show they ever did at the Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2003 when they released their first album.”

And now, the songwriter, who is influenced by pop radio and John Mayer, can add headliner to her burgeoning list of accomplishments.

Brooke McCulley, marketing director at Quintard Mall, chose Hinkle along with three other local bands to participate in this summer’s inaugural concert series that takes place this Saturday and on July 21 and 28.

“I did not realize what great talent Calhoun County had until I was searching for entertainment for this event,” McCulley said. “After speaking with some of the artists, they said they were so grateful and excited we were hosting the summer concert series to give families the opportunity to enjoy their music because they mostly play in bars or clubs where there is a minimum age to enter.”

McCulley, who is already thinking of creating a similar event in the fall for local artists to perform at Quintard Mall, added, “I wanted to host an event that the entire family — young and old — would enjoy. Everyone loves to hear a great band, and I thought a summer concert series would be the perfect fit for Quintard Mall.”

Hinkle fits perfectly into a lineup that includes Altitudes, The Record Year and Counting the Cost. Known for her honest lyrics on her 2009 EP “Enough,” and performing backup harmonies with a guitar loop pedal that also kicks drum beats, Hinkle said audiences can expect mostly original material with a few cover songs.

“At shows like WorkPlay and Quintard, I like to play original material so if people listen to it and like it, then maybe they’ll buy the album,” she said. “I just want to play whatever makes people happy, but it’s going to take a while for people to know my material so I play stuff people can sing along to and change it up a bit to make it my own.”

“I hope people will walk away from each concert knowing that Calhoun County has great talent and they don’t have to travel for quality entertainment,” McCulley said. “The performers are working hard to make a name for themselves so I hope we can come together a - The Anniston Star

When she was just 13 years old, Piedmont native Lindsey Hinkle wrote her first song for a class assignment.

At 15, she recorded her first demo in Nashville, which led to a tour bus driver for Fleetwood Mac hearing it. He, in turn, played the song for a manager that flew Hinkle to Ireland when she was 17 to record another demo.

“It was just about to be released when his daughter was brutally murdered, and, due to the circumstances, he just dropped the project completely,” said Hinkle, who headlines the Summer Concert Series at Quintard Mall July 21. “And I’ve just been playing shows, writing songs and doing live recordings since.”

The concert at Quintard Mall is special for the 27-year-old self-taught musician from Knightens Crossroads, a small community in Piedmont, because she gets to perform in her hometown for a crowd full of family, friends and fans who have been “a supportive community that’s been waiting for a while now to see something happen.”

Hinkle said she is working on a new album that is scheduled to be released no later than January 2013. And with a new manager, she is “excited to see people’s reactions to the new songs.”

“Honestly, I don’t try to blow lots of whistles,” she said. “There’s not going to be fireworks or pyrotechnics at the shows. It’s just me and my guitar, and I hope for now that’s enough and people just enjoy the songs.”

Hinkle has had the opportunity to open for big musical acts such as country music duo Sugarland and Grammy award-winning rock band Train. She credits her win at Eddie’s Attic Open Mic Shootout in Atlanta when she was 17 to the opportunity to open for those artists.

“One of the judges for that contest was actually Jennifer Nettles’ [of Sugarland] tour manager at the time and that got me the gig for opening for them,” Hinkle said. “I’m really fortunate to have opened for the very first show they ever did at the Atlanta Motor Speedway in 2003 when they released their first album.”

And now, the songwriter, who is influenced by pop radio and John Mayer, can add headliner to her burgeoning list of accomplishments.

Brooke McCulley, marketing director at Quintard Mall, chose Hinkle along with three other local bands to participate in this summer’s inaugural concert series that takes place this Saturday and on July 21 and 28.

“I did not realize what great talent Calhoun County had until I was searching for entertainment for this event,” McCulley said. “After speaking with some of the artists, they said they were so grateful and excited we were hosting the summer concert series to give families the opportunity to enjoy their music because they mostly play in bars or clubs where there is a minimum age to enter.”

McCulley, who is already thinking of creating a similar event in the fall for local artists to perform at Quintard Mall, added, “I wanted to host an event that the entire family — young and old — would enjoy. Everyone loves to hear a great band, and I thought a summer concert series would be the perfect fit for Quintard Mall.”

Hinkle fits perfectly into a lineup that includes Altitudes, The Record Year and Counting the Cost. Known for her honest lyrics on her 2009 EP “Enough,” and performing backup harmonies with a guitar loop pedal that also kicks drum beats, Hinkle said audiences can expect mostly original material with a few cover songs.

“At shows like WorkPlay and Quintard, I like to play original material so if people listen to it and like it, then maybe they’ll buy the album,” she said. “I just want to play whatever makes people happy, but it’s going to take a while for people to know my material so I play stuff people can sing along to and change it up a bit to make it my own.”

“I hope people will walk away from each concert knowing that Calhoun County has great talent and they don’t have to travel for quality entertainment,” McCulley said. “The performers are working hard to make a name for themselves so I hope we can come together a - The Anniston Star

Ladies' night

Lindsey Hinkle wins female-dominated Shootout XVI

BY GREGORY NICOLL

Published 06.05.02

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Lee SmithSWEETHEART OF THE ATTIC: Lindsey Hinkle takes the prize.EDDIE'S ATTIC, JUNE 1 -- Although new faces dominated the stage, the levels of raw enthusiasm and refined talent showcased during Saturday's 16th semi-annual Open Mic Shootout were as high as ever. New master of ceremonies Todd Van Sickle proudly filled the shoes of former host Eddie Owen, describing himself as "the lucky son of a gun who now owns this place." Van Sickle joked that he would "try not to trip over anything" while 22 winners of recent Open Mic events competed one-on-one for a $1,000 cash prize.

An armed forces veteran, Van Sickle kept the show rolling with military precision, but maintained a lighthearted tone by asking '80s music trivia questions between acts (he often seemed genuinely stunned by how well his folkie audience answered questions about Bon Jovi and Guns N' Roses). The event ran till nearly 1 a.m., when young Alabama-based singer/songwriter Lindsey Hinkle triumphed over a field of exceptionally strong semi-finalists to win the concluding round.

Hinkle's victory was startling on many levels. At only 17 years old, she was the event's youngest competitor. And she had started almost last, 19th in the field of 22. Blessed with exceptional beauty and a voice to match, Hinkle expertly accompanied herself on guitar, performing original songs such as "Rainy Monday," whose graceful lyrics and wistful tone would have been impressive from a composer twice her age.

Among those giving Hinkle intense competition were Trina Hamlin, a New Yorker with an astonishing gift for the tambourine and harmonica, and an L.A.-based troubadour known only as Adrianne, whose Alanis-Morissette-meets-Elvis-Costello act was enlivened by her hilarious tendency to make Bill Cosby-ish facial expressions while singing. Even tougher competitors were Ashley Chambliss, a North Carolina keyboard wizard who made one piano sound like two, and Nashville-based Moe Loughran, whose powerful vocal style recalled the mighty quaver of Vonda Shepherd singing the Ally McBeal theme.

Although the Shootout began with almost even quantities of male and female contestants, only two men -- Greg West and Blake Guthrie -- survived the second round of the five-round event. A storyteller in the Kristofferson mold, West had a tortured delivery which superbly suited the imagery in his lyrics. Guthrie, a CL contributor, opted for humor, delivering a delightful reading of his tongue-in-cheek stalker anthem, "I'm in Love with the Checkout Girl."

Other male performers used levity with less success. Southpaw Jones, a left-handed guitarist from Texas, sang a disturbingly bizarre number about using "the cruelty of teenage girls" to replace the air-conditioning in his Buick. Winslow Willard's halting performance of "Allergic to Spring" was punctuated with fake sneezes, and Dan Carrigan's aimless ditty about eating burritos came strictly from hunger.

On a more serious note, Rusty Zarse proved himself the night's most talented guitarist, fluidly demonstrating his mastery of fingerpicking and harmonics. More typically, however, many of the Shootout's other male competitors rasped their way through bad Shawn Mullins impersonations. Boston-based Mike Willis came closest to the original, but he was immediately defeated by Hinkle on his first try.

Going into the final two rounds with all men eliminated from the field, Hinkle triumphantly performed "Happy Ending," a title which proved happily prophetic when she advanced to the finals against Loughran. Although possessing a superior voice, Loughran curiously elected not to play an instrument during the event, and the unremarkable strumming of the solemn guitarist who accompanied her may have swayed the judges' decisions just enough to cost her the prize.

At the night's end, Hinkle's final performance -- a lilting and passionate rendition of her tune "Tell Me" -- won her the contest and the cash.


rate this article: rate this article: average rating: - Creative Loafing-Atlanta

Ladies' night

Lindsey Hinkle wins female-dominated Shootout XVI

BY GREGORY NICOLL

Published 06.05.02

print email mail us del.icio.us digg facebook reddit


Lee SmithSWEETHEART OF THE ATTIC: Lindsey Hinkle takes the prize.EDDIE'S ATTIC, JUNE 1 -- Although new faces dominated the stage, the levels of raw enthusiasm and refined talent showcased during Saturday's 16th semi-annual Open Mic Shootout were as high as ever. New master of ceremonies Todd Van Sickle proudly filled the shoes of former host Eddie Owen, describing himself as "the lucky son of a gun who now owns this place." Van Sickle joked that he would "try not to trip over anything" while 22 winners of recent Open Mic events competed one-on-one for a $1,000 cash prize.

An armed forces veteran, Van Sickle kept the show rolling with military precision, but maintained a lighthearted tone by asking '80s music trivia questions between acts (he often seemed genuinely stunned by how well his folkie audience answered questions about Bon Jovi and Guns N' Roses). The event ran till nearly 1 a.m., when young Alabama-based singer/songwriter Lindsey Hinkle triumphed over a field of exceptionally strong semi-finalists to win the concluding round.

Hinkle's victory was startling on many levels. At only 17 years old, she was the event's youngest competitor. And she had started almost last, 19th in the field of 22. Blessed with exceptional beauty and a voice to match, Hinkle expertly accompanied herself on guitar, performing original songs such as "Rainy Monday," whose graceful lyrics and wistful tone would have been impressive from a composer twice her age.

Among those giving Hinkle intense competition were Trina Hamlin, a New Yorker with an astonishing gift for the tambourine and harmonica, and an L.A.-based troubadour known only as Adrianne, whose Alanis-Morissette-meets-Elvis-Costello act was enlivened by her hilarious tendency to make Bill Cosby-ish facial expressions while singing. Even tougher competitors were Ashley Chambliss, a North Carolina keyboard wizard who made one piano sound like two, and Nashville-based Moe Loughran, whose powerful vocal style recalled the mighty quaver of Vonda Shepherd singing the Ally McBeal theme.

Although the Shootout began with almost even quantities of male and female contestants, only two men -- Greg West and Blake Guthrie -- survived the second round of the five-round event. A storyteller in the Kristofferson mold, West had a tortured delivery which superbly suited the imagery in his lyrics. Guthrie, a CL contributor, opted for humor, delivering a delightful reading of his tongue-in-cheek stalker anthem, "I'm in Love with the Checkout Girl."

Other male performers used levity with less success. Southpaw Jones, a left-handed guitarist from Texas, sang a disturbingly bizarre number about using "the cruelty of teenage girls" to replace the air-conditioning in his Buick. Winslow Willard's halting performance of "Allergic to Spring" was punctuated with fake sneezes, and Dan Carrigan's aimless ditty about eating burritos came strictly from hunger.

On a more serious note, Rusty Zarse proved himself the night's most talented guitarist, fluidly demonstrating his mastery of fingerpicking and harmonics. More typically, however, many of the Shootout's other male competitors rasped their way through bad Shawn Mullins impersonations. Boston-based Mike Willis came closest to the original, but he was immediately defeated by Hinkle on his first try.

Going into the final two rounds with all men eliminated from the field, Hinkle triumphantly performed "Happy Ending," a title which proved happily prophetic when she advanced to the finals against Loughran. Although possessing a superior voice, Loughran curiously elected not to play an instrument during the event, and the unremarkable strumming of the solemn guitarist who accompanied her may have swayed the judges' decisions just enough to cost her the prize.

At the night's end, Hinkle's final performance -- a lilting and passionate rendition of her tune "Tell Me" -- won her the contest and the cash.


rate this article: rate this article: average rating: - Creative Loafing-Atlanta