PARKER MILLSAP IN CONCERT:
Rising Americana singer-songwriter Parker Millsap has won over fans and critics alike with his refreshingly modern take on traditional genres like folk, country, and blues. The Americana Music Association named him one of their 2014 Emerging Artists of the Year, and it's easy to see why as he tears through his rollicking tunes, stomps his feet, and shakes his hips at his live shows. Millsap's guitar playing style has been compared to Elvis, but it's his dynamic vocal yelps and emotive vibrato that most resemble The King. In concert he's accompanied by fiddle and upright bass, and the trio always gets fans moving with their unbridled energy on tunes like "Truck Stop Gospel" and "Quite Contrary". Millsap has impressed as an opener for big names acts like Jason Isbell and Old Crow Medicine Show, and he continues to breathe new life into Americana every time he takes the stage.
BACKGROUND SHAPSHOT:
Oklahoma-born Parker Millsap grew up on a steady diet of blues music and Pentecostal Church service. He started playing guitar at age 9 and began writing songs in his teens, and after high school he moved to Northern California to intern at the recording studio where Tom Waits recorded his seminal album Bone Machine. Upon returning to Oklahoma he reconnected with childhood friend and upright bassist Michael Rose, and in 2012 they recorded Millsap's debut album Palisade. The pair linked up with fiddler Daniel Foulks soon after, and in 2014 the trio skyrocketed to national attention when the Americana Music Association named them one of their 2014 Emerging Artists of the Year. Since then they've been featured on NPR's music program The Record, performed at the Grand Ole Opry, and opened for John Fullbright and Shovels & Rope. With fans eagerly awaiting his third album, Millsap continues to rock fans every time he performs with his updated take on classic Americana.