“The Basement” will bring Live Monthly Music to downtown New Albany

“The Basement” Event Venue to begin Live Monthly Music with a benefit for the Nashville-based, and local favorites, The Eisenhauer Band, on Friday, November 13^th.

Having entertained fans twice at Riverfest and Down from the Hills, as well as at a number of private parties and events in New Albany, Oxford and Water Valley, The Eisenhauer Band has begun to create quite a following in North Mississippi. Those who’ve seen them perform know how much fun they are; those who haven’t will be in for a treat. The best way to describe the sound of the group is as follows… “An unexpected, eclectic blend of Delta Blues, Bluegrass, Motown and acoustic pop.” The instrumentation consists of acoustic guitars, banjo, violin, mandolin, upright bass, ukulele, cocktail drum kits and suitcases with chains and of course piano. Expect to hear four lead singers and four-part harmony in places.

The Eisenhauer Band is a true family band, made up of mother, Rhonda Eisenhauer, children Andy, 14 and Amelia (Millie), 16, all of Nashville, and producer Bryan Ward of Water Valley, MS.

The Music Family that was meant to be…

“When Millie was roughly 4 years old she kept tugging at my shirt, saying, ‘Mama, I want to play the violin…” recounts Rhonda. “She was so persistent… her infamous fiddle, “Puff” was soon found at a local flea market. I bought it for her and I was amazed, we were all amazed, with how quickly she picked it up.”

Amelia Hope Eisenhauer, vocalist and fiddle player.

As Millie learned the violin, her little brother, Andrew, began wanting to play as well. “You know how kids want to do their own thing… we thought it’d be best to start Andrew on a different instrument and so we got him a banjo and he took to it just like Millie took to the violin…it just seemed to come out of nowhere,” says Rhonda. “Eventually, I caught the bug as well and took up guitar so that I could accompany the kids on this completely unexpected musical journey.”

The Eisenhauer family, originally natives of Southern Illinois, relocated to Nashville in 2012 to seek their fortunes in the music industry. Bryan Ward, of Water Valley, is a veteran musician, published songwriter, and founding member of the 1990’s group, BonePony. Rhonda and kids met Bryan in 2013 through a mutual friend, Jeremy Clement of Batesville, while seeking out a producer and recording studio to create their first album. After several months of recording, a unique chemistry became obvious and Bryan was asked to join the band. His role is that of producer, engineer, musician, band director and sempai among other less visible tasks.

At Down from the Hills, the versatile Eisenhauer Band from Nashville played some traditional bluegrass music but also played an eclectic variety of crowd pleasers ranging from the music of Led Zeppelin, the Rolling Stones, Meridian’s own Jimmie Rogers, Cole Porter, Emmylou Harris, Dolly Parton and many others.

Since the band has formed they have been touring festivals and gatherings around the mid-south and Midwest honing their unique sound and stage presence. Millie, the 16 year old violinist, is also the main vocalist for the group with a voice and stage presence noticeably beyond her years. Although her upbringing was that of Bluegrass, winning the Illinois Old Time Fiddlers Association Jr. Championship at both the ages of 11 and again at 12 (an honor also bestowed on Alison Krauss at the same age) she has grown to have a deep love for the blues and classical. Most recently Millie was the merit winner last year for pop vocalist for Young Arts, formerly known as the National Foundation for The Arts.

The performance will be held at 7:30 PM on Friday, November 13 at The Basement (under Trails & Treads) and the band will be joined by Jeremy Clement on drums and Mark Yacovone from Thacker Mountain Radio on piano. Advance tickets are $25 and include three drink tickets and a voucher for a copy of the band’s debut cd “Under the Influence”. There will also be very fine t-shirts and 3 song eps from their forthcoming album “Fortune Cookie” available.  Additionally, there will be Hors D’oeuvres of assorted cheeses, deli meats, sliders, bbq and sliced tenderloin all provided by Lagniappe Catering along with a selection of craft and domestic beer as well as sweet tea and water for all ages. Proceeds from the show will go to support the release and pressing of the new album.

For more information, you can check out the Facebook event page here https://www.facebook.com/events/782084811901713/ or call Bryan Ward at 410-713-0777.

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