The Champaign County Arts Council has scheduled six concerts for this summer’s Concerts in the Park. Music lovers are invited to take their own seating – chairs, blankets – to the free events.
First up is a performance by Adelee & Gentry at 7 p.m. June 27 in Melvin Miller Park. If weather is uncooperative, the performance will be at Urbana University.
Take a listen to cuts like “Beautiful Disaster” or “Thunderstorms” from their full-length album Nice To Meet You … and you will understand why the sister duo Adelee & Gentry is quickly developing a reputation as one of the fastest rising acts in music today.
“A friend came over and showed me a few chords on my grandpa’s guitar. From then on, playing was an everyday thing. I was always playing.” Adelee Gates was 10. Gentry, her younger sister, had to be coaxed into the spotlight. But just like Adelee, once she got a taste of it she was hooked.
Music has been coming out of the Gates family household for some time. Growing up the Gates girls were always around music. Adelee & Gentry’s father, James, played drums and some bass. He built a basement studio in which the sisters would later take up residence. One year he got them a 24 track recorder for Christmas on which they recorded their demo CD, Beginnings.
The duo either wrote or co-wrote every song on the album Nice To Meet You. Tracks like “Sweet Memory” and “Dear Boy” are imbued with passion and personality, and in “Orchard Trees” they write and perform with maturity beyond their years.
Waiting for Christmas is the act’s first Christmas album. They’ve re-imagined classics like “Carol of the Bells” and “Angels We Have Heard On High,” alongside the title track original composition. The EP will be released Nov. 6.
