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inacountryminute
Jul 29, 20233 min read

Allie Colleen talking about Tattoos

Allie Colleen released Tattoos earlier this summer, and WOW, this single is sexy, thought-provoking, fearless, bold, and flirty. I fully expected Tattoos to be about her with a rock country sound but that is not the case. It is more of a ballad with a passionately romantic tone. Tattoos questions the picture of what you think of when you see someone with visible tattoos and the wonder of what you don't see that they may be hiding. Tattoos was co-written by Sara Brice, DeLeah Shane, and Will Garrett, produced by ProdByDom, and mixed by Cody Labelle.

Allie Colleen photo by Victoria Roth

Ain’t try’n a complicate

A simple feeling

Pull the trigger

Put your hands on my body


Just a little taste

My heart ain’t gonna break

Chalk it up to bein’ naughty


I wanna be all over you

Like those tattoos…”



Tattoos will be on Allie Colleen's next album and she is focused on showcasing herself as a performer and artist. Allie Colleen's debut album, Stones, 2021, reflected Allie as a songwriter. Allie is adaptive to her music fans and has recognized the wants of our current music culture. This generation of listeners has so much access to music that it raises a couple of questions for Allie when she is working on an album, "does it need to be in a genre or does it need to just reflect the artist?"


Allie's music style falls into the mix of classic country but blends modern country as well. She has a strong voice and vulnerability in her lyrics that captivate the listener. Allie said she enjoys performing on stage and she pays attention to the cues from her audience about the song choices in her setlist. Allie Colleen began singing and writing as a young girl. She attended Belmont University and graduated with a degree in songwriting. Allie did some studying abroad which gave her a unique perspective of European culture. Actually, as we were talking, she was packing to go to Greece for a photo shoot, work on media content, and get in a little leisure time.


You can't talk about Allie Colleen and not about tattoos, not only is it the title of her recent single but it is also used as a description of her. Allie loves body art and is covered in beautiful art pieces. She had her sleeves planned before she was old enough to get them. She has one sleeve of colored flowers representing each family member and the other sleeve is black and white, faith-based with scriptures and spiritual representation. She said that way she can have what she loves and believes with her, ” there is not a hand I shake where I don’t see my people." Allie also has a firefly tattoo on her throat that signifies the firefly in the Disney movie The Princess and the Frog, her favorite cartoon. The firefly's character is determined and supportive in the movie. She has temporary tattoos available of the firefly at her merchandise table at her shows.

I asked Allie if there was a piece of advice that sticks with her and who it was from. She said her dad told her when she was young, (to) "Put your head down and run". She said it wasn't until she was older that she understood he meant to "keep your focus on your goals, no matter what people say and think. "

Allie Colleen photo by Victoria Roth

Thank you, Allie Colleen, for taking the time to talk to me about your career, life, and Tattoos.

I really appreciate you chatting with me In A Country Minute.









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inacountryminute
Jul 25, 20233 min read

Re Mattei's Ya Got Two Wheels- an unexpected love story

Re Mattei is a force to be reckoned with. She is a singer-songwriter, and guitar player that will surprise you with her detailed delivery of this love story. Ya Got Two Wheels is set to release on Aug 4 with music videos to follow. This sweet love story is an unexpected one. The poetic lyrics give you a picture of a girl in her cute summer outfit sitting alone in the quiet corner of a coffee shop and a guy pulls up on his motorcycle stealing her attention. You can feel her excitement and her emotions through Re’s detailed lyrics and sultry vocals. It appears to be a mismatch of love at first sight.


Re Mattei- photo by Re Mattei

“Hangin’ out drinking Starbucks coffee

See ya pull up on a shiny Harley

Winning me over with that wink

Making me blush without sayin’ a thing


Your ink sleeve screams heavy metal

Ya kinda look like the Tasmanian devil

Never did feel like this before

My mind says stop-my heart craves more”


(Chorus)

We might be a love song

That turns into you done me wrong

Sugar’s sweet when it’s on the tongue

In the heat maybe won't burn long

We could end like Tina and Ike

Hot and heavy then were cold as ice

Ya got two wheels - I gotta tank top

Let’s go for a ride - see where the road stops…”


Ya Got Two Wheels was co-written by Re Mattei and Michael Shepherd.

This is Re Mattei’s first release since Feels Like It’s Gonna Rain in 2018 and Flame Kissed which was exclusively a Spotify release in 2021, used in a Valentine's Day promotion for a local radio station.

Re Mattei had an album mastered and ready to release, but the uncertainty of the times put that on hold as everything else halted in the music industry and across the country. She was able to add some guitar accents to some of those cuts in the meantime. Re has a life full of music, she started writing songs as an elementary student. She was actually told by her school counselor not to pursue music because there was “already a Beatles”. Re’s dad encouraged her after finding out that information and told her “Follow your heart.” She went on to pursue music and graduated from the Berklee College of Music with a bachelor’s degree in guitar performance. Following graduation, Re auditioned for a band, a note was in her school mailbox about it, and joined Uptown Girls. The experiences she gained were life-changing from touring the coast, even when they did gigs that they didn't get paid, she continued until the band disbanded a few years later. Re Mattei enjoys the performing side of artistry as well as writing and releasing music. The personal side of music including meeting fans while playing live is where she thrives. Besides playing her original music, she enjoys playing covers of Dan and Shay, Keith Whitley, Patty Loveless, and Linda Ronstadt, and mixing in some current country songs. We talked about how different music sounds live verses on the radio. Live music has a visible energy and personality which creates an atmosphere that you miss in a recording. It is always interesting for me to hear perspectives from artists about how they see and hear music. It was a treat to chat with Re Mattei.


Re Mattei plans on releasing a couple more songs prior to the full album later this fall.

keep up with her on her other social media and music outlets- click the buttons below.


Thank You so much, Re Mattei for catching me up on life, memory lane, and music In A Country Minute.

Rose




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inacountryminute
Jul 21, 20232 min read

Adam Brandt making his mark in the Minnesota music scene

Adam Brandt is a Minnesota country artist, honing his craft through songwriting and performing around the Twin Cities, trying to revive the local country music scene in the downtown areas at his favorite venues. Adam is a University of Minnesota graduate who started recording music with a college buddy during the pandemic out of pure boredom. Most of his current bandmates are also University of Minnesota graduates that met in college. They are a full year into performing around the Twin Cities area. Adam Brandt was nominated for New Artist of the Year at the Midwest Country Music Organization Awards show held in Iowa in April. Adam is a multi-instrumentalist, who initially began his music interests as a bass player and has transitioned into learning other instruments to focus on being the frontman for his band.


photos by (top Left) Igor Kovalchuk (top right) Mika McCraken (b&w bottom) Jonny Puder



Adam Brandt released his first EP, Red Lights in the summer of 2022, and had a successful release show, playing the bar scene and smaller venues in the Cities over the winter. Adam is now jumping into a few festivals this summer including Corcoran Country Daze and the Livin Music Festival. Adam is a native of Minnesota and is setting his focus on the Minnesota music scene. The band is expanding and a fiddle player will be joining the band later this summer. Adam Brandt and his band try not to use radio hits to cover so instead they “country-fy” songs that keep the audience engaged as they perform familiar songs in a different way. He keeps the set list light with different genres mixing in his originals as well. Parker McCollum is a big influence musically but other influences are bluegrass artists and music with a banjo tops the list. Adam Brandt's second EP is in the works it should be released in the fall of 2023. Songwriting is a passion for Adam Brandt and the new EP will consist of a mix of solo-written songs and co-written songs as well.


Thank you Adam Brandt for chatting with me In A Country Minute about your life and musical endeavors! See you soon!

Rose







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