That Hoosier sound. No matter what form it takes, it has become a staple in the world of music.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH)– Indiana has always made its mark in the music industry, but every artist that’s been a part of the Indy’s Music Scene series agrees that there’s something special about what’s been happening lately.
“I think it’s starting to be appreciated more,” Jared Thompson, a jazz musician, said. “I think we are starting to do better at elevating our voices.”
Like many, Thompson believes the talent was always here.
“There is a very distinct flavor about Indianapolis musicians there always has been,” Thompson said. “We go back to the 1940s and 50s of Indiana Avenue. That Indianapolis sound was a distinct sound that Wes Montgomery introduced to the world.”
However, he thinks the musicians of today are moving with a new sense of urgency, partly because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I think a lot of us are just taking this even more seriously than before because we realize it can be taken away from us,” Thompson said.
Since childhood, he’s always gravitated to jazz.
“All my friends were listening to Biggie and 2Pac and Green Day and I was listening to Coleman Hawkins and (John) Coltrane and Sunny Rollins,” Thompson remembered. “At the core of my being, that’s the kind of music that has always reached me; it’s always spoken to me.”
Thompson and his group, Premium Blend, have been a part of the scene for several years and have become one of the most sought-after live bands in the city. The only thing he might enjoy as much as being out on stage is watching someone else doing the same.
Someone like Lorea Turner, another Indianapolis-based artist.
Her love for R&B first caught everyone’s ears on social media, where she sang some of her favorite classics.
After fine-tuning her craft and getting the opportunity to perform at a music festival with popular artist H.E.R, Turner says she is ready to ascend to her next level.
“In this season of my life, I feel like I’m doing it, I’ve arrived,” she said. “I know myself. I feel like I can give my all on stage now. I kind of learned the confidence. You know I’ve always sung, but now I feel like I can really tap in.”
It’s led her to make a pivotal career decision: This fall, she’ll be leaving home to sharpen her skills in Los Angeles.
“I want to do it all, honestly,” Turner said. “I hope to accomplish everything that I always wanted to do and more. I don’t even want to limit myself.”
When News 8’s Randall Newsome asked Turner why she wanted to be a part of the series and perform her songs at The Cabaret, she had a unique reason. She says has never performed there and it’s one of the places she wants to perform when she returns to her home state.
As Turner steps into her next chapter on her journey to becoming the best artist she can be, she gave her thoughts and feelings on where she feels Indiana’s music scene is today.
“We’re out here,” she said. “We’re doing it. We’re making it happen. I’m just proud that we’re all starting to come together.”
That Hoosier sound. No matter what form it takes, it has become a staple in the world of music.
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5
(WISH) — When it comes to music, sometimes it’s not just about the beat but also what you say in a song that can make a real impact and, with the help of their sultry sounds, these artists take their hearts and pour them out on the stage.
For Anneliese and Ali Klausing, they never thought the feeling of their words could take them so far. They’re start in music came in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic on a Quarantine Karaoke Facebook page. “I never would’ve thought in a million years ‘Oh, I’m going to get paid to play our songs our music,'” Ali said. “Songs that matter to us.”
Not too long after Anneliese convinced Ali to pick up a guitar for the first time, the duo figured out they had something special.
Now they’re booked and busy and in demand, sometimes four times a week throughout Indiana and elsewhere. “It’s almost surreal; like, how is this happening to us?” Ali said.
However, when they gave it a little thought, they realized it may be just the right timing that fans want to hear what they have to say. “We have a lot of songs that have a lot of meaning behind mental health awareness, and I feel like now is the time to let those songs be heard,” Ali said. “We’re just regular people following a dream and Indiana’s kind of making it happen.”
Meanwhile, another duo also aims to impact audiences with their vulnerable style: Keller & Cole.
“If you come see us play live, you’re going to feel it,” Landon Keller said. “We both get choked up singing our songs on stage sometimes.”
“It’s coming from the gut,” Kara Cole said. “It’s not for show.”
The pair connected when Cole’s youth program for at-risk youths was celebrating its one-year anniversary with a music festival. She asked her future music partner to headline the show and that led to conversations that led to a meeting at Landon’s house.
“She met my family. That went well, and then we went upstairs and we wrote a song in 15 minutes,” he said.
The duo’s chemistry and harmony made a big enough impression over the last few years to get the call to play at The Palladium at the Center for Performing Arts in Carmel.
When News 8 asked where they hope to go from here, Keller responded: “As far as it’ll take us.”
It’s a similar hope for music artist Brett Wiscons. He’s not new to the Indiana music scene but he remembers falling in love with music like it was yesterday. “I think it just goes back to being a kid in my room with the door shut listening to music and having posters on the wall of all my favorite bands.”
Since then he’s developed his own seasoned sound, and his writing usually taps into his own life. Most recently, he came up with the lyrics to one of his songs after being quarantined with his daughter during the COVID-19 pandemic. “We’re stuck in the house and she wanted to open up her own little nail salon in the house and daddy was her first client,” he said.
It’s the reason he performs barefoot with fingernails and toenails painted by his little girl. No matter what hobby they picked up during their time together, he says, she typically had the same response.
“‘Daddy, let’s do it again, let’s do it again,'” he laughed while mimicking her.
That little phrase and the fond memories that came with it became the chorus to his latest song.
Like Brett’s inspiration, Anneliese & Ali along with Keller & Cole believe something special has sparked in Indiana’s music scene.
“I don’t feel like Indy’s music scene is touchable,” Cole said. “We have such great local musicians.”
“Everyone’s kind of getting a shot to be heard,” Ali said.
“Life. Style. Live!” host Randall Newsome got the chance to mix and mingle with the new mob of red kangaroos and cockatoos at the Indianapolis Zoo’s new Kangaroo Crossing exhibit.
The Zoo’s newest animals, red kangaroos, will offer a feeling of Australia right here in Indianapolis.
The new exhibit gives guests an up-close experience where they will get to interact with a variety of unique Australian species, like kangaroos and cockatoos.
Visitors walk into a large open area without fencing or other barriers. Kangaroos will roam freely in the space as stunning and unique birds fly overhead.
Lucky guests will get to pet a kangaroo. Keep in mind, the best way to approach is slowly from behind and gently pet on the back, not the face or ears.
Kangaroos are the largest land mammal native to Australia. The red kangaroo is just one of about 60 species of kangaroos and their smaller relatives (wallabies, bettongs and potoroos) found in Australia. Many of those other relative species are now threatened or extinct.
In the Zoo’s open-air habitat, guests will have a perfect opportunity to snap a selfie from just feet away from red kangaroos and cockatoos while learning about the threats these species face in the wild.
For more information, click here.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — The Indiana Comic Convention began Friday in downtown Indianapolis.
News 8 reporter Randall Newsome stopped to get a preview of the fun you can expect there this weekend.
This is Indianapolis’ largest, true comic convention. It feature exhibitors that cater to a wide-spectrum of interests including comic books, magazines, toys, games, “Star Wars,” “Star Trek,” anime, manga, cosplay, artwork, sketches and apparel.
You can also expect to see a roster of comic industry professionals, and comicdom-related celebrities are in attendance for attendees to meet and greet. This includes William Shatner, Lanna Parrilla, Rider Strong, Will Friedle and Emily Swallow.
As admission is kept reasonable for adults and free for children, according to event organizers, the Indiana Comic Convention is a family-friendly convention.
For more information visit, indianacomicconvention.com.
INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — It’s Fall fun for the whole family, a place where there’s plenty to sip, see and do.
Hard Truth Distilling Co. is an award-winning destination located in Nashville, Indiana and featuring a full-service restaurant, an outdoor stage, live music, events, tours and classes.
Kids will love Captain Barker’s Hike ‘n Holler, and there’s a special treat for adults too of course, amazing cocktails.
Joining us today on All Indiana was Elsie Derebery, the tour and tastings center manager for Hard Truth Distilling Co. Watch the video above for more.
For more information visit, visithardtruth.com and hardtruthdistilling.com.