A pair of female artists will perform this week’s Levitt concert in Galva’s Wiley Park.
Singer-songwriter Tami Neilson will be the headliner, with another singer-songwriter, Patty Pershayla, opening the free concert.
From being cradled as a baby in the arms of Roy Orbison, to performing a duet with Willie Nelson, you would think that Tami Neilson lived a country music fantasy life.
However, in between these monumental occurrences, The Neilson Family Band, with Tami’s parents, and two brothers, were having to busk in the streets of small-town Ontario in order to put food on the table, performing gospel concerts to prisoners, and roaring down the Trans-Canada Highway in an exploding RV on her way to open for Johnny Cash, which she managed to do, at 18 years old, in her pajamas.
And then Tami left to start her own family on the other side of the world in New Zealand, where she now resides. Her busking chops served her well, as she took to the streets of Auckland looking for her big break. From open mic nights to clubs, to then headlining theatres and major festivals across New Zealand, Tami has now won almost every music award possible.
2022 now brings Tami’s 5th album, Kingmaker. Recorded at Neil Finn’s Roundhead Studios, Kingmaker was born of the pandemic. A moment when women were struggling. Frontline workers fighting for human lives. Essential services providers. Disproportionately affected by furlough: a “she-cession,” analysts termed it.
The songs of Kingmaker expose industry systems, exploding patriarchal structures of the industry, society, and family. These are not new themes for Tami – both her 2018 album Sassafrass! and 2020 Chickaboom! called attention to misogyny and patriarchal structures. But Kingmaker draws out this theme further.
The story of Tami Neilson is just taking shape, from her humble beginnings and tireless work ethic, and success, on her own terms. Tami Neilson is now using her voice to be a game changer, a cage shaker, a Kingmaker.
Patty PerShayla is a former small-town pageant queen turned rock ’n’ roll powerhouse. Stomping on corner stages across her home state of Michigan, she established herself as a singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist, winning the 2019 WYCE Jammie Award for Best Rock/Pop Album for her solo EP, Oracle Bones. In 2019, she converted to rock ’n’ roll and joined forces with guitarist Lucas Powell and drummer Alec Klinefelter to form Patty PerShayla & The Mayhaps. After releasing their blues-infused, riff-driven debut album, Cheap Diction (2021), the group road-tested their live set, playing over a hundred shows across the Midwest and East Coast, then packed the van for a move to Nashville. Despite being a three-piece band, The Mayhaps have developed a larger-than-life sound with soaring guitar solos and compelling vocal moments, featuring a spectacle of a five-foot-two (-and-three-quarters) woman, hooting and strutting across the stage, gracefully wielding a bass guitar almost the size of her wingspan.
Patty Perhayla will take the stage at 6 p.m., followed by Tami Neilson. The concert is free, and food stands will be set up in the park.
