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Jobi Riccio Previews ‘Whiplash’ On Finally Friday With Slowforce And Stella Prince

When Jobi Riccio staged a show at The Basement a couple of weeks ago to mark the release of her single “For Me It’s You,” a packed house of friends and well-wishers came out in support. The set made a fine tease for the album Whiplash, which is coming soon from Yep Roc Records. Let’s hope we can pack the house as well on Friday when Jobi plays for our live WMOT lunch series at 3rd & Lindsley, where she’ll share the bill with Nashville duo Slowforce and young songwriter Stella Prince.

Our lunchtime music starts at noon with Slowforce, a fresh sounding indie pop collaboration between two established artists. Megan Palmer has been a keen voice from East Nashville for a decade, as a multi-instrumentalist working with folks like Tim Easton and Amy Speace and as a songwriting artist who’s been releasing great music for years. Her partner in crime here is Bob Lewis, an alum of Finally Friday it turns out, and a familiar voice at Dee’s, 5 Spot, TN Brew Works and other cozy venues. They’ve toured and played together and now they’ve got this combo and an EP that’s really bright and smart called Shift. They’re hosting a Thursday night residency this month at Dee’s as well.

Up next, you’ll be hearing Stella Prince. She grew up in Woodstock, NY where she heard Pete Seeger and Levon Helm, and that wasn’t very long ago, because she’s just 18 and rocking forward with a head of steam. She’s said that the pandemic, while it squelched her ambitions on the live front, focused her on lining up her business team and writing. She’s coming fresh of a busy week at Folk Alliance and she’s moving to Music City, as one does. Best of luck to Stella.

Nashville-based Jobi Riccio (1:30 start) has stirred up the kind of buzz as a new artist that gets a year off to an exciting start for music watchers like yours truly. I first heard of her a little over a year ago when reportinga piece about Asheville NC’s amazing Citizen Vinyl, a record pressing plant, bar/cafe, and recording studio in the old newspaper building. Jobi was a project then of Citizen Vinyl’s founder Gar Ragland, who co-produced her debut album in the historic studio atop the gorgeous building. The LP got picked up by Yep Roc Records, a real coup for the Colorado native, as she joins a 25-year label legacy that includes Amy Helm, Kim Richey and Aoife O’Donovan. As we heard at The Basement, Jobi’s vibe is cozy country music with a warm, mindful voice and a feel for stories and situations, including queer love stories, a subject she takes on with pride. I can’t think of an emerging talent for whom so many in our community are rooting right now.

Craig Havighurst is WMOT's editorial director and host of The String, a weekly interview show airing Mondays at 8 pm, repeating Sundays at 7 am. He also co-hosts The Old Fashioned on Saturdays at 9 am and Tuesdays at 8 pm. Threads and Instagram: @chavighurst. Email: craig@wmot.org