In Session With Darren Walters

2015 CCMA Spotlight artist Danielle Marie and lead guitarist of Juno nominated band Faber Drive, Jordan Aaron, met in 2015 to write a song and have been inseparable ever since. For the past few years they have been supporting each other as individual acts on stage, more recently together as a country duet, giving their audiences a taste of their voices together in harmony.

EP47 Carolyn Martin by Darren Walters

Danick Dupelle is best known for his work as lead guitarist of Emerson Drive. They have received awards such as the ACM Top New Vocal Group, CCMA Horizon Award, CCMA Group of the Year, A Number One Song on the Billboard Charts with “Moments”, CCMA Video of the Year, CCMA Single of the year, and a Grammy nomination.

Lighting Director/Programmer for Ringo Starr

Susan is no stranger to the music business. When she made her debut appearance on stage at the age of 14, little did she know she was not only opening up her career path of being a country music singer but it would also eventually lead her to a successful career as a lighting designer and programmer.

Being true to the Gemini description, this 5' 2" red-headed, blue-eyed songstress had another side to her that continued to grow over the years. Susan’s love of entertainment combined with her natural technical curiosity led her to learn more about the “other side” of show production. She graduated from Full Sail University, where she learned the technical side of the business. This education opened doors to an alternate career path that has led her to be a successful lighting designer/director/programmer, touring with various major artists such as Ringo Starr and his All Starr Band (2003 to present), Louise Mandrell, John Berry, Hank Willliams Jr. and many others, as well as working on numerous television shows (Stellar Awards, Dove Awards, Trumpet Awards, Freddy Awards, Black Music Honors, Kansas DVD and numerous TV specials), theme parks (Disney, Dollywood, Sea World and Nickelodeon), cruise ships, theaters and concerts. Her self-penned “Whole Hog Quick Reference Guide” has become an industry standard globally in teaching console programming. Her musical background allows her to naturally “feel” the music, therefore making people “see” the music. She always says it is like performing, just from the other side.

Though she has a passion for lighting, the music is still in her blood and will never die out. Her dream is to take her experiences from the past 24 years and express them to you in her music.

It was one of the most vibrant and exciting time periods in Country Music history – the mid-1980s. A new and exciting crop of talents were springing up all over the place.

Brown’s initial entry to Country Radio was the sad and soulful “Drowning In Memories.” That Top-40 single helped him to establish himself, and by the winter of 1986, he had warmed up to audiences with the bluesy hit “I Tell It Like It Used To Be.” Other hits quickly followed, with his first self-penned release “Hell And High Water,” which became his first number one song. “I Wish That I Could Hurt That Way Again” and “Don’t Go To Strangers” were the next releases, which all became chart-toppers.

His audiences continued to make him a radio favorite as he continued to amass more hits like “Darlene,” the smash duet “Don’t Go Out” with Tanya Tucker, and the regret-filled “If You Could Only See Me Now.”

At the same time his singles were climbing the charts, T.’s powerful voice could also be heard on radio and television. His sense of style provided the platform for a successful series of cameos in commercials for international brands such as Coca-Cola, Harrah’s Casino, Burger King, and Taco Bell. It’s his work with the popular Mexican eatery that he is perhaps best known, with a series of commercials under the mantra “Run For The Border,” a campaign that lasted four years. Brown says it was an exciting time – and one where he ate more than his share of Meximelts and Nachos Bell Grande dishes!

Mickey Gilley

(born March 9, 1936) is an American country music singer and musician. Although he started out singing straight-up country and western material in the 1970s, he moved towards a more pop-friendly sound in the 1980s, bringing him further success on not just the country charts, but the pop charts as well. Among his biggest hits are "Room Full of Roses," "Don't the Girls All Get Prettier at Closing Time," and the remake of the Soul hit "Stand by Me". Gilley has charted 42 singles in the top 40 on the US Country chart. He is a cousin of Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl McVoy, Jim Gilley and Jimmy Swaggart.

Dennis Lee is a singer and entertainer based out of Clearwater, FL.

Drew Pournelle (AEA) is a professional Actor/Singer based in New York City. His NYC/Touring theatrical credits include Fiddler on the Roof, The Sound of Music, ​Carnival, The Boy Friend, Thoroughly Modern Millie, and Scott Alan’s concert series, Monday Nights New Voices, featuring the music of Sam Davis. Regional credits include Les Misèrables, Thoroughly Modern Millie, The Music Man, The Mikado, Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, Godspell, The Secret Garden, and Amahl and the Night Visitors. In addition to his theatrical career, Drew is an acclaimed tenor and has sung in famed concert venues across North America, Europe, and Asia. He has performed as the tenor soloist in works such as Handel’s Messiah, Schubert’s Mass in G Major, John Rutter’s Magnificat, and Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms as well as placing first in numerous prestigious vocal competitions. Drew is also a former lead vocalist for the internationally acclaimed singing group, The Twelve Irish Tenors. He is currently headlining in concerts all over the world with Shades of Bublé and can be heard on their debut album. He holds a Bachelor of Music Degree in Vocal Performance from Samford University and is a proud member of Actors’ Equity Association.

Kinsey Rose is a singer/songwriter from Nashville, TN, whose powerful vocals and poignant lyrics have won over audiences around the world. She is an artist in residence at some of Music City's most iconic venues, notably the famous Legend's Corner on Broadway, and she can also be found performing regularly at the Bridgestone Arena during the NHL Predators games.

Kinsey's music has taken her around the world on US and European tours. She recently performed at one of country music's biggest festivals in France, the Festival Country Rendez Vous, and toured extensively in the UK, Scotland, Denmark, France, and Norway. In the US, she has played from Alaska to California, Texas, Pennsylvania, and everywhere in between. Among her recent appearances are performances opening for Mark Chestnutt in Napa Valley and Colt Ford in North Carolina.

Kinsey recently released an album entitled “Fair Weather Love” featuring country music icon Vince Gill and produced by Justin Schipper.

David Kalmusky is a multi-platinum, multiple Billboard #1 charting Nashville based producer, songwriter, guitarist / multi-instrumentalist, engineer & mixer, who’s work in the studio with acts such as Shawn Mendes, Keith Urban, Megan Trainor, Justin Bieber, Journey, Joe Bonamassa, Tenille Townes, The Sisterhood, Vince Gill, John Oates (From Hall & Oates) Motley Crue, and Many, Many others, to randomly choose a few of the diverse range of genre, and demographic of David’s work, have brought Kalmusky to co-found, and partner Addiction Sound Studios in Nashville, TN.

Coming by it honestly, David’s father, Kenny Kalmusky. was one of the original band members of “The Hawks” with Levon Helm, Richard Manuel, & John Till in 1958. Kenny went on to make records at Bearsville studios in Woodstock NY, and Nashville TN in the late 60’s with the likes of Ian & Sylvia, Todd Rundgren, Cowboy Jack Clement, Ronnie Hawkins, Jerry Reed, and many others.

Fast forward to present day, David Kalmusky co-designed and built Addiction Sound Studios in Nashville TN, with partner Jonathan Cain (The Baby’s, Bad English, Journey) and Engineer Chris Huston (The Who, Led Zeppelin) where Kalmusky and Cain host their world class tracking room, and individual private production rooms.

Outside of his own producing, David has been trusted, and hired to engineer in his space, for some of the top producers making music today, including many of the great “Engineering Producers” such as Jacquire King (Mutemath, James Bay, Kings Of Leon), Glenn Rosenstein (Madonna, U2, Talking Heads, Ziggy Marley), Kevin Shirley (Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Led Zeppelin) Rob Fraboni (The Band, Eric Clapton, The Rolling Stones), Bob Rock (Metallica, Aerosmith) Greg Wells (Katy Perry, Adele, One Republic).

Kalmusky is well noted for his diversity, transcending many genres. He is regarded by many multi-million selling artists, producers, writers and musicians, to be an integral part of their record making, and music creating process.

David, since co-creating Addiction Sound Studios in 2012, continues his work, producing, writing, recording, mixing, and developing music in all genres in Nashville as his home base.