LISSA ALEXANDER
reporter@pqbnews.com
Local country music singer Beth Marie Anderson has returned from her booth at Nashville’s CMA Fan Fair X and she couldn’t be happier with the results.
“It was mind blowing amazing. It was one of the coolest things I’ve ever done in my life.”
Anderson was selected as one of the emerging artist exhibitors at the event, which is called one of the biggest fan festival in the world. She was set up amongst starts like Kix Brooks, Alan Jackson, Lady Antebellum and Wynonna Judd.
Anderson said it was initially challenging to attract steady fans to her booth, so she sent her mom, sister and friend out to mingle with the crowd in front of her booth, to hand out some free download cards and pictures and invite people to come and get an autograph and sit down at her listening station. It worked.
“So as soon as we figured out to do that halfway through the first day it was crazy, I literally had a line-up for the whole time.”
Since she couldn’t really leave her booth, she asked fans to send her their photos through email and social media. When she returned home she was inundated with messages and pictures.
“The coolest thing was it was truly a fan fair,” she said. “So if you make a connection with a fan and you’re like, ‘do this’ and they actually do it, then you’ve made a fan.”
And Anderson’s summer will continue to keep her busy.
This weekend she’s playing at the first Coombs Country Music Jamboree, featuring rising stars and accomplished musicians from the Island. The event takes places Aug 16 and 17 at the Coombs Rodeo Grounds. Anderson will play on Friday night at 7:45 and will have a full band with her. Tickets are $15 at the gate for that evening. Music starts at 4 p.m. and the evening also includes music by David James and Big River from Nanaimo, Carli and Julie Kennedy from Victoria and the Brett Barrow Band from the mid-Island.
Anderson will also play Saturday at 2 p.m. Live music will happen from 10 a.m. to around 8:30 p.m. that day and tickets are $40. A weekend pass is $50. A dance Saturday at 9 p.m. is $10 for festival attendees or $20 at the gate.
Camping is available and there will be a beer garden and food on-site. For more information on the event visit www.coombscountrymusicjamboree.com.
Anderson is also getting ready to release a new album in the fall. She’ll do an exclusive pre-release show in the Parksville Qualicum Beach area before heading back out to Nashville for some writing and performing. In November she’ll start an acoustic tour in the southern United States and wrap that up in December.
Keep updated with Beth Marie Anderson’s musical adventures at www.bethanderson.ca.