Big Music Opportunities In July For CHS Graduate

Full time singer songwriter, and former resident, Abbie Thomas, now of Goshen, IN is near the tail end of a resume building July. Thomas is a graduate of Crawfordsville High School, and was a scheduled performer at the Strawberry Festival, but her performance was canceled due to inclement weather.

Thomas went full time with her music career in June of 2021, with the release of her selffunded (and all original) debut album, “Who I Am”. This project also included the release of 3 music videos. Those releases plus her new self-produced EP, “Dirty Little Things”, in combination with some behind-the-scenes hustle, is starting to pay off.

On average, she normally plays live music 2-3 times per week, but her July tour schedule includes 17 live dates. These performances are a mix of her regular winery and restaurant gigs, with a handful of big opportunities.

July 21 was a chance to highlight her songwriting ability at Three Oaks, Michigan’s Acorn Theater. Thomas earned a spot as one of six finalists in the tenth annual Singer Songwriter Competition, with her song “Lucky Penny”. In a combination of judge and audience vote, she placed second to California’s Dr. Kray Van Kirk. On the same evening, her Hollywood Music in Media (HMMA) nominated music video, “Fireflies”, was featured in Chicago’s Blue Whiskey Independent Film Festival.

The final stretch of her July tour may be her biggest chances to move her career to the next level. Wednesday, July 27, she’ll be opening for The Voice 2021 winners, ‘Girl Named Tom’, in Anderson, Indiana at the Paramount Theater. (She is also scheduled for a second opening act date for ‘Girl Named Tom’ at Wabash, Indiana’s Honeywell Center on August 20.) She then hits the road with her full band (made up of musicians from Northern Indiana) to Miami, Oklahoma for the Route 66 Heritage Festival. She’ll be opening for Laine Hardy, winner of American Idol in 2019. The Route 66 Fest in 2021 had 35,000 in attendance for the Saturday night concerts.

Thomas and her band hit the stage Saturday, July 30 at 7:00pm. “The last year has been filled with nothing but songwriting, rehearsals, gigging, studio sessions, video shoots, and many long nights. My husband and I keep saying that we just need one right person to hear me play, and these performances are exactly what we’re looking for to get heard. Fingers crossed”, commented Thomas.

You can listen to Thomas’ original music on iTunes, Spotify and YouTube. Her full tour schedule is located on her website, www.abbiethomasmusic.com.