Madison King, Van Darien

Onward & Upward, the full-length sophomore release from Madison King, is sure to be a breakthrough for the 26-year-old singer/songwriter and Dallas native. Overflowing with one catchy, tuneful song after another, the eleven tracks on Onward & Upward are thematically forged in the joy and pain of love and loss… "This has been a time of growth and dating and getting my heart broken and picking up the pieces and reflecting on what I've learned along the way." But there is an underlying hopefulness at the heart of the album that streams directly from Madison King's endearing optimism.

Madison started playing guitar at 8 years old, and began singing in her teens. She learned and honed her skills by traveling down a well-worn path. "Growing up, the most natural way for me to practice and get better at playing guitar and eventually singing was in church. It instilled the confidence I needed to be able to perform original songs later on….."

Madison graduated from Southern Methodist University in 2009 with a degree in Literature and has "used it to become an extremely well-spoken bartender. I started writing songs when I was 20 but it wasn't until last year that I really decided that performing was what I wanted to do with my life…." Her first record, Darlin, Here's to You, was released in 2010 to critical acclaim, landing her a spot on NBC's The Voice, and earning radio play on AAA stations including top-rated KXT 91.7 in Dallas-Ft. Worth.

Madison has shared the stage with such notable acts as Wanda Jackson, Johnette Napolitano, Foreigner, Styx, Don Felder, Mark Cohn, Old 97s, Polyphonic Spree, Sandra Bernhard, and Chris Carrabba. Madison lists her influences as Ryan Adams, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Lauryn Hill…. "really from all over the place. I look to write accessible songs that are radio friendly that still have substantial lyrics."

Onward & Upward is set for an April 3rd release on the newly minted State Fair Records, with a show at the legendary Trees venue in Dallas' historic Deep Ellum.

Vanessa Darien is a hard-bitten lyricist with a flare for Americana Folklore. But Americana is not just an imagined theme for Vanessa, but something she has been strongly rooted in since a young age. Hailing from Weatherford, TX, Vanessa was raised in a home which also functioned as her father John's machine shop; it was in this shop Vanessa would become well versed in some of the finest American Roots music. From a junkyard of rusted cars, and a cast of characters both eclectic and eccentric, this Southern upbringing would lay the foundation for Vanessa's future in songwriting.

Vanessa has spent the past several years playing across Texas, from dusty beer joints to theater venues and everywhere in-between. In her travels, she has shared the stage with many artists including Uncle Lucius, Mike McClure, John Fullbright, Ian Moore, Cody Canada & The Departed, and Johnathan Tyler.

Apart from solo writing and works, Vanessa has also established many musical friendships and collaborations, with writing partners Joey Green, Maren Morris, Steven Cooper, and Ryan Michael of The Roomsounds. With a tight-knit group of musicians, and the help of producer/musician Beau Patrick Bedford, Vanessa has just completed a 6 song EP of new material entitled "Silent Sparrow" which is set for a June 3rd, 2014 release.