Country sensations shine at Cellar

For those who frequent The Cellar in Struthers, it's not very often the club is filled with cowboy hats and rawhide boots. But Friday night, the area's local country crowd came out to support two young and hopeful country artists Sara Michelle and headliner Kellie Lynne.Though the girls are young, Michelle is 18 and Lynne is 21, their sets included original music and covers while they graced the stage with a country charm and warmed the club. When Kellie invited Michelle onstage to help her sing Gretchen Wilson's "Redneck Woman," their voices belted the song while their young personalities lit up the stage. There was no denying the similarities the girls possess - including an incredible amount of talent.


Michelle, who opened with Lynne for the first time Friday, hails from nearby Hermitage, Pa. and attends Pennsylvania State University's Shenango Campus. Her set was performed as a solo over pre-recorded backing.

She said she draws from experience for inspiration from her songs. She "really wants to sing songs that can touch others, that can mean something that they can relate to."


"I've got a great support system; in my career I've never met more supportive people. I couldn't ask for better people behind me," Michelle said. "It really pushes me to be the best singer that I can be. It means a lot."


Michelle said she started singing when she was really young. Her first big performance was at a karaoke contest, where she lost to a Willie Nelson impersonator.


But until recently, her dreams were hundreds of miles from Nashville, in New York on Broadway. Michelle did musical theater in her high school, the New Castle Playhouse. She also got experience singing with vocal academies like the Dana Vocal Academy.


"I was going to Kent State for theater, then John Carter Cash [singer Johnny Cash's son] called me a week before I went to school. I was invited to go to Nashville and record or go to college. I was rejected from just about everything for musical theater - I don't know if I wasn't right, or it was my voice. But this just felt like my calling," Michelle said. "I had always been really comfortable with the country music sound. I grew up on it. There's meaning in the songs, and I love telling stories through music. I really think the crowd can relate to that."

The young girl seems a little overwhelmed by the attention she gets onstage. When the crowd cheered after one song, she laughed and gushed, "Thanks guys! I'm just so happy when people clap for me!"


Michelle said she met Lynne when she opened for the Povertyneck Hillbillies' show at The Cellar last month. The show was arranged by The Cellar, but the connection between the acts was great.


"They were a really nice band. They were very sweet and very, very encouraging," Michelle said. "I would love to perform with her again, we exchanged numbers and everything, so I hope so. She was great, so nice. Sometimes in this business it's rare to find people like that."


The similarities between the two young performers seem endless. Lynne also went to college for theater, at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, but left to pursue singing. They are both currently waitresses and list Martina McBride and Patsy Cline as their biggest musical influences.


"I worship their music, I love it. Their voices and their songs are just great," Michelle said, while Lynne added Shania Twain and Faith Hill to her favorites.


"We actually talked before the show and we were like, 'Oh my God'. It's just that we have so much in common," Lynne said. "She's just really down to Earth and it was really nice to meet her. She's very talented. I can't wait to see how she gets going."


Lynne, from Lower Burrell, Pa., said she has worked on putting together her five-piece band for two years.


"We put up ads online at different musician Web sites, fliers at some of the local music stores. I actually met my keyboard player at the Keith Urban show - he's from Erie, so it's about a two hour drive for him. We met some people through friends and family too," Lynne said. "We kept going through band members like any other band. It's hard to find good ones that can stay close and be dedicated."


Lynne said she grew up singing country, doing talent shows, senior citizens shows, "little country acts all the time." She said she began singing "basically as soon as I began talking," and her first performance was a second grade talent show when she sang Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You."


"There's definitely home video of it. We watch it and laugh at it all the time," Lynne said.


The good-natured teasing about the second grade performance is just an indication of Lynne's support system.


She said that they have been there for here "all the way."


"My family has been there for me since day one. My mom does the booking for the shows and my dad does the sound and lights. I can't thank my friends and family enough for their support," Lynne said.


Though she went to college for theater, she said her heart just isn't in it. She would rather pursue singing, she said. Lynne said her dream is to "break into the music industry, land a record deal and go on tour and perform." She said she's currently working on finding a record deal.


Call Katie Libecco at (330) 941-3758.