Angie Aparo filled Smith’s Olde Bar with some sweet tunes Thursday night

by Chris Martin for The Examiner

December 23, 2011

Armed with an old guitar, a killer manger scene and a full bottle of Crown, Angie Aparo gave the crowd at Smith’s Olde Bar an early Christmas present. Rolling through all the tunes everybody knew and loved, he gave the crowd everything they wanted and then some.

His voice was sharp and even though it was just him and a guitar, the tunes were powerful and loud enough that it could have been a full band playing. His classic tunes“Wonderland”, “Spaceship”, “Green Into Gold” and “Cry” had the crowd resting on every note. Angie nailed covers of Simon and Garfunkel’s “The Boxer” and Elton John’s “Rocket Man”, getting the crowd to sing along on the latter. The crowd was treated to a damn fine version of “Silent Night”, and“Memphis City Rain” may have been the best song of the night.

From start to finish it was a great show. Angie interacted with the crowd as if he were hanging out with a group of friends, discussing his life and even offering up some of his Crown to a couple of fans. Smiths Olde Bar was packed, the music was great and the beers were ice cold, which made for one hell of a Thursday night, rain and all.

http://www.examiner.com/live-music-in-atlanta/angie-aparo-filled-smith-s-olde-bar-with-some-sweet-tunes-thursday-night-review

Angie's 'Praise Be' is now available on iTunes! Written by Angie and produced by Angie and Derek Murphy, this 8 song collection is a must-have for every Angie Aparo fan. Tracks include: Praise Be, Gloria, Wreckage, On & On, Good Fight, Twisted Paradise, Birds of Palestine and Killing For Jesus. You can download your copy here: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/praise-be/id467404327

One Night Only: Angie Aparo Teams Up With Collective Soul's Ed Roland

Angie Aparo has one main requirement for the perfect intimate music venue.

“You can always tell a room is going to be great when the bar is smaller than the stage,” he said. “That’s kind of my rule. If the bar is the focal point, you’re going to have a tough time.”

That’s one of the reasons the Atlanta singer/songwriter chose The Jazz Corner for his one-night-only concert with Collective Soul frontman Ed Roland. The performance, billed as an “intimate evening,” is at 10:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Although he admits Roland and he are probably not the typical performers for the jazz venue, he appreciates it as a live music venue.

“The performer has to be the one to quiet the audience,” he said. “I don’t like the rooms that are like, ‘Come on, you have to be quiet.’ Let the performer (fail or succeed), and let the chips fall where they may. But there’s something about (The Jazz Corner) that inspires listening.”

Aparo has known Roland for years, but the duo recently reconnected in Nashville. When Aparo retreated to the island to work on an upcoming album and multimedia project, he invited Roland to come visit. He also suggested hopping on stage for an extension of their Tennessee jam sessions.

“It’s just a traditional Nashville song circle,” Aparo said of the “intimate evening.” “Just the two of us, and you each play a song back and forth for a couple of hours and tell stories. It’s an amazing format.

“It’s the kind of thing I’ve been wanting to do more of, because, the traditional show with an opener, etc., is amazing, but this is so much more dynamic.”

Aparo has released several albums and garnered a loyal following, especially locally, where he has performed on the island since 1996. But he is perhaps best known as a songwriter. Aparo wrote the Faith Hill hit “Cry,” which originally appeared on his 1999 album “The American.” He has also penned several tunes for Hill’s husband, Tim McGraw.

Roland, from Stockbridge, Ga., fronted Collective Soul, one of the most successful alternative bands of the 1990s. Their self-titled 1995 album logged a 76-week run on the Billboard Top 200 and produced several hits, such as “December,” “Gel” and “The World I Know.” Roland, the primary songwriter for the band, also penned “Shine” and “Heavy.”

“I’m just a huge fan of his work,” Aparo said. “We both have a mutual-admiration society. I’m such a huge fan. I’m, like, ‘Play that one!’”

Aparo will be both a performer and a fan when he plays with Roland Wednesday. The informal format of the song circle allows him to sing, talk and interact.

“I’ve found through the years of doing it, that three (performers) is the max,” he said. “Because what happens is that, with over three people, there is a lot of storytelling, so the audience doesn’t get to hear a ton of songs in two hours.”

IF YOU GO

• WHEN: 10:30 p.m. Sept. 14
• WHERE: The Jazz Corner, Village at Wexford, Hilton Head Island
• COST: $20
• DETAILS: 843-842-8620, www.thejazzcorner.com

Musician turned cartoonist? In changing music biz, Angie Aparo gets creative

Posted by Hannah HC at 6:46 pm, Thursday, March 3rd, 2011

Posted in The Guide By JUSTIN PAPROCKI 843-706-814

With the way business has gone lately, Angie Aparo decided it was time to try some new ways to get his music out there. Like cartoons.

The singer/songwriter has been writing a short animated feature about a redneck alcoholic and his toy train set. It involves several inanimate objects within this miniature world that come to life and form a band to praise the drunk, whom they consider a god.

It’s not exactly a kids cartoon — more of something you’d find on Cartoon Network’s off-kilter Adult Swim late-night programming.

And it’s certainly not in line with Aparo’s hit country tunes, such as “Cry” — made popular by Faith Hill on her album by the same name — that made his name in the business.

But with the advent of iTunes and a variety of other ways (both legal and illegal) to listen to music, it’s a new and exciting outlet to get his music heard.

“The music business is breaking down,” he said. “So we have to find different ways.”

Aparo also has a “Giving Tree”-type book in the works with illustrations and a simple story for children.

But he’s not looking to move out of the music business.

He wrote two songs for Tim McGraw’s upcoming album, and he’s recording an album set for release this year.

He still tours, playing tonight at 9 Promenade in Bluffton.

The Atlanta native got his start in the early 90s. His original version of “Cry” appeared on his album, “The American,” in 1999. Hill picked it up and made it a hit, even inviting Aparo to perform the song with her live on several occasions. Hill’s husband, McGraw, recorded another of Aparo’s songs, “Free Man,” from the album and the couple established a working relationship with Aparo.

He first started coming to Hilton Head Island in 1996, working a gig at the Tiki Hut. He ended up writing his first CD, “Out of the Everywhere,” at the Holiday Inn Oceanfront. It launched his career.

“It’s almost like superstition,” he said. “I keep coming because good things happen down there.”