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Jones debuts new show before move to Nashville

Some people were more productive than others during the pandemic.

Country singer / songwriter AC Jones met her future husband and recrafted her stage show during the downtime.

The fiance means the Canfield native will be relocating full time to Nashville, Tenn., after her fall wedding. Before she leaves, she plans to debut her new live show Friday at Austintown Township Park.

“I’ve always wanted to have a 90-minute, full-force, entertainment-style concert where things just really shamelessly transition, with high production values, almost a little theatrical in a way,” Jones said. “This (the pandemic) allowed us time to do that and revamp this show.”

“From the very first beat, your heart will be thumping. There’s mystery and intrigue and a very exciting and storybook-like telling of the music and my journey. I’m so excited. I think it will make people suspend reality for 90 minutes and get lost in the music.”

There will be some cover songs and mashups with familiar country hits, but the focus will be on Jones’ original songs. She released several singles during the pandemic — “You Wouldn’t Know Me Now,” “Watch the Grass Grow,” “Stand in the Circle,” “Hey, Mama” and “Castle” — and she plans to announce a new song Friday.

While she sang stripped down, acoustic versions of those singles in live-streamed performances online, Friday will be one of the first opportunities to hear those songs live with a full band.

“I’m super excited about ‘Castle,'” Jones said, “That one’s going to be really big, getting that heart pumping.”

Opening for Jones will be Mahoning Valley singers Leanne Binder and Candace Campana. Jones said she and Campana were supposed to do a show together in 2020 that had to be canceled, and she’s looking forward to sharing the stage with her, and Binder is a singer she’s admired for a long time.

“Both Leanne and Candace are fantastic, strong, incredible female artists,” she said. “We’re a little bit different in each of our styles, just enough to bring a mix to the night.”

Jones has been dividing her time between Nashville and the Mahoning Valley for years, so she’s not moving to unfamiliar territory. But those trips back for live performances probably will be less frequent after the wedding.

“I just want to say thank you for how supportive everyone has been of the music I’m doing. I’ll definitely do shows here again, I just don’t know what that will look like quite yet.”

agray@tribtoday.com

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