Award-winning acoustic guitarist will bring unique style to local stage

Published 12:00 am Saturday, March 26, 2022

SALISBURY — Christie Lenée has garnered acclaim across the globe for her acoustic guitar playing and original songs.

Now she’s bringing her award-winning talents to Shug’s at Brooklyn South Square.

Lenée is performing at the 209 S. Lee St. restaurant, bar and venue on Thursday night at 7:30 p.m. Lenée is slated to put on what she describes as a “one woman show with various guitars, foot percussion, loops, harmonies, virtuosic guitar tapping and heartfelt original songs.”

“This seemed like the perfect opportunity to introduce this type of live music event to our community,” said Tiffany Day, owner of Shug’s. “Hopefully Shug’s Sessions presenting Christie Lenée is the first of many listening room events at Shug’s.”

A Tampa, Florida, native who now lives in Asheville, Lenée has performed for audiences around the world. The singer/songwriter often pairs her guitar playing with vocal performances. Lenée specializes in fingerstyle technique, which is a way of playing by plucking guitar strings with the fingertips as opposed to a flat pick. Lenée has shared the stage with Tommy Emmanuel, Tim Reynolds (Dave Matthews Band), AndyMcKee, Amy Ray (Indigo Girls), Melissa Etheridge, Antigone Rising, Kaki King, Jake Shimabukoro and Christopher Cross, among others.

In 2017, Lenée took first place in the International Fingerstyle Guitar Championship. In 2019, she earned first place as “Acoustic Guitarist of the Year” in London. Guitar World magazine listed Lenée as one of the best acoustic guitarists in the world.

Lenée has released five albums to date with a sixth record slated for a summer 2022 release.

This will be Lenée’s first time performing in Salisbury. After playing at Shug’s, Lenée will go on to perform at other venues in North Carolina and throughout the country.

The performance will be a ticketed event. Tickets can be purchased at Shug’s for $20 until the day before the show and on Eventbrite for $25 through the day of the show. Tickets will be $25 at the door on Thursday. Doors will open at 6:30 and Shug’s will be closed to the general public during the performance. More information about the performance can be found on the event’s Facebook page or at christielenee.com.

“We hope this is as exciting for our Downtown Salisbury community, as it is for us,” Day said.

About Ben Stansell

Ben Stansell covers business, county government and more for the Salisbury Post. He joined the staff in August 2020 after graduating from the University of Alabama. Email him at ben.stansell@salisburypost.com.

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