Nashville, TN: Music City is a city built on the hard work of classic artists. Before the age of YouTube and Auto-Tune, entertainers had to possess a serious level of talent to win the admiration of a devoted audience. It was a rite of passage for an artist to prove themselves with grit, charm, or some unique quality that made them endearing to masses.

And while Nashville is at no shortage of talent, there are a shortage of artists doing the music that made legends like Sam Cooke, Emmylou Harris, or Bob Dylan.

Enter Mark Henes - the Celebration Records, LLC signed artist whose debut EP Transitions hits the digital ether on June 15, 2018. Fancying himself as “a man who loves a challenge,” Henes is challenging himself with his sophomore musical effort channelling the era of “songs first, showmanship second.”

“For me,” says Henes, “I think of the notion that’s floated around for the last 15 years that we have more ways of reaching people, but we’re also losing the ability to reach people. I hear a band like Greta Van Fleet - an obvious homage - and I hear a certain amount of creativity and boldness to someone who wants to turn the metaphorical clock back. The artists that I party and play with aren’t really interested in the fake noise that’s trying to take over local music. They’re interested in music with sustenance, like J.P. Clardy and Stan Lassiter Majical History. These are the sounds most missed in the Nashville culture.”