Past Live Shows
Born and raised in Mount Airy North Carolina, Ericca Latza is a country singer-songwriter pursuing her music career in Nashville, Tennessee. Music and writing played a huge role in her young life. Most days you could find her after school behind a piano at lessons or in her room filling up notebooks with stories. She quickly developed a passion for singing when her parents enrolled her in classical voice lessons. It wasn't until the age of 12 that she realized she could combine her love of all three. One night her dad showed her how to play four chords on his acoustic Applause, and she hasn't looked back since. Though Mount Airy (better known as "Mayberry") was her home, Ericca moved to Wilmington NC in 2016. There, she spent two years developing herself as a performer. She played on many stages that are local favorites such as The Soundhouse, Goodfellas, and Hurricane Alley's. While growing as a solo artist, she also launched a band that played on stages across North Carolina. In January 2019, Ericca made the move to Nashville with the hopes of learning to become a well rounded songwriter and a professional in the industry. It was't long before both her songs and voice began to draw attention. Ericca became a signed artist with MC1 Nashville/Sony Orchard in July 2019. She works daily to develop her craft by writing for both herself and other artists. She plays writers rounds at many local venues such as The Commodore Grille, Belcourt Taps, and Red Line. Over the next year she will have three singles hitting radio waves and being released to all listening platforms. "I just want to tell stories that people hear and go, "oh yeah, I get that". To me that means being as genuine and honest as possible. I mean, Im pretty in love with the fact that I get to wake up every day, create something that didn't exist the day before, and put it into the universe to see where it ends up. There's some kind of real magic found in that."
From performing at Nashville’s legendary Bluebird Café and Puckett’s to taking the stage at festivals throughout Kansas, Ohio, and Kentucky, Ava Rowland is a talent worth keeping an eye on. The contemporary country music artist cites an eclectic list of artistic inspirations ranging from Carrie Underwood to Lauren Daigle to Elvis Presley.
Her songwriting is in full evidence all over Polaroid Picture, her debut release. A great example is the heart-wrenching “My Last Words,” a song that was inspired by the tragic events that unfolded at Parkland High – and the family members left behind.
“My Dad was watching a vigil for the Parkland shooting victims. A father of victim Jamie Guttenberg was saying how he can remember the busyness of the morning and what she was wearing but he can’t remember if he told her that he loved her. Such a strong statement made me realize that we never know when it’ll be the last time, we see someone.”
The EP also contains the title track - Ava’s very first radio single - the upbeat “Polaroid Picture,” of which she says, “It’s about having someone special in your life that who is just an original, a classic…just like a Polaroid Picture.”
Ava is currently promoting her debut EP, which is produced by well-known Nashville songwriter, Britton Cameron (toured with Toby Keith, Hootie and the Blowfish, Leann Rimes). She says it was a thrill being in the studio with him. “He taught me a lot during recording. It was a truly educational experience, and I feel I am the better for it.” The instrumentation for the album was recorded at Nashville’s Keystone Studio, while the vocals were all tracked at Cameron’s home studio.
The EP is available for streaming and purchase on all major platforms, including iTunes, Spotify, Apple Music, and Amazon.
When she isn’t working on music, Ava can be found advocating “Rachel’s Challenge,” a program about anti-bullying, looking for the best in others and treating them with compassion. The organization was founded in the memory of Columbine High School shooting victim Rachel Scott. Her story is one that struck an emotional chord within her.
“I read about Rachel Scott, and found myself so much into her story, how she was compassionate to others, and how she basically died for her faith in God. It’s a program about anti-bullying, looking for the best in others and treating them with compassion. She wrote a paper and it was called, ‘My Ethics, My Codes of Life.’ She challenges the reader to go out of their way to show compassion because if one person goes out of their way, then they start a chain reaction of the same - about being kind to others.” The foundation creates programs which promote positive climates in schools, including Ohio’s Wellington School District, for which Ava raised $5,500 to bring in “Rachel’s Challenge.”
Ava enjoys spending time with her family and volunteering at her church. When at home, Ava can be found watching TV, or movies such as 8 Seconds and The Notebook. However, she’s hoping to be quite busy promoting her new music. What are her goals? She has set the bar high. “I want to be on tour and on the CMA Awards. That would be nice,” she says with boundless enthusiasm. Whatever her career path, Ava stresses she will never forget where her gifts come from. “All my blessings come from my savior Jesus Christ. I would be nothing without him.”
"In the House" at the Grinder House is broadcast live on WFMC Jams every Friday from 6-8pm central.
Alabama Jammin - 8/06/2020 - Mike Mayhall & Lauren Ritter from Tremayne
Mike Mayhall & Lauren Ritter from the group Tremayne will be this week's guest on Alabama Jammin'
TREMAYNE was just presented the Bama Country Male Artist Award of 2019 !!! This happened @ the Bessemer Civic Center on 7/28/19 @ the 5th Annual Alabama Music Awards Show. We are humbled, thankful, & excited to have won !! We have the greatest fans in the world !! Thanks to all that voted for Tremayne and special thanks to Zeuss, Ken Randolph, & everyone that was associated with the Alabama Music Awards !!! Tremayne is a band that always gets the crowd going and ready to dance & have fun with their high quality sound ! Tremayne has excellent lead vocals & harmony, along with great music played from the heart. One of their biggest assets is their extreme versatility, which is sure to please, as they usually wind up playing to a packed house on most gigs. They are one of the hottest bands in North Alabama & have built quite a large following ! Tremayne plays : Country, Classic Rock, R&B, Funk, Soul, Southern Rock, Blues, and a few fiddle tunes. Mike Mayhall from Double Springs, AL is currently touring with the superstar Jeff Cook and the Allstar Goodtime Band ! Jeff Cook is with the grammy winning, entertainer of the year, and band of the decade Country Supergroup " Alabama " !!! Mike is the guitarist for Tremayne and founding member. He has also worked with Pat Upton ! The lovely Lauren Ritter on vocals from Fredericksburg, Virginia fronts the band " Tremayne " !! She won the WQLT 107.3 Quest for Fame and has recorded in most of the studios in Muscle Shoals, AL and some in Nashville, TN. N.C. Thurman from Pulaski, TN on keys has worked with Little Richard, Hank Williams Jr, etc ! Dennis Gulley on bass, has worked with "Alabama", Jeff Cook & the AGB ! Anthony Weathers on drums and percussion has worked with Ricky Lynn Gregg ! When Tremayne performs, the stage is loaded with very talented professionals from one end to the other!
