New Fort Mill venue presents new artist Chase Likens

A new area music venue – Comporium Amphitheater at the Anne Springs Close Greenway – will showcase fresh, up-and-coming country music artist, Chase Likens, live Friday in Fort Mill.

The winner of the 2015 Belk Southern Musicians Showcase, Likens is a singer/songwriter/actor hailing from Point Pleasant, W.Va., who now lives in Austin, Texas.

This 24-year-old aspiring artist was also among American Idol’s 12 male finalists for 2012 in season 11 of the music competition TV series.

Likens’ interest in musical competitions is longstanding. He started his singing career taking part in an elementary school talent show when he was just 5. He cites two powerful early influences: the vocal style of Elvis Presley and the eclectic soulful range of Prince – an interesting blend of colorful artistic territory.

Likens has described his own sound and musical direction to be “country with elements of soul, intertwined with the sound of today’s contemporary country.” So it’s no surprise he can be thrown into the same basic contemporary country stylistic category as Garth Brooks, Blake Shelton and Luke Bryan.

Likens has been sharing the stage with top country acts including Lady Antebellum, Hunter Hayes, Frankie Ballard and Thompson Square, as well as Texas artists Kevin Fowler and Randy Rogers.

Likens’ agenda for 2015 has been focused on touring the East Coast to promote his debut single, “Caught in a Storm,” and the follow-up single, “Playing It Safe.” Both tracks can be found on his six-song debut EP, “Whiskey Kisses,” released in late January.

Here’s a unique opportunity to experience a young, up-and-coming artist performing in a newly constructed rustic, natural but state-of-the-art sound and lighting venue.

Catch up with Chase LikensFriday at The Comporium Amphitheater, Anne Springs Close Greenway, 1604 Hwy. 21 Bypass, Fort Mill. For more information, call 547-4575 or visit ascgreenway.org and Facebook.com/ASC Greenway. For more on the music, go to chaselikensofficial.com or find him on Facebook.

Upcoming

Friday: The Lakeside Boys Band at The Sandbar Grill, Rock Hill; McGroover at End Zone, Rock Hill; Crashbox at Luke’s Sports Bar & Grill, Rock Hill; All of a Kind at Empire Pizza-Newport, Rock Hill; David Williams at Handlebar Tavern, Catawba; Shannon Warren Band at Lancaster City Hall, Lancaster; Trial By Fire at Lake Wylie Bowl and Bounce, Lake Wylie-Charlotte; Leslie & Rico Duo at Mickey & Mooch-Arboretum, Pineville; Snyder Family Band at Food Trucks & Music, South Mecklenburg Presbyterian Church, Charlotte; Inviolate, Meliora, The Coming Dawn, Psycho Spoon at Tremont Music Hall, Charlotte; Sons of Texas, Schism, Failure Anthem, more at Amos’ Southend, Charlotte; Pharr Rhoads at Bootlegger’s Saloon & Dance Hall, Charlotte; From the Gun at Tommy’s Pub, Charlotte; Porter Blue at The Small Bar, Charlotte; Toleman Randall, Dinner Rabbits, Motel Glory at Petra’s Piano Bar & Cabaret, Charlotte; Michael Ramsey (12 to 1:30 pm) at Romare Bearden Park, Charlotte Jerry Garcia Cover Band at Visulite Theater, Charlotte; Porcelain Mary, Skip Weaver Band at Double Door Inn, Charlotte; Dark Sun Kult, Greevace, Tripping the Mechanism, more at Milestone, Charlotte; Darrell Harwood, Tyler Hatley, Out of the Blue at Coyote Joe’s, Charlotte; Roulette Band at Friends Sports Bar and Grill, Belmont; Eric Strickland & The B Sides at Puckett’s Farm Equipment, Charlotte; Pluto for Planet at Bradshaw Social House, Charlotte; Snails at The Fillmore, Charlotte; Hair Nation at RiverCity Bar & Grill, Mooresville; The Steel Wheels, Jonathan Byrd & The Pickup Cowboys at Neighborhood Theater, Charlotte; Caroline Spence, Mike Strauss Trio, Hank Smith; Bakalao Stars, more; at Evening Muse, Charlotte; The Graveyard Boulevard at Reaper’s Realm, China Grove;

Saturday: Khaos Kings Acoustic at Original Empire Pizza, Rock Hill; Chase Killough at McHale’s on Main, Rock Hill; The Rockaholics at John’s Place, Fort Mill; Gene Gene & The Blues Machine at RiverGate Shopping Village, Steele Creek-Charlotte; Crashbox at Wild Wing Café-Ayrsley, Charlotte; Underhill Rose at US National Whitewater Center, Charlotte; The Turnstiles at Comet Grill, Charlotte; Skribe at Sycamore Brewing, Charlotte; Your Chance To Die, Xeno Theory, Azymyth at Tremont Music Hall, Charlotte; 21st Century Goliath, Auxilia, Graceful Regret, Black Fleet at Amos’ Southend, Charlotte; Carolina Gator Gumbo, Bill Noonan & The Hey Joes at Double Door Inn, Charlotte; Sealion, Timothy Eerie, The Mineral Girls at Snug Harbor, Charlotte; Wes Cook Band at Tin Roof, Charlotte; Girls Rock Charlotte Summer Camp Concert at McGlohon Theater, Charlotte; Erica Campbell, Brian Courtney Wilson, Janice Gaines at The Fillmore, Charlotte; Dogbane, October, Year of the Ox, more at Milestone, Charlotte; Jem Crosssland & The Hypertonics, Hellbilly Homicide at Puckett’s Farm Equipment, Charlotte; Michael Tracy at Bootlegger’s-NC Music Factory, Charlotte; Tantrum at Moochie’s Tavern, Matthews; Bob Dylan Tribute-Highway 61 Revisited at The Evening Muse, Charlotte.

Sunday: Pluto for Planet at Mac’s Speed Shop, Charlotte; Clyde’s On Fire at Sycamore Brewing, Charlotte; Nita B & Her Soiree at Double Door Inn, Charlotte; Breast Cancer Benefit/Fundraiser at Big Al’s Pub, Charlotte; Robot Hilarious, StereoLoud, more at Milestone, Charlotte; Summer Jam 2015: Ballantyne School of Music at Chop Shop, Charlotte.

Monday: Open Mic with Jesse Tyler at Evening Muse, Charlotte.

Tuesday: Reckless Serenade at Tremont Music Hall, Charlotte; Warren Haynes, Railroad Earth at The Fillmore, Charlotte; Nicki Minaj, Meek Mill, more at PNC Music Pavilion, Charlotte.

Wednesday: Atlantic Groove Band (6-9 pm) at Romare Bearden Park, Charlotte; Authority Zero, Counter Punch, more at Visulite Theater, Charlotte; Boz Scaggs at Knight Theater, Charlotte; Stereo Loud, Dead Sea Scrilla, more at Snug Harbor, Charlotte; The Mighty Rhythm Busters at Stooge’s Pub & Grub, Charlotte; Machine Gun Kelly, King Los at The Fillmore, Charlotte; Hot Club of Cowtown at Neighborhoood Theater, Charlotte; Tosco House Party Open Mic at Evening Muse, Charlotte.

Thursday: Flatland Tourists at US National Whitewater Center, Charlotte; Weedeater at Tremont Music Hall, Charlotte; Kamasi Washington at Chop Shop, Charlotte; Hannah Aldridge, Matt Woods, Hannah Thomas at Evening Muse, Charlotte.

“And that was all she wrote.”

This story was originally published July 30, 2015 at 3:26 PM with the headline "New Fort Mill venue presents new artist Chase Likens."