New Orleans-based singer-songwriter Maggie Koerner sharpened her skills for years at various venues before she landed a label deal. When the offer came, it was due, primarily, to two crucial factors: her diligence and friendships forged in the fires of touring.
Her story began one night at a bar in Shreveport, LA when she caught New Orleans band The Revivalists’ set. “I said that I could sing and asked if I could join them for a song,” she recalls. “They were three hours into a four-hour gig and were tired so they let me do it. They saw that I was good and we became friends.”
But that was merely the start. Shortly after Koerner met the band, she moved to New Orleans and began to write with David Shaw, The Revivalists’ vocalist. “Dave knew [Concord Records’ A&R rep] Nick Haussling,” she explains. “He told him several times that he should listen to me. [Dave] has always been my number-one believer, even at times when I didn’t believe in myself. I had to pave my own way but he was always there with a helping hand.”
After continual coaxing from Shaw, Haussling, label president John Burk and several other Concord comrades came out to see Koerner at famed Los Angeles’ venue The Hotel Café. “I met them and John had a twinkle in his eye,” the singer recollects. “I could tell that he saw it; that I wasn’t trendy. I came back to LA and had my publisher set up some songwriting sessions. I had pretty much the greatest meeting possible with Nick, John and my manager Reid [Martin].
“I felt like I’d known [John] my whole life,” Koerner continues. “He’s the real deal. When they later sent the contract, I looked at Reid and said, ‘Can I breathe now?’ Then I collapsed in tears. It’s been a nine-and-a-half year journey. When you do it slowly and right, you appreciate it so much more.”
Koerner plans a return to the road when her record drops this spring. She also aims to tour Europe for the first time in support of her own album.
Date Signed: September 2018
Label: Concord Records
Type of Music: Rock/Folk
Management: Reid Martin - MidCitizen Entertainment, 239-405-1214
Booking: Dave Rowan - High Road Touring, [email protected]
Legal: Tim Kappel - Farmer Purcell White & Lassiter, PLLC, [email protected]
Publicity: Mike Wilpizeski - Concord Records, [email protected], 718-459-2117
Web: maggiekoerner.com
A&R: Nick Haussling
