Emerging artist Carly Rhine to play at Chief's Thursday

Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Carly Rhine proudly displays a copy of her debut EP "Simply Me," released Jan. 12. Rhine will play a 7:30 p.m. show on Thursday at Chief's, 5 E. Franklin St., Greencastle.

Think it's hard to find for a teenage singer-songwriter to find venues in a music scene dominated by bars and clubs?

Greencastle High School junior Carly Rhine says it's not as tough as you might think, provided you're willing to do some work and get your name and sound out to people.

"My music's been getting out there, so people have been contacting me," Rhine said.

Rather than simply waiting for calls to come in, Rhine has knocked on doors, getting her name to venues where she might play such as restaurants.

One such restaurant show is set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Chief's restaurant, 5 E. Franklin St., Greencastle.

She also recently played the Claddagh in Plainfield, and has even been able to play some of the local bars, provided she stays out of the bar area.

Rhine, who celebrates her 17th birthday today, has played open mic nights at the Swizzle Stick and also had her CD release party there in January.

She will also be playing at Moore's Bar on Feb. 20.

The teen describes her music as "kind of all over the board." Other people have described it to her as a mix of Colbie Caillat and Norah Jones, but Rhine has a simpler, humbler take on her music.

"It's pretty much just me and my guitar," Rhine said.

The description fits both her live set and her debut EP "Simply Me." The five-song set is a mix of four Rhine-penned originals and a cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah."

Rhine has been playing and singing for about five years, but adds, "It's just now starting to take off."

After taking guitar lessons off and on from various teachers, Rhine eventually took learning the instrument into her own hands, with the help of the Internet to learn new chords and specific songs.

Along the way, Carly has known she has always had the support of her parents, Rick and Tracy.

"My dad's been in music his whole life, so he know's what it's like. And my mom's been a huge supporter," Carly said. "They both like what I do."

In spite of his years of playing, Dad proudly gives the nod to his daughter's musical abilities.

"She's got more talent than I ever thought of having," Rick said.

Rick's musical connections over the years actually helped Carly land the upcoming gig at Chief's.

"Carly's dad Rick and I used to play in a band back in the '80s," Chief's owner Steve Gaebes said. "He's been a really good friend and now his daughter is coming up and looking for opportunities."

Besides supporting a young musician, Gaebes is making the evening an opportunity to assist people in the community fighting hunger. Ten percent of the night's proceeds will be donated to the Putnam County Emergency Food Pantry.

"It's just something cool to do on a slow Thursday night in February," Gaebes said.

Besides the five songs from her CD, Rhine has three or four more originals in her set, as well as covers ranging from "The Beatles to Coldplay to Colbie Caillat."

"I pretty much hit every target you can think of," Rhine said.

Copies of "Simply Me" will be available at the show for $5 or online by contacting Rhine on Facebook. Simply log on to the site and search for "Carly Rhine Music."

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