Liz Longley is on tour, fresh off recording her new album Weightless.
She will be bringing that tour to Capitol Center for the Arts’s Spotlight Cafe on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
The new album features her honest lyrics about love and heartbreak.
“I tend to write about relationships: the good, the bad, the ugly,” Longley said. “I prefer to write really honestly. I feel like I connect more.”
That connection has paid off too. She’s won the BMI John Lennon Songwriting Scholarship Competition, the International Acoustic Music Awards and the Rocky Mountain Folk Fest Songwriting Competition.
Longley is a third-generation performer. Her father and grandfather were both musicians.
“It was a natural path for me,” she said.
At 14, her parents went on vacation leaving her with plenty of space to start songwriting and testing her music without interruption.
She would tour on vacations and weekends while attending Berklee College of Music and then full time after she graduated in 2010.
These days, the Pennsylvania native has been living in Nashville. She spent three months recording Weightless with Bill Reynolds.
On previous albums, she said there was a small window for recording, but having three months in the studio at Reynolds’ home allowed her to delve into the songs on a deeper level for Weightless.
Another perk of living in the country music capital, the ability to make appointments to write music with other artists.
Since the album’s release, she’s been working on new songs – some of which will be performed on Thursday – but she’s not in a hurry to record a new album, she said.
“I hope (the audience members) feel more connected to themselves,” she said. “I hope they feel moved by a song or two.”
Tickets to the Capitol Center for the Arts performance are $20 or $15 for students.
For more information or to reserve a seat, visit ccanh.com.
If you’re looking for more music:
Andrew Merzi returns to his native New Hampshire from Nashville to perform at the Andover Coffeehouse on Friday at 7 p.m. His music is a mix of alternative, country, folk and rock. Coffeehouse admission is free; donations are appreciated. There will also be an opportunity for open-mic performances. For more information, email lbchase@aol.com.
Marcia Ball will perform groove-laden New Orleans R&B at the Tupelo Music Hall in Derry on Friday at 8 p.m. She has five Grammy nominations and 10 Living Blues Awards. Tickets are $30 to $35. For more information, visit tupelomusichall.com.
Martin Sexton will sing at the Flying Monkey Performance Center in Plymouth on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Rebecca Haviland and Whiskey Heart will open. Hear sounds of folk, soul, country and rock and roll. Tickets start at $37.50. For more information, visit flyingmonkeynh.com.