Story Submitted:
Jul 31, 2009
Peace, Love, Fiddle
Guitarist Miguel Cancino, Natalie Stovall and bassist Tim Denbo share the spotlight during a concert for Marines at Barnett Field July 26.
MCB QUANTICO, Va. (July 26) -- A mob of concert goers pressed against the stage shouting lyrics and pumping their fists in time with the music during a free concert Sunday night.
Armed with the charm of southern belle and grit of a trucker, rising country songwriter and musician Natalie Stovall brought the crowd at Barnett Field to their feet.
‘‘She definitely gets the crowd going,” said Sgt. Mark E. Dean, 27, from Owasso, Okla. ‘‘She’s up there dancing, having a good time. She was awesome.”
Members of the Single Marine Program chose Stovall after attending a conference featuring numerous comedians, magicians and bands. Her ability to get the crowd on its feet set her apart from the rest, said Cpl. Hiram M. Hernandez, vice president of the Single Marine Program.
‘‘She’s a great entertainer. Not only was her music good, but she was also a real good entertainer over all. She got the crowd lively,” said Hernandez, 22, from Jacksonville, Fla. ‘‘[She’s the] cute, girl-next-door country girl and a good entertainer; that’s why we picked her.”
Stovall treated the crowd to a variety of songs from her first album, ‘‘Late Night Conversations” and her still-unreleased sophomore album. She and her band also put their own twist on a few classic songs such as ‘‘Pour Some Sugar on Me,” and one of her own self-declared favorites, ‘‘Devil Went Down to Georgia,” by The Charlie Daniel’s Band.
‘‘The military is always one of the best audiences. They’re so appreciative; it’s an honor for us to play for people who are doing so much for the country,” Stovall said.
Her outspoken appreciation for the Marine Corps raked in some hoots and hollers, but her penchant for mixing it up with the crowd may have earned her a couple of fans. Stovall joked with the crowd between shows and shared the microphone with Marines who knew the words to her songs.
‘‘My favorite part was when I sang with her, with my hand on the microphone with her hand,” said Pvt. Taylor J. Kihn, Miamisburg, Ohio. ‘‘I would go see her again today, tomorrow, yesterday, next week. It’s all good.”
Members of the Single Marine Program plan to continue bringing bigger acts to the Marines at Quantico in the upcoming year.
‘‘Our goal coming into this was to shoot for the stars and take it from there. This is one of the first big concerts we’ve done and it was a good turn out,” Hernandez said. ‘‘Hopefully, next year we can do an even bigger concert.”