About this Event
Thompson Square
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* Husband & wife Country music duo out of Nashville, TN
* Winners of multiple ACM, ACA, CMA, and CMT Awards
* 2x Grammy nominees
* New single out now! " You Were There"
* #1 Hits include “Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not” and “If I Didn’t Have You"
Thompson Square isn’t a real place, exactly. It’s the musical territory staked out by the husband-and-wife duo of Keifer and Shawna Thompson—an exciting and unpredictable area where country meets rock, rough meets smooth, and one vagabond heart finds common ground with another. It’s the sweet destination where two journeys end and another one begins.
“It’s the place where we create our thing, a little fantasyland where we live,” Keifer says. “And now the rest of the world is invited to enjoy a nice, long visit.”
What you’ll hear there is the fruitful combination of Keifer’s soulful intensity and Shawna’s crystalline grace; her classic country upbringing and his wide-ranging singer-songwriter influences. When the two teamed up as a duo six years ago, two promising solo careers gave way to a new entity whose collective diversity, range, and reach only amplified their talents. Thompson Square is the result of two very different personalities and musical approaches finding a perfect match.
“There’s an innocence about her, a genuineness,” Keifer says of his wife. “I’m loud and not scared of anything, and I throw myself into situations there’s no solution to and work it out later. It’s a yin and yang thing with us.”
“I’m very reserved, a little on the shy side,” Shawna admits. “Keifer is the life of the party—humorous, likes attention. I’m a realist … and I’m a wholehearted dreamer,” she adds.
Shawna grew up in tiny Chatom, Alabama, learning traditional country songs from her guitar-playing father and soaking up the sounds of Reba McEntire and Alabama on the radio. Keifer was raised in Miami, Oklahoma, where he was exposed to everything from Roger Miller and Merle Haggard to punk rock and heavy metal, before finding his deepest influences in thoughtful tunesmiths like Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty. Both moved to Nashville within the same week and met at a singing competition just days later.
“I walked in and saw her, went right up and started talking to her,” Keifer recalls. “She beat me in pool, and that’s where it started.” Shawna sensed a connection right away. “I knew immediately,” she says. “It sounds so cheesy, but it was a love-at-first-sight thing for me.”
Each had come to Music City with dreams of solo careers, and for a few years that’s what they pursued—long enough to establish their own styles and pay some serious dues. “We’ve both been through so many things that were supposed to happen and didn’t,” Shawna says, recalling promised record deals that never materialized and open doors that suddenly shut.
For years, the idea of performing as a duo never crossed their minds. “We couldn’t see the forest for the trees,” Keifer says. “She was doing her own thing, and I was doing my thing. After a while it made sense to combine what we did. We looked at each other one day and said, ‘Why haven’t we done this before?’”
And so, Thompson Square was born. (At first they tried Thompson Squared—as in a mathematical equation—but as Keifer notes with a chuckle, “Nobody could hear the ‘d.’”)
They adjusted to the idea of combining the pressures of married life with a career that demanded near-constant togetherness. “A lot of couples can’t be together 24 hours a day—but for us it doesn’t work unless it’s like that,” Keifer explains. “So it’s perfect. Singing together just completed the puzzle. To be able to share this with the person you’ll spend the rest of your life with is a great thing.”
The pieces truly began falling into place for Thompson Square in 2009. Manager Shawn Pennington—a longtime acquaintance of both who had once counseled them against forming a duo—caught their show at a Nashville club and was blown away by their chemistry and cutting-edge style. Within days, Thompson Square was performing for the staff at Stoney Creek Records. Shortly afterward, they signed to the label.
The duo quickly hit the studio to record their first album, seamlessly combining their wide-ranging influences into a loose, lively, and identifiable sound all their own. “It’s got that rawness like country and rock bands used to have back in the day. It’s got a real ‘band’ feel to it,” Keifer says.
Among the first tracks laid down was Thompson Square’s debut single, the playful “Let’s Fight.” It’s an ode to friendly marital spats—and the reconciliations that follow. “Because Shawna and I get along sometimes too good, it’s hard to write sad songs about love lost when you’re not experiencing that,” Keifer says. “But I thought it’d be cool to write a song saying, let’s fight and get things stirred up … and then make up!”
On the other end of the spectrum is “Keeping Up With the Joneses,” a devastating ballad about the pain of addiction co-written by Keifer and sung primarily by Shawna. “When Shawna sings that, she speaks for all the women out there going through that ordeal,” Keifer observes. “She delivers it so well that I knew it needed to be her song instead of mine.”
It’s just one way in which Thompson Square subverts the stereotype of the married couple singing fluffy love songs. “We don’t want to do lovey-dovey songs,” Shawna declares. “This is real stuff.”
Now, Thompson Square is ready to bring fans an uncut dose of that “real stuff”: the sound of a dreamer and a realist, country cool and rock rawness, husband and wife.
“This combination—it’s a cool thing,” Keifer marvels. “It’s not two of the same, it’s two different things coming together to make something better than what we can be apart.”
VENUE INFORMATION:
All ticket holders are able to order food and drinks during the event. Standing Room Ticket holders generally place their orders with the venue bar staff. Main Floor Reserved Table and VIP Balcony Table ticket holders are served by MadLife’s friendly wait staff throughout the event.
Refer to the seating map below for a layout of the venue for this show. Please note the table arrangement is subject to change and not all tables may be available.
If You Wish To Select A Specific Reserved Table:
Holders of VIP Balcony and Main Floor Reserved Table tickets have the ability to select any available reserved table from the moment their tickets are purchased, up until 30 minutes BEFORE doors open to the event (i.e. if doors are at 6:30, cutoff time for selecting a reserved table would be at 6:00). Tables can be selected EITHER at the Box Office or by contacting the Box Office during its hours of operation at (678) 384-2363 ext. 1. Please note that tables cannot be selected online for this show and if you do not select a table, MadLife will select one for you. Selecting a table is not required, but is an option available.
For any wheelchair or ADA needs, please contact the Box Office in advance of the event at (678) 384-2363 ext. 1.
Please Note: Ticket Prices May Increase At Any Time
For any other questions regarding the event or tickets, please contact the Box Office during its hours of operation at (678) 384-2363 ext. 1.
Box Office hours of operation are Wednesday-Saturday 5:00 PM - 9:00 PM.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
MadLife Stage & Studios, 8722 Main St, Woodstock, United States
USD 38.44 to USD 50.39
