Ridgedale Grad Opening for Popcorn Fest Main Stage

Casey Thompson, as part of one of Nashville’s hottest new duos, South of Eden, will open for Joe Nichols on Friday, September 10, on the main stage of the Marion Popcorn Festival.  South of Eden’s performance will begin at 6:30 p.m.

Thompson, a 2001 Ridgedale graduate, was a stand-out in her school productions.  Her parents recognized her talent early and began voice, piano, ballet, jazz and drama classes.  Her hard work paid off and by the time she had graduated, Thompson had opened for over 50 different acts including Joey Dee and the Starlighters, Highway 101, The Vogues, The Diamonds, The Shangri-Las, and Lacy J. Dalton.  The day after graduation, Thompson moved to Branson, Missouri to perform as a lead singer at the Osmond Family Theater.

After two years in Branson at several theaters and a period as a lead singer for Holland America Cruise Lines, Thompson entered a reality contest sponsored by the NBC “Today” show entitled, “Today’s Next Superstar.”  She found herself selected by NBC producers and Warner Brother Music as one of only seven contestants to complete for the title of America’s next singing sensation.  Thompson came in third, but the national exposure brought a lot of opportunities her way, included being offered the lead role in the national tour of “Fame” and producing demo records in Los Angeles.  Her love of country music, however, was instrumental in her decision to spend the summer headlining at The American Music Theater in Lancaster, PA, where she saved up enough money for her move to Nashville.

Mitch Malloy, Thompson’s partner in South of Eden, has a similar small town background hailing from Dickinson, North Dakota.  Following graduation, he went to study music at the Cornish Institute of Allied Arts in Seattle, but dropped out after a year and headed to New York to learn the music business. 

Malloy secured a recording deal with RCA/BMG and released two mildly successful albums; the first included 1992’s “Anything At All” which made Billboard’s top 100.  He released a third and fourth album under different labels, but neither built on the momentum of the initial efforts.

Malloy’s livelong passion for songwriting led him to Nashville to write with some of the industry’s best.  As with Thompson, Malloy had tempting offers that would have led him in a different directions … including the opportunity to front the next incarnation of VanHalen.  Nashville, however, offered him a bigger dream … writing, performing and producing country music.

A simple meeting in a Nashville club brought these two together and South of Eden was born.  They are launching themselves into the world of country music this summer with their debut single, “Love Made a Liar (out of me).”  Written by Malloy, Victoria Shaw, and Stephen McClintock, it won the International Songwriting Competition’s award for Country Song.

Main stage headline entertainment for 2010 includes The Kentucky Headhunters on Thursday, September 9, country star Joe Nichols on Friday, September 10, and Blues Traveler on Saturday, September 11.  These concerts all begin at 8:30 p.m. and are free of charge.  For more information on the full list of activities or are interested in Kernel Sponsorship Seats upfront for the entertainment, visit www.popcornfestival.com.