Left to right, front row: Mary Claire Rackley, vocals/keyboards (Gulfport, MS), Libby Switzer, vocals (Gulfport, MS), Neshun Holmes, vocals (McComb, MS), and Hannah Taylor, vocals (Southaven, MS); second row: Christen Morris, bass (Cleveland, MS), Liz Sprague, social media manager (North Berwick, ME), Kelsey Piccolo, tour manager (Biloxi, MS), Allyson Taylor, videographer (Houston, MS), and Evan Lindsey, guitar (Minter City, MS); back row: Will Garrett, drums (Meridian, MS), Garrett McDill, production manager (Sebastopol, MS), and Javeon McNairy, keyboards (Prairie, MS).The DMI All Stars, a select group of entertainment industry students from the Delta Music Institute (DMI) program at Delta State University, are preparing to travel to Los Angeles, Calif., to perform on the Target Terrace at GRAMMY Museum® at L.A. Live for Mississippi Night! during GRAMMY® Week. Their Feb. 7 performance will include a set list designed to emphasize the influence Mississippi has had on music.
In addition to playing at GRAMMY Museum at L.A. Live, the band plans to kick off this year’s festivities with a performance at Hal & Mal’s in Jackson, Miss. on Jan. 26 and a special ticketed performance at GRAMMY Museum® Mississippi on Jan 31. For ticket information, visit www.grammymuseumms.org.
The DMI All Stars trip provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for students to perform during Grammy week. Aside from the band itself, which is comprised of eight musicians, the All Stars also provides the same opportunity for four students to act as the group’s production team. All students involved in this trip are entertainment industry majors in the DMI program.
In addition to the DMI All Stars performance, Mississippi’s own Randy Houser is set to headline the Mississippi Night! event. Many of Mississippi’s civic and professional leaders also plan on attending.
Libby Switzer, a Gulfport native and one of the DMI All Stars vocalists, says, “Having to practice almost every night is pushing us to our limits, but I can feel us coming together as a group more and more after every rehearsal. We’re all really proud to be performing for Mississippi.”
DMI Director Tricia Walker comments, “This is such a wonderful opportunity for DMI students to travel to Los Angeles and put their entertainment industry training into practice. An experience like this is a great example of the hands-on learning our degree program provides for our students.”
