Scottish singer performs Grand Exposition Hall

Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall burst onto the public consciousness last year with her gritty debut album Eye to the Telescope, a provocative sonic mesh of heartfelt pop, rootsy, electric blues and left-field alt-rock. Come see her perform on 9 p.m. Aug. 22 in the Grande Exposition Hall at Silver Legacy Resort Casino.

Tickets
$60, $45 and $35 and can be purchased online at www.silverlegacy.com and ticketmaster.com or by calling 1-800-MUST-SEE or 775-325-7401 or at the Box Office located on the main casino floor.

Eye to the Telescope spawned three hit singles – the Grammy Award-nominated “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree,” “Suddenly I See” and “Other Side of the World,” all of which became omnipresent on radio, television, movies and the Internet. Eye to the Telescope has been certified platinum in the U.S. with worldwide sales exceeding 3.5 million copies.

Tunstall’s follow-up entitled Drastic Fantastic was released in Sept. 2007 and showcases her growth as both a songwriter and musician on songs like the thumping “Hold On,” the rollicking “Saving My Face,” the jazz-inflected “Someday Soon,” and the frisky pop gem “I Don’t Want You Now.” The album debuted at No. 9 on the U.S. Billboard charts.

Associated musicians
Throughout her 20s, she mostly played in independent bands including Elia Drew and Tomoko, and focused on songwriting, as well as performing with members of the fledgling Fence Collective including work in the Skubaidh Dubh Orchestra with King Creosote, who recently supported her UK tour. She toured with the Klezmer band Oi Va Voi, and was featured on their album, Laughter Through Tears. In Edinburgh and St. Andrews, she played in a band called Red Light Stylus, which was regarded as one of the better bands to emerge from the limited Fife scene.

Big break
Tunstall's first appearance of note was a solo performance of her famed blues song "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" on “Later with Jools Holland.” The performance was notable as she had only 24 hours to prepare after scheduled performer Nas cancelled. Her performance caught the eye of many viewers, upstaging more established acts such as The Cure, Embrace, and The Futureheads; she then went on to top the post-show poll on the website for that episode.

Shortly after the "Later" appearance, Eye to the Telescope was re-released and shot up the UK charts, eventually peaking at No. 3 (on its first release it had entered at No. 73); it was nominated for the 2005 Mercury Music Prize and was released in the U.S. in Feb. 2006.

Tunstall's North American break came when American Idol contestant Katharine McPhee contacted her asking to use "Black Horse and the Cherry Tree" as her choice for a Billboard-themed week. At the time, the song was No. 79 on the Billboard charts and immediately jumped to No. 23 on the Billboard charts the week following McPhee's performance.

Latest album
Tunstall released a new acoustic album in May 2006, KT Tunstall's Acoustic Extravaganza, which was first only available via mail order from her website. The album was re-released in stores worldwide in October 2006.