Midwestern Appalachian folk pop quartet Count This Penny unplug for Patten - Sept. 20

photo Band members for Count This Penny are Allen Rigell, Amanda Rigell, Ben Wolf and Andrew Harrison.

IF YOU GO• What: Patten Unplugged featuring Count This Penny.• When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 20.• Where: UTC Fine Arts Center, 752 Vine St.• Admission: $25 adults, $20 seniors, $15 students.• Phone: 423-425-4269.• Website: www.utc.edu/fine-arts-center/pattenperformances.

For musicians who are used to having complete creative control, the concept of letting someone else into the songwriting process can be off-putting or even distressing. Yet with the departure last year of banjo player John Ray from the lineup of Count This Penny, co-founders Allen and Amanda Rigell threw open the doors to a pair of newcomers.

Allen describes himself and his wife as introverted "worriers" who have preferred for years to develop songs independently rather than collaborate. Rather than return once again to performing as a duo last year, however, they decided to buttress their stark country folk ballads with the aid of electric guitarist Andrew Harrison and drummer Ben Wolf.

The beefier lineup has had a dramatic impact on the Madison, Wis.-based folk country duo-turned-quartet, named this year as one of their state's bands to watch by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

"A huge highlight [this year] has just been creatively learning to play with a fuller sound while still keeping the melodies forward and the vocals forward," Allen Rigell says. "Creatively, that's been a huge highlight. We've had a lot of highlights, but the big one is learning to play as a four-piece."

Saturday, Sept. 20, Count This Penny will be the second artist in this year's Patten Performances Series at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. The show will be the first of two "unplugged" dates featuring artists performing all-acoustic sets.

Although they now call the Midwest home, the Rigells have roots in Tennessee. They met while attending middle school in Oak Ridge, and were based in Johnson City before their move to Madison.

Since they began performing under the name Count This Penny in 2009, they have quickly established themselves as a band, selling out shows in their hometown, touring nationally and making an appearance in 2012 on "A Prairie Home Companion."

Their appearance on the public radio variety show was a particularly large feather in their caps. After struggling with the concept of "imposter syndrome," landing such a high-profile gig was especially vindicating, Allen Rigell says.

"Having the opportunity very early in the growth of who we were as songwriters and musicians was awesome," he says. "It was breathtaking, and I think it did help us to gain a little bit of confidence in ourselves."

Not that the band has dawdled over any of its laurels and accolades. Soon, Count This Penny will release a five-song EP, its first to feature the newly bolstered lineup. Rather than bask in two-year-old glory, Rigell says he and his bandmates are focused on discovering who they are in this new configuration and hitting the musical "sweet spot" of creating songs that resonate with listeners.

"As a songwriter, those moments ... never get old," he says. "That's what keeps bringing you back. [I]t's a rush, and you want to have that over and over again."

Contact Casey Phillips at cphillips@timesfree press.com or 423-757-6205. Follow him on Twitter at @PhillipsCTFP.

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