When Melissa Ludwig found her musical soul mate in Mitch Connell, the couple wasted no time giving flight to a host of songs bottled up inside a nine-to-five existence.

Originally called Raleigh Maroon, the duo started playing acoustic gigs in San Antonio coffee shops in 2008, polishing songs Ludwig had penned over the years and writing new ones together. They caught the ear of drummer AJ Navarro and the band quickly went electric. Bassist Douglas Turley joined in 2010.

In Oct. 2010, the band released their debut album “Now That You're Here,” 11 “sparkling gems...intelligently written and exquisitely crafted,” according to Richard Skanse of Lone Star Music Magazine.

The album broke into the Top 60 of the national Americana charts, and won Album of the Year in the San Antonio Current's 2010 Rammy Awards. Readers also chose the group as San Antonio’s Best Country/Americana Band, and they became the first group to perform at the Valero Alamobowl.

Compared to “crossover darlings” such as Sheryl Crow, Stevie Nicks and Janis Joplin by the Texas Music Examiner, Ludwig’s songs feel at home across genres, from radio-friendly pop to alternative country without the twang.

“A genuine voice that belts out honest, bare-her-soul songs with passion and panache,” wrote Gleason Booth in Texas Music Magazine. “Centered on thoughtful and emotional lyrics...the music comes to life with instantly likable lead guitar riffs.”

The band has played all over Texas and the Hill Country and has entertained at festivals such as Fiesta Oyster Bake, Rock the Republic, Windows on Texas and the Rock n' Roll Marathon, which selected the band's tune "The Way You Feel" for a compilation album. The song also won honorable mention in 100% Music Songwriting Contest.

The group has been featured on Fox News, KENS 5, WOAI, KSYM 90.1 and KRTU 91.7 and in the Best Buy/Epiphone in-store music series.

They are planning a national tour in 2011. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.