Cynthia Renee, Serena Karise, Katie Fry and The Wildwood Roses bring modern country, alt-folk, ’90s influences and traditional harmonies together for one special night Sept. 26
Four artists representing distinctly different branches of country music will share one stage later this month when Women in Country comes to The Boardwalk, and tickets are on sale now for the special Saturday night showcase.
Set for Sept. 26, Women in Country brings together Sacramento-area recording artist Cynthia Renee, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Katie Fry, Northern California country performer Serena Karise and Folsom-based vocal trio The Wildwood Roses.
It is a lineup that stretches across generations and styles. Contemporary Nashville country, alt-country and folk, the influence of the country music of the 1990s and harmony-driven roots music all have a place in the evening.
That variety is at the heart of the show. Rather than assembling four artists who approach country music from the same direction, Women in Country offers four interpretations of a genre that has continually evolved while remaining grounded in songwriting and storytelling.
Tickets are currently offered at $20, $25 and $35, plus applicable taxes and fees. Doors open at 7 p.m., with the music beginning at 8 p.m. Sept. 26 at The Boardwalk, 9426 Greenback Lane in Orangevale.
Cynthia Renee brings Nashville connection back home
Cynthia Renee enters the showcase with considerable momentum in her recording career and a growing connection between the Sacramento region and Nashville.
The Sacramento-area singer-songwriter signed with Twelve-Seventeen/SSM Nashville Records in 2023 and most recently accepted an extension with label that will expand into a management role in 2026 and beyond. Renee has built her sound around contemporary country, personal songwriting and a vocal style aimed squarely at connecting with listeners.
Renee has made hundreds of regional appearances while her original music has increasingly reached audiences beyond Northern California. Her songs “Good on Me” and “Working on a Hangover” have received national country radio attention, with her releases reaching the MusicRow Country Breakout Chart.
Her career took another step forward in March when she released her self-titled debut album, giving the singer a larger collection of original material after several years of building recognition through individual releases and live performances.
Her 2026 single “The Way God Made Me” also earned a Song of the Year nomination at the Mississippi Music Awards, another indication of Renee’s expanding reach outside her home region. She has shared the stage locally and abroad during her rise with many of today’s rising stars and music veterans, including Uncle Cracker, Chase Bryant as well as fellow well known song writers like Mark Mackay, CJ Solar, Craig Morgan, Morgan Myles and more.
Despite those Nashville connections and national aspirations, Northern California remains central to Renee’s career. Her appearance at Women in Country gives local audiences another opportunity to see an artist whose career has increasingly stretched beyond the Sacramento region without leaving those local roots behind while following the path of many of her influences such as Dolly Parton, Carrie Underwood, Melissa Etheridge, Lainey Wilson and more.
Serena Karise brings ’90s country influence with a modern edge
Serena Karise brings another dimension to Women in Country with a sound shaped by the powerhouse women of country music’s past and a new generation that continues to push the genre forward.
The Northern California country artist has built a regional following around high-energy performances, powerful vocals and an ability to move between country favorites and her own original material. Her sound carries a strong ’90s-country influence while adding elements of the more modern, harder-edged country heard today.
Among the artists who have influenced Karise are Jo Dee Messina and Reba McEntire, two performers who helped define an era when female voices were a major force on country radio. Her influences also extend to contemporary artists including Ella Langley and Lainey Wilson, giving her music a connection between those earlier country traditions and the genre’s current generation.
That combination comes through in Karise’s live performances, where country storytelling meets a more energetic stage presence. Rather than simply revisiting familiar songs, she mixes country classics and reinvented favorites with original material, giving audiences a sense of both the music that influenced her and the direction she is taking her own career.
Karise has steadily expanded her experience on stages throughout the region, performing at festivals, fairs, casinos and other live music venues. She has shared the stage with Lily Rose and has opened for nationally recognized country artists including Sara Evans, Gabby Barrett and Deana Carter.
Those opportunities have placed her alongside performers representing several different eras of modern country music, something that fits particularly well with the concept behind Women in Country.
Katie Fry takes country toward the singer-songwriter tradition
Katie Fry brings a noticeably different sound to the evening.
The Sacramento-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist describes her music as an alt-country-pop-inspired form of folk, putting storytelling and melody at the center of songs dealing with love, friendship, struggle and hope.
Fry also brings unusual instrumental versatility to the stage. In addition to singing, she plays piano, guitar, harp and flute.
Her 2021 EP, “My California,” showcased that singer-songwriter approach with five original tracks written and produced by Fry. She followed it with additional releases including “Day After Day,” “Here I Go” and “Somewhere Far Away.”
Her presence broadens the Sept. 26 showcase beyond conventional modern country, bringing in acoustic, folk and Americana influences and demonstrating another direction contemporary roots music can travel.
Wildwood Roses carry country music back to its roots
While the other performers demonstrate where country music has traveled, The Wildwood Roses provide a direct connection to some of the traditions that helped build it.
The Folsom-based female vocal trio of Sunny Mitchell, Lizzy Malekos and Bella Lazaro has become a familiar presence throughout the region with its spirited homage to The Carter Sisters and the deep roots of American country music.
Formed in 2015, The Wildwood Roses have built their identity around rich three-part harmony, acoustic musicianship and the preservation of music associated with some of country’s pioneering women.
The group has become particularly connected to the Folsom community through concerts, city events, fundraisers and productions celebrating American roots music. In 2025, the trio marked its 10th anniversary.
Their musical journey has also created connections to the Cash and Carter families whose histories are intertwined with the development of country music.
The Wildwood Roses have performed with W.S. Holland, Johnny Cash’s longtime drummer, and have shared stages with Cash family members including Johnny Cash’s grandson Thomas Gabriel Cash and nephew Mark Alan Cash. They have also performed with third-generation Carter family members Lorrie Carter Bennett and Carlene Carter.
One of their most memorable moments came in Folsom in 2022, when John Carter Cash invited The Wildwood Roses to sing with him on stage during his visit to the city.
Those experiences have allowed the trio to do more than recreate early country music. They have developed relationships with descendants and musicians directly connected to the artists whose work they honor.
Their appearance at The Boardwalk gives Women in Country its deepest historical connection, reaching back toward the harmony-driven traditions that helped establish country music long before it became a modern commercial genre.
Four paths through country music meet on one stage
Put the four acts together and Women in Country becomes something of a musical journey.
The Wildwood Roses reach back toward country’s early harmony and roots traditions. Serena Karise brings the influence and energy of the 1990s. Katie Fry takes the music into alt-country, folk and singer-songwriter territory, while Cynthia Renee represents a contemporary Northern California artist building a recording career with direct ties to Nashville.
The common thread is that all four are rooted in Northern California, making the Sept. 26 concert as much a showcase of the region’s female musical talent as it is a celebration of country music itself.
Women in Country begins at 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, at The Boardwalk, 9426 Greenback Lane in Orangevale. Doors open at 7 p.m.
Tickets are currently offered at $20, $25 and $35, plus applicable taxes and fees. The show is open to all ages, with guests under 21 required to be accompanied by a parent or guardian. All ticket sales are final.
Tickets and additional information are available through The Boardwalk’s Women in Country event and ticket page.
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