Athena McIntyre back for third BAC Levitt AMP Concert Series

Hard work and dedication pays off. That’s what Athena McIntyre thinks. But she has the evidence to prove it.

For the first BAC Levitt AMP Concert Series in 2016, McIntyre opened for Whitney Myer.

At last year’s BAC concert, McIntyre opened for The Novelists.

This year, McIntyre is ready to shine in her debut as a headliner.

“I’m super excited to be headlining,” she said. “It’s going to be a good time.”

The singer-songwriter from Virginia City is proud to see everything she’s put into her career pay off to make this show possible.

“I think with the hard work and dedication that you put into anything of your skill set — it starts to show,” she said. “If people jump into their dreams, they can make movement and things happen.”

And since the concert series’ beginning, she’s happy to see it grow and become an event to look forward to in Carson City. She credits Brewery Arts Center director Gina Hill for her devotion.

“Gina has done a fantastic, amazing job at what she has been doing,” McIntyre said. “You can see the difference in Carson City already. The music that has been on display has been phenomenal. It’s definitely becoming more artsy, and it’s awesome to see that.”

Carson City is a special place to McIntyre, and she said going to Mills Park is one of her favorite places to go. She remembers doing an Easter egg hunt there at 5 or 6 years old.

“I would say Mills Park is No. 1 for grounding myself and meditation,” she said.

She also enjoys stopping at Sassafras Eclectic Food Joint and the hot springs. She used to work at Comma Coffee and likes to stop in and grab a cup now and then.

McIntyre shows no signs of slowing down anytime soon. She’s currently on an extensive tour and after the Carson City stop, she heads east to hit up shows in Oklahoma, Texas and Tennessee. When she comes back home she’ll have a few shows in the area as well.

When she settles in from her busy trip, she will continue recording an EP she’s working on with producer Tom Gordon out of Reno. McIntyre said she had put the project on hold when she went on tour, but she wants to release the full album next year.

“It takes getting in the studio and laying down the tracks,” she said. “I have the material, I’m just busy on the road right now.”

McIntyre released her first album “About a Gurl” in 2015. She also has another successful musician in her family tree. Her cousin is Lenny Zakatek, who was known as “The Voice” on The Alan Parsons Project.

While the concert on Saturday will be one to remember for McIntyre, her success is only measured by her happiness.

“I look at success as the happiness that you put into your art and into what you do in life,” she said.