September Music Column 2014
Send me music stuff, I love to get it! / Preshiaswriter@hotmail.com (TN/USA). Google “Preshias”
AMERICANA NEWS: The Americana Music Association will host 70+ artists for the 2014 Americana fest lineup. Announced are: The Haden Triplets, Sturgill Simpson, The Devil Makes Three, Leftover Salmon featuring Bill Payne of Little Feat, Angaleena Presley and Cory Chisel’s Soul Obscura join already announced artists including The Avett Brothers, Lee Ann Womack, Josh Ritter, Sarah Jarosz and Marty Stuart, among many others. Americana fest will kick off with the 13th Annual Honors & Awards show on Wednesday, September 17 at the Ryman Auditorium, honoring legends Jackson Browne, Loretta Lynn, Taj Mahal and Flaco Jimenez. The festival will offer more than 160 official showcases across 11 Nashville venues, 40 more performances and five more venues than last year’s fest. Info on Festival and Conference registration is available at www.americanamusic.org.
ALBUM NEWS: GRAVITY, the latest album from hit-making duo Big & Rich since 2011, is set to hit stores on Tuesday, September 23rdwith a major roll-out. As part of GRAVITY’S release, Big & Rich are promoting their current hit single, “Look At You,” and setting the stage for album release week where John Rich and Big Kenny will be making stops in both New York City and Los Angeles. The dynamic duo, who that is celebrating their 10th anniversary, are scheduled for the TODAY show on Thursday, September 25, 2014, powered by a full band performance. In addition, they will perform on numerous shows in New York and Los Angeles. For additional info, visit:www.bigandrich.com.
ARTIST NEWS: Newcomer Clare Dunn recently became the highest charting independent female artist on the Music Row Country Breakout chart in 10 years. Her debut single, “Get Out,” currently sits at #15 on the Music Row chart. Over 80% of the Music Row panel supported her debut single, “Get Out,” which has accumulated over 30,000 spins on the chart to date. In addition, “Get Out” has reached #41 on Billboard Indicator and #43 on Aircheck Activator. Dunn co-wrote “Get Out” with writer-producer Ben West. For more information on Clare Dunn, visit www.ClareDunn.com or follow Clare Dunn on Facebook and Twitter.
BENEFIT NEWS: Singer/songwriter JOHNNY ORR shares the heartache of Autism and the hope for a cure in his new single and video, “We’ll Get By (The Autism Song).” The release coincides with Autism Awareness Month and the track is available for purchase now on iTunes. A portion of the song’s proceeds benefit Blooming With Autism, an organization founded in 2011. BWA’s goals are to unite the Autism Community and provide the tools, resources, awareness and advocacy necessary for families affected by the condition. “We’ll Get By (The Autism Song)” is from Orr’s forthcoming EP, DOWN SOUTH (John & John Entertainment). More atwww.facebook.com/johnnyorrband
BLUEGRASS NEWS: Bluegrass duo The Roys have launched THE VIEW: Track-by-Track, the official companion video to their September release, The View. The candid overview features Elaine and Lee revealing the stories behind the disc’s songs, and offering insights into the recording process. Elaine Roy stated that she and Lee love the idea of addressing fans directly because folks always want to know about the creative process. The new album is driven by “No More Lonely,” the upbeat first single that was released to radio in June. A link to the video, on The Boot, is at www.theroysonline.com
BOOK NEWS: Hit songs can be the soundtrack to our lives. The songs themselves become timeless, and the stars who sing them become legends. Every song tells a story and, in his new book NASHVILLE SONGWRITER (The Inside Stories Behind Country Music’s Greatest Hits), music biographer Jake Brown reveals these stories – and one of Music City’s best-kept secrets. The book will be availableSeptember 9th from BenBella Books, at popular online retail outlets including Amazon and in major book retail chains nationwide. The book exposes the fact that the majority of hits were written or co-written by an elite club of Music City songwriters, 20 of whom are exclusively interviewed within its 300-plus pages.
BUSINESS BUZZ: Donna Lee, Owner of Buddy Lee Attractions, Inc. (BLA) has announced the expansion of the agency representation to encompass Bluegrass performing artists. The announcement and agency progression follows suit to usher the commemoration of Buddy Lee Attractions’ 50th Anniversary celebration this year and arrives on the heels of the agency’s earlier announcement this week–BLA recently signed THE ROYS to an exclusive booking agreement for worldwide representation. BLA also introduced the addition of Jeff Brown & Still Lonesome (JBSL). JBSL released its CD titled BLUE SIDE OF ME (Mountain Fever Records) in 2013. For Jeff Brown & Still Lonesome artist our tour information, visit: www.jeffbrownandstilllonesome.com.
CD NEWS: Trisha Yearwood has made smile around the globe with the announcement of her new album release PRIZE FIGHTER. It’s her 12th studio album, and her first since 2007’s Grammy-nominated HEAVEN, HEARTACHE And The POWER Of LOVE. Yearwood will turn 50 on September 19th. It’s been 23 years since her first single “She’s in Love With the Boy.” It was also announced that Yearwood (who has spent her years away from music building her brand as a professional culinary artist) has a new cookbook. ‘Trisha’s Table’, her third, will hit shelves and tablets in April 2015. Meanwhile, her Emmy-winning cooking show, Trisha’s Southern Kitchen, returns for its fifth season on the Food Network, August 23rd. A line of Precious Metals cookware and cutlery is also in the works. Yearwood and hubby Brooks will kick off the 18 so-far-announced dates on his upcoming comeback tour, in Chicago September 4th then to Atlanta September 19th.
CONCERT NEWS: There was a pirate ship, inflatable crafts, yachts, shrimp boats, skidoos and paddle boards when the No Shoes Nation took the beach behind the legendary Flora-Bama Lounge. At 5pm, Kenny Chesney walked down the strut in orange cargos, a grey t-shirt and a ball cap, strummed a chord and sang, “Sittin’ here at the Flora-Bama/Bout to open up a big ole can o’/ good times…” The crowd of over 40,000 was primed, singing along to the song just released as an Instant Grat Track to celebrate the stadium show without a stadium. For Chesney, who took 2014 off the road to concentrate on making ‘The Big Revival’, hearing the crowd so loud moved him. Chesney later said, “It was a party. It was a day at the beach. It was a good time. But mostly, it was the gathering of the No Shoes Nation for the music, and the fun, and just getting to see each other.”
COUNTRY MUSIC HALL of FAME NEWS: The Country Music Hall of Fame & Museum has announced their 12th annual ‘Artist-in-Residence’ program, featuring Alan Jackson, to be held October 8th and 22nd at 7:00 pm in the CMA Theater. A limited number of pre-sale tickets are scheduled to be available to Alan Jackson fan club members and Museum members Friday, September 5 at 10:00 am CDT, with ‘public’ tickets available Monday, September 8 at noon CDT. Ticket prices range from $60.00 – $100.00 and can be purchased atwww.countrymusichalloffame.org/artist-in-residence.
CRACKER BARREL NEWS: Cracker Barrel Old Country Store® and legendary country music group Alabama announced the release of Angels Among Us: Hymns & Gospel Favorites: Deluxe Edition, which available from September 8 exclusively at all 632 Cracker Barrel Old Country Store® locations and online at crackerbarrel.com. The digital album will also be available for purchase at select digital retailers. The Deluxe Edition contains three exclusive bonus tracks not found on the regular edition that will be released later in September by Gaither Music Group. The album contains 15 songs and will sell for $11.99. For more info, visit crackerbarrel.com.
DIAPER NEWS: Congratulations to Lady Antebellum’s Dave Haywood and wife Kelli, who are expecting their first child. Lady A announced the news on Twitter, where they said, “So excited for a new Baby A on the way in Sept! And it’s a boy!
ENDORSEMENT NEWS: Nashville singer/songwriter Lucas Hoge is garnering “must-hear” acclaim from country radio, its fans, and various companies with like-minded branding objectives, with his new single entitled “Flip Flops.” The tune (co-written by Hoge and JD Wood) paints a radiant picture of warm winds, hot skin, tan lines and bikini tops and is poised to be the summertime song of the year. Complimenting Hoge’s “Flip Flops” single promotion and music video campaigns, a number of companies have climbed aboard. PUREFactory Naturals-Flip Flop Collection and Sandals For Your Neck™ will join Hoge in a number of specialty cross promotions and giveaways—launching from the artist’s social media sites. More info at www.lucashoge.com or Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @lucashoge,
IEBA NEWS: IEBA (International Entertainment Buyers Association) has announced the IEBA Hall of Fame honorees to be inducted at the close of its 44th Annual Conference on September 30. IEBA’s Hall of Fame recognizes achievement by elite live entertainment industry professionals. The class of 2014 includes The Doobie Brothers and their longtime manager Bruce Cohn, veteran manager and agent Jim Halsey, and iconic event producers Bob and Peggy Kaltenbach of Klein’s Entertainment. IEBA will also honor Romeo Entertainment Group with its Industry Achievement Award. IEBA will host its 44th Annual Conference on September 27-30, 2014 at the Omni Nashville. Registration is open. For more info, visit www.ieba.org or call 615-679-7901.
INDUSTRY NEWS: The legendary southern rock group The Marshall Tucker Band [MTB]’s label, Ramblin’ Records, has signed a multi-year deal with Red Distribution, a division of Sony Music Entertainment. Ramblin’ Records has already released its entire back catalog through RED and this fall will release Live From Englishtown, the band’s live set from the legendary 1977 outdoor concert that drew more than 150,000 fans. For more information on The Marshall Tucker Band, visit www.marshalltucker.com or the group’s official Facebook Page.
LABEL NEWS: (Broken Bow) The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) has recognized Jason Aldean as the Top Male Country Artist in the history of RIAA’s Digital Gold & Platinum Awards, the music industry’s premier program for celebrating artistic achievement in the marketplace. To date, Aldean has tallied over 21.5 million cumulative RIAA Digital Single Certifications counting song downloads and on-demand streams. Recently, Aldean’s new single “Burnin’ It Down” ranked as the top selling single in the country in all genres and marked his biggest career debut ever at country radio. For more info and for a full list of “Burn It Down 2014” tour dates, visit www.jasonaldean.com.
(Columbia Records) With the recent release of Chase Rice’s new studio album IGNITE THE NIGHT, Rice is moving full-steam ahead with the launch of his Ignite the Night Tour, which kicks off in Denver, Colorado on September 5th. Up-and-coming country music group Old Dominion and singer-songwriter Michael Ray will join Rice as supporting acts for select dates on the tour. For more info, visitwww.ChaseRice.com or follow on Twitter and Facebook @ChaseRiceMusic.
MEDIA NEWS: Shannon McCombs is now producing interviews and country news for Wrangler’s new content site Wrangler Network. Some of her first interviews for the new website were with Billy Ray Cyrus, Craig Morgan, Jo Dee Messina, and Mark Wills. Look for more country music news coverage from Shannon in the near future. I’ll keep you posted! Updates at her website atshannoncountry.com.
MUSIC NEWS: Lucinda Williams is set to release her first-ever double album “Down Where The Spirit Meets The Bone” on September 30 through her own Highway 20 Records. The album is said to be Williams’ most ambitious and adventurous projects to date, featuring 20 new songs, with 18 written by Williams. The album’s opening track, “Compassion”, was originally a poem by her father, the poet Miller Williams, for which she wrote the music and additional lyrics. See www.lucindawilliams.com.
NATD NEWS: Music veteran and longtime industry leader Tandy Rice was presented with the Nashville Association of Talent Directors (NATD)’s highest honor at the organization’s annual picnic. Now in his mid-70s, Rice bolstered the careers of such notables as Porter Wagoner, Dolly Parton, Tom T. Hall, The Kendalls, Jim Ed Brown, Helen Cornelius and Jerry Clower, and gave rise to the infamous Billy Carter’s “Billy Beer” as President and CEO of Top Billing International. Rice also helped shape the Country Music industry while serving on the Board of Directors of the Country Music Association (CMA) for over a decade and as President in 1981. Info at www.natd.com.
NSAI NEWS: The Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) has partnered with Frost Specialty to offer its members affordable and easy-to-purchase general liability insurance for performances on a per-show basis. The premium covers one show and is made available exclusively to members of NSAI for $55 per show and can cover multiple shows. According to Robert Frost, president of Frost Specialty, this is a significantly-reduced premium designed specifically for the songwriter members of NSAI who are often required by venues to carry liability insurance for their performance. According to NSAI Executive Director Bart Herbison, Frost has created a policy that is less expensive than typical policies and has staff to expedite coverage when it is necessary for songwriters. For more info on the general liability performance insurance policy, contact info@frostspecialty.com or 615-322-9171.
RIAA NEWS: Florida Georgia Line’s “Cruise” is now official (RIAA) 8,000,000 times multi-platinum certification. Luke Bryan’s “Country Girl (Shake It For Me) reaches 3,000,000 times multi-platinum. RIAA issued 1,000,000 Platinum certification for Kacey Musgraves’ “Merry Go ‘Round” and Jerrod Niemann’s “Drink To That All Night;” and 500,000 gold certification for Miranda Lambert & Carrie Underwood’s “Somethin’ Bad,” Brett Eldredge’s “Beat of the Music,” Joe Nichols’ “Yeah,” Musgraves’ “Follow Your Arrow,”Dierks Bentley’s “Drunk On A Plane,” Tyler Farr’s “Whiskey In My Water” and Chris Young’s “Who I Am With You.” In albums, Florida Georgia Line’s HERE’S TO THE GOOD TIMES received 4,000,000 times multi-platinum certification. Gold certification was issued to Eric Church’s THE OUTSIDERS, Lambert’s PLATINUM, Musgraves’ SAME TRAILER DIFFERENT PARK and George Strait’s LOVE IS EVERYTHING.
STAGE NEWS: There was a pirate ship, inflatable crafts, yachts, shrimp boats, skidoos and paddle boards when the No Shoes Nation took the beach behind the legendary Flora-Bama Lounge. At 5pm, Kenny Chesney walked down the strut in orange cargos, a grey t-shirt and a ball cap, strummed a chord and sang, “Sittin’ here at the Flora-Bama/ Bout to open up a big ole can o’/ good times…” The crowd of over 40,000 was primed, singing along to the song just released as an Instant Grat Track to celebrate the stadium show without a stadium. For Chesney, who took 2014 off the road to concentrate on making ‘The Big Revival’, hearing the crowd so loud moved him.
SONGWRITER NEWS: Two award-winning songwriters – Kim McLean of Nashville and Eve Selis from San Diego – met the week of September 11, 2001 during one of the darkest times of US history. Eve was looking for songs for her new CD, and on three of the ten she found, Kim was a writer. They performed a show that week and a friendship/professional bond was formed. Production and performances and music to heal and inspire began from that initial meeting. Now they are known as Cactus Honey and they describe their music as SURVIVOR music. They un-apologetically sing of grown-up experience in deference to what Top40 and contemporary radio say people want to hear. More info at https://www.facebook.com/cactushoney
TOUR NEWS: Dierks Bentley has added a second leg to his 2014 RISER TOUR. The 20 city run begins Oct. 2 in Stockton, CA and runs through the end of the year with special guests Randy Houser and Eric Paslay on the US dates and Houser and rising Canadian artist Tim Hicks on the stops north of the border. Fans can now purchase tickets for the first announced dates at www.dierks.com with more details to be revealed over the next few weeks. Bentley’s smash hit of the summer, “Drunk On A Plane,” continues to gain momentum, selling an average of over 65,000 singles a week.
WEDDING NEWS: Congrats to Love and Theft’s Stephen Barker Liles and his new bride Jenna Michelle Kennedy. They were engaged in May 2013, when Liles, 30, dropped down on one knee on the beach in Fort Myers, Florida. The couple brought their 9-month-old son Jett up to the altar for a special dedication and included their siblings, along with Liles’ bandmate Eric Gunderson, in the wedding party. Liles’s father, Donnie, performed the ceremony.
WWWEBSITES TO CHECK OUT: www.globalsongwriters.com / nashvegas.com / www.cdxcd.com
www.bouldercreekguitars.com / www.musiccityradio.com
WHO’S LOOKING * WHO’S CUTTING: Lauren Alaina, Gloriana, Alan Jackson, Michael Ray, Gyth Rigdon
and Carrie Underwood.
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