Patrick Darrah’s music tells a ‘Northern Truth’

The story behind ‘I Never Got Over You’

 Small towns seem to breed great country singers, and those small towns aren’t always located in America’s southern states. Patrick Darrah grew up in the small rural town of Bloomingdale, NY, where he joined his father’s auto body shop when he left school. He looked set to carry on the tradition as the fourth generation technician in the family business.

But music was calling. Earning a college degree in music production and audio engineering, he moved on, first to New York City and then further afield.  He is now settled in Nashville to focus on his career as a singer and songwriter.

Patrick Darrah

His new album, NORTHERN TRUTH, dropped a few weeks ago and the lead-off single from the album, ‘I Never Got Over You,’ is now at country radio.  We met during CMA Fest 2018 to talk about his music.

This is one of a series of interviews that I conducted with rising singer/songwriters during CMA Fest to find out about their new music, their musical influences and their experience at CMA Fest.

From Punk to Country

Prehias Harris: What was the music you listened to, growing up in Bloomingdale, New York?

Patrick Darrah:  A wide, wide variety.  My dad was born in the 1950s so I heard all that 60s and 70s rock and roll; Roy Orbison, Temptations, all that kind of stuff.  He was in a band so I heard him practicing. And my mother’s interest was country and things like the Allman Brothers, Marshall Tucker, Asleep At The Wheel… all those good quality, full bands that made some of the greatest songs, I think, ever written. So all of that, but I was in a punk rock band actually, growing up, if you can believe that!

PH:  I can’t see that! I’m sorry!

Patrick Darrah’s Northern Truth

PD:  Yeah, that tends to be a bit of a shocker when I tell people that. But, you know, going through your ‘teenage angst’ years, and all that. But everyone in the town loved country and the musicians played it, so we’d play ‘bar band’ music and punk rock music and I was playing my country music on the side. So it was a mix of everything.

PH:  Who have been some of the biggest influences on your career? You’ve moved around a lot, too.

PD: I was in Pennsylvania in a little town called Richland. Oddly enough, I was going through a particularly strange but good part of my life at that time.  Kind of sorting out my own personal demons, figuring out my direction musically. I don’t know it was necessarily the music around me more than the town itself and the people that were there. But playing in smaller bars there and meeting people did a lot to help shape the sound and the style of my music. Continue reading “Patrick Darrah’s music tells a ‘Northern Truth’”

The Band Steel catch Moon in a Mason Jar

Creating Country that rocks

 Bo Steele and Ben Rubino are the Band Steele. They’ve been friends since they met in high school in Winston County, Alabama.  After a video of Bo singing in a hospital waiting room went viral, they became celebrities appearing on local television and the nationally-syndicated Rick and Bubba radio show. They are now signed to indie label Fire River Records.

The Band Steele ‘Moon in a Mason Jar’

Bo and Ben are currently touring to support their new album, MOON IN A MASON JAR. ‘Good Times,’ one of the tracks on the album, is featured in the movie ‘Life on the Line’ starring John Travolta, Kate Bosworth and Sharon Stone. (Bo also secured a role in the movie!)

The Band Steele sat down to talk with me just after Fan Fest 2018.  Or rather, Ben could talk, but Bo, who was suffering from strained vocal cords, was under doctor’s order to have complete vocal rest.  Ben spoke for both of them while the normally talkative Bo wrote some notes that he could share with Ben and me during the interview.

This is one of a series of interviews that I conducted with rising singer/songwriters during CMA Fest to find out about their new music, their musical influences and their experience at CMA Fest.

Playing on Broadway

Preshias Harris:  Tell us what was one of the highlights of CMA Fest 2018 for you? And did you get to see any of your favorite artists?

The Band Steele

Ben Rubino:  We were too busy to see any of our favorite artists. But my highlight would be that we got to play down on Broadway at The Valentine. Just playing on Broadway, that’s what Nashville’s all about. So that was my highlight for sure.

PH:  Was there any moment this year, interacting with fans, that stood out for you?

BR:  So hard for me to pinpoint a moment.  But the reaction from everybody, it was just amazing.  I remember we were playing Alley Taps in Printers Alley and there was this table off to our left.  We were jammin’ and they were just loving it!  They were complete strangers and they were in that moment where I was at and it was just awesome!

PH:  So the stars just lined up?

BR:  Yeah, it was just a good feeling!

PH:  Was this your first CMA Fest?

BR:  It was our first time performingat CMA Fest.

PH:  What were your main influences when you were growing up?

The influence of Lynyrd Skynyrd

Continue reading “The Band Steel catch Moon in a Mason Jar”

‘Make Music Experience’ set for June 30

Summer NAMM’s special day for music ‘prosumers’

It’s almost time for the once-a-year opportunity for everyone who can’t wait to get their hands (and ears) on the latest musical instruments, tech gear and accessories. The 2018 Summer NAMM Show will be in town and has a special day on the program just for you.

On Saturday, June 30, Summer NAMM will host the ‘Make Music Experience’ at Nashville’s Music City Center. It’s an all-day, all-access pass for the prosumer audience to trial the latest music and pro audio gear from top manufacturers.  (Scroll down to order tickets online and save 50% off the ‘at-the-door’ price.)

You can participate in career-enhancing educational sessions, demo products and enjoy fun, interactive events and performances.  You can also enjoy live music with Lillie Mae, MONA and the Delta Saints on the outdoor stage.

‘Open Mic’ at Martin Guitar booth

If you are a ukulele or guitar player (and you need a cool new tee shirt) here’s an exciting opportunity for you.  On this day, Martin Guitar invites guitar and uke players of all levels to perform at Summer NAMM at the Martin Guitar and Strings Open Mic event. Attendees will be able to sign-up to perform a song during the Martin Open Mic at the convention center and everyone who plays will receive a Martin T-shirt, a set of Martin strings, and be entered to win a Martin Guitar. Martin Guitar is at booth #801.

Fender: ‘start playing in minutes’

Looking to improve your playing?  Fender Play is the easiest way to learn guitar and ukulele, featuring your favorite music and the techniques you need to start playing in minutes. Watch hundreds of high-quality video lessons to master new skills. Plus join an exclusive community of like-minded players and professional instructors. Learn more here –  and start a free trial. Visit Fender at the main Fender booth #943 or in the breezeway off 8th Ave.

Summer NAMM file photo

During the ‘Make Music Experience,’ you can also attend a variety networking events, receptions and educational events. Topics include Songwriting, Recording, Marketing and PR, Licensing, Live Sound, House of Worship and Software Development.

You can save 50% off the cost of the ‘Make Music Experience’ ticket price.  Buy tickets for only $10.00 online here  or pay $20.00 at the door.  Either way, it’s a bargain for anyone with a serious interest in music.

NAMM is the National Association of Music Merchants. More info at the NAMM Make Music Experience website.

 Preshias Harris  is a music journalist and music career development consultant with the emphasis on new and aspiring artists and songwriters. Her book, ‘The College of Songology 101: The Singer/Songwriter’s Need to Know Reference Handbook’ is available at   www.collegeofsongology.com  Follow her blog at  www.nashvillemusicline.com

CMA Fest 2018 a record-breaker with capacity crowds

47-year high in ‘fan engagement’

Michael Ray performs at CMA Fest 2018, Photo: Caitlin Harris/CMA

 CMA Fest 2018 was a huge success by just about any standard. The Country Music Association (CMA) reported the ‘highest fan engagement’ in the festival’s forty-seven year history.

Country music fans from all fifty states, Puerto Rico and thirty-six international countries poured into Music City to attend the longest-running country music festival in the world.

Overseas fans arrived from as far away as Australia, Argentina, Brazil, South Africa and Chile. Attendance from European countries, including Germany and Poland was up. So was attendance by fans from Great Britain, possibly helped by new direct flights between Nashville and London, England, on British Airways.

Fans pack Riverfront Park at CMA Fest. Photo: Hunter Berry/CMA

This year, fans could see more than 300 acts performing on 11 official stages.  Ticket proceeds go directly to helping enrich and sustain music education programs across the country through CMA’s nonprofit arm, the CMA Foundation, thanks to every artist at the festival donating their time.

Among this year’s highlights…

=>>  A sold-out CMA Songwriters Series show at the CMA Theater at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum featuring Mary Chapin Carpenter, Vince Gill, Mac McAnally and Don Schlitz.

==>  The Ultimate Fan Experiences Drawing, which offers fans special access to artists meet-and-greets and performances, saw a 36 percent increase in participants. Traffic on the festival’s official website CMAfest.com increased by more than five percent over last year.

==>  Over the course of the four-day festival, Xfinity Fan Fair X welcomed 71,000 attendees, up 10% over 2017, and hosted 365 artists across meet-and-greets and three indoor stages in the exhibit hall, including the expanded Radio Disney Country Stage.

==>  Fans enjoyed listening to and meeting the 51 up-and-coming artists featured on the new CMA Spotlight Stage.

CMA Fest MuttNation. Photo: Amanda Eckard/CMA

==>  Miranda Lambert’s MuttNation Foundation was a “pup-ular” highlight inside Fan Fair X again with 55 dogs finding their forever homes.

==>  Fan safety and security was enhanced this year. A ‘clear bag’ policy was implemented across the CMA Fest footprint. CMA ramped up safety precautions with upgraded breakaway fencing at the Chevy Riverfront Stage, which was utilized Sunday afternoon as lightning neared the area  allowing fans to exit the area swiftly.

==>  Fans got see some of country’s biggest stars, including Carrie Underwood, Charley Pride, Chris Stapleton, Dan + Shay, Darius Rucker, Dierks Bentley, Florida Georgia Line, Garth Brooks, Jason Aldean, Jon Pardi, Kane Brown, Keith Urban, Kelsea Ballerini, Luke Combs, Maddie & Tae, Trisha Yearwood and many more.

Emerging artists at CMA Fest

For me, and for many other country fans, CMA Fest offers an unrivaled opportunity to see and meet the rising artists who are performing here just as their careers begin to take off. Many years from now, when those acts are headlining, we’ll look back and say, “I saw them when…”

Among the emerging artists that I saw and spoke to this year were Adam Rutledge, Band Steele, Dallas Remington, Dugger Band, Harper Rae, Mags, Matt Rogers, Patrick Darrah, Shane Owens, Uncle Si and the Sicotics and Zach Stone.  Many of my interviews with these artists have appeared (or will soon appear) here at this blog.  Although they are all unique in their own way,  each of these acts impressed me with their courage, their persistence and their resolve to do what it takes to achieve their goals. Remember those names!

CMA Fest TV Special August 8

Photo: Hunter Berry/CMA

The festival was filmed for a three-hour special, ‘CMA Fest,’ which will be hosted by Thomas Rhett and Kelsea Ballerini and airs Wednesday, Aug. 8 on the ABC Television Network. This year marks the 15th consecutive year of the broadcast.

  • Ready to get your tix for next year?  Verified fan pre-sale for CMA Fest 2019 begins Monday, July 30, with a national on-sale Monday, Aug. 6 here.

Watch a ‘sizzle reel’ of all four days of CMA Fest 2018 at YouTube here.

CMA Fest at Nissan Stadium. Photo: Kayla Schoen/CMA

 Preshias Harris  is a music journalist and music career development consultant with the emphasis on new and aspiring artists and songwriters. Her book, ‘The College of Songology 101: The Singer/Songwriter’s Need to Know Reference Handbook’ is available at   www.collegeofsongology.com  Follow her blog at  www.nashvillemusicline.com

Harper Grae draws on her own life’s challenges

Loss and release find understanding through ‘Bloodline’

 Harper Grae is a young lady who has faced a lot of adversity in her life. She was raised by her grandparents when it became clear that her parents were unable to take care of her. Struggling to overcome the pain and sadness, Harper found comfort in music that eventually led to writing and performing songs inspired by her difficulties and the ways she faced them.

While attending Auburn University in Alabama, studying Musical Theatre and Religious Studies, she auditioned for ‘The Glee Project 2,’ a talent program attached to the hit TV show ‘Glee.’ The audition was successful and she found herself in Los Angeles for an intense education in every aspect of the musical business.

Now settled in Nashville, she has a new EP and a new single, ‘Bloodline,’ that she sang during appearances at CMA Fest 2018. Harper and I met during CMA Fest to catch up on her career.

This is one of a series of interviews that I conducted with rising singer/songwriters during CMA Fest to find out about their new music, their musical influences and their experience at CMA Fest.

CMA Fest ‘was a whirlwind’

Preshias Harris:  You made your first CMA Fest appearance this year. Can you describe that experience?

Harper Grae

Harper Grae:  Yeah, the experience was a whirlwind!  I mean, starting from the artist valet pick-up, for a small-town girl from Alabama, I was like, ‘Wow, this is SO cool!’ And walking onto the stage at CMA Fest was something I always dreamed about doing. The most incredible experience was the Meet and Greet where you really get to meet the fans and talk to them. That’s what I want to do, interact with people who like my music and want to talk about my story and the songs that I have written.

PH:  Was there a special song that stuck out to the fans, that they gave you feedback about?

HG:  They all loved ‘Bloodline.’ They all loved it.  It was the last song on the set and we really tried to ‘bring the house down’ with it.  It was cool because we were on the Spotlight Stage and you can see people walk by, and they could keep walking but they didn’t!  And I made note of that.  I said ‘Okay, let’s make a game of this.  Let’s see how many people stop and stay.’ And it was quite a few and that was cool. Because at my core I’m the girl who thinks nobody’s going to come to her birthday party, so it was really nice to see a crowd there.

PH:  Where are you from in Alabama?

HG:  I’m from a small town called Reeltown, near Auburn, Alabama, a really small town!

The story behind ‘Bloodline’

PH:  Tell me about your single, ‘Bloodline.’

Harper Grae, ‘Bloodline’

HG:  ‘Bloodline’ is the first single off my EP, ‘Buck Moon Medleys,’ which was inspired by the loss of my mother in December of last year.  I started to really look at the lack of relationship with my mom from a vulnerable perspective, a beginning-to-end experience. I wanted to start off talking about that in a song that really talks about ‘does the apple really fall far from the tree?’  In my case, I hope I fall very far.  But then, sometimes, you don’t want to, because you don’t want to run from who you are, because at the end of the day, my mom and my dad, even though I didn’t have a relationship with them, they are why I’m here. I’d never really thought about it. I’d just harbored not-so-great feelings towards them.

PH: When did that change? Continue reading “Harper Grae draws on her own life’s challenges”

Dugger Band are ‘East Tennessee Sons’

Harmonies are in their blood

Jordan and Seth Dugger are brothers that together form the Dugger Band.  Their father is a pastor of a small community in the eastern part of Tennessee.  They are both graduates of the University of Tennessee and are talented multi-instrumentalists as well as singer/songwriters.  Their current single, ‘East Tennessee Son,’ is also the title track from their current album.

As CMA Fest 2018 drew to a close, I met up with Seth and Jordan to talk about their music and the audience reaction to their blend of contemporary and traditional country.

This is one of a series of interviews that I conducted with rising singer/songwriters during CMA Fest to find out about their new music, their musical influences and their experience at CMA Fest.

Jordan & Seth Dugger

Smoky Mountain influence

Preshias Harris: Jordan, you both grew up in Greenville in East Tennessee, close to the Smoky Mountains.  Do you feel that affected how your music developed?

Jordan Dugger:  I think so, for sure. Most of our family are musical.  A lot of the events we attended with our family, a lot of people would always bring guitars and fiddles and mandolins and all kinds of instruments to family get-togethers. So we grew up with the family harmony stuff and everybody singing together.  Of course, growing up near Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge where Dolly Parton is from, we drew influence from a lot of her music. And there’s a big Bluegrass influence and a lot of mountain music, but also a lot of country and some of the rockin’ country as well. It’s a pretty diverse music community in East Tennessee so that definitely influenced our style today. The biggest part, I think, is the harmonies. And the first instruments we were into were guitar and fiddle.

PH:  Seth, tell me about being here at CMA Fest. Is it your first time?

Seth Dugger:  We’ve been for a couple of years now.  But this year, we’ve performed the most at CMA Fest. It’s a great experience!  It’s cool to see all the hard-core country music fans from all over the world come to Nashville for this one week.  A lot of our fans came in for it to sit in on some of the fan parties that we had and hear some of our acoustic songs.  So that was really humbling for us to see all those people from all over the world for this one event.

PH:  What was one of your favorite performances? Continue reading “Dugger Band are ‘East Tennessee Sons’”

Adam Rutledge drops new single and EP

‘Love Kickin’ In’ high-energy anthem

Adam Rutledge has a reputation for bringing contagious high energy to the stage that quickly cranks up the audience at his live shows. Adam has appeared with hot acts such as Brothers Osborn, Chris Janson, Eli Young Band, Cassadee Pope and Phil Vassar.  In fact, Adam’s career is now managed by Phil Vassar (along with Amy Millslagle of i81 Entertainment).

He has a strong presence on social media with around 12,000 Instagram followers and thousands more on Facebook.  Adam was in Nashville for CMA Fest 2018, playing at Music City Light Stage, Bridgestone Arena Plaza. He has a brand new EP, RUNWAY, that includes his new single, ‘Love Kickin’ In.’

Taking a few minutes away from the CMA Fest hustle and bustle, Adam sat down with me to catch up on what’s new with him.

This is one of a series of interviews that I conducted with rising singer/songwriters during CMA Fest to find out about their new music, their musical influences and their experience at CMA Fest.

Airfield serves as video backdrop

Preshias Harris: Tell us about what’s been going on with your career since you dropped your single.

Adam Rutledge

Adam Rutledge: Yeah, so it’s been exciting! I’ve shot a music video for the single which we’re really excited about.  It’ll be out in a few weeks. We shot it at an old, abandoned airport on a runway. It was a beautiful backdrop for the video. And I’m promoting another record coming out June 22nd.

PH: Tell me about any radio tours you’ve got planned.

AR: We’re in the process of planning radio tours right now.

PH: You’ve got a lot of wheels moving in your career. Which is the most exciting one?

AR: Being right here with you!  No, it’s all so exciting. I can’t just pick one. There’s the new record, the video and working with so many talented people. I’m just one percent of all this! It’s everybody else that makes this all work for me. I’m just thankful for all the good people on my team.

PH: How long did it take you to get the songs for your CD?

AR: Some of them I’ve had written for years. Some of them I’d released on my own, years ago, and we went back and re-recorded and re-mixed them. And some of them were pitched to me and they are pretty new, so the songs span a large period of my life, actually.

PH: I’m going to ask you something that every artist hates when I ask it but I’m going to ask it anyway.  What’s your favorite song on the album? Or a special one that means more to you personally? Continue reading “Adam Rutledge drops new single and EP”

Matt Rogers knows it takes hard work to reach the top

Making new fans during CMA Fest

 Matt Rogers is making sure he will reach the eyes and ears of as many potential fans as possible during CMA Fest 2018.  The Eatonton, Georgia, native now calls Nashville ‘home,’ but devotes a large part of every year to touring far and wide.

His latest project is an EP titled ‘Richest Place On Earth’ and he recently released the music video for the title track exclusively on Raised Rowdy.  The song recently won a top award in the Music City SongStar competition.

I caught up with Matt in between some of his scheduled CMA Fest appearances.

This is one of a series of interviews that I conducted with rising singer/songwriters during CMA Fest to find out about their new music, their musical influences and their experience at CMA Fest.

Preshias Harris: You gave up a career in the medical career to move to Nashville. Why did you do that?

Matt Rogers. Photo credit: Preshias Harris

Matt Rogers: Music has always been there for me. When I was growing up, I played in church. I was in a youth ‘praise and worship’ band, I had a garage band, I had a little group in college. I started writing in college and when I moved home, I started playing more and more often in bars and clubs and I put a band together.  I didn’t really know what I wanted to do when I grew up.  I was really fumbling through different careers and different jobs, things like that, until I finally got a great job and a great career.  But I had a goal to move up here [to Nashville] and I had a lot of support to move up here, so I saved up some money and set my plans and my goals out. And I ‘saddled up’ and moved on up.

The move to Nashville

PH: What was your time frame for that move?

MR: I was already coming up here often, monthly or bi-monthly, to take meetings, writing sessions, things like that. But I’d made a plan. I said, ‘In a year-and-a-half, I’ll move to Nashville.’ So I made a plan and started meeting people who could help me with that transition. At the end of that year, I found a place to rent, and I haven’t looked back since.

PH: Tell me about your EP, ‘Richest Place On Earth.’

Richest Place on Earth

MR: It’s a personal story. For the first year-and-a-half I was up here, I wrote about two hundred songs.  So I wanted to narrow it down to just a few that would really describe who I was, not only as an artist but as a person.  I wanted a cohesive project that you can listen to, start to finish, and have a better idea about who I was after you got through listening to it.

PH: What made you pick that title?

MR: It’s about me leaving that full-time job in Georgia and moving up here and taking the chance to do what I was wanting to do. To do what I think I was meant to do. That’s the story. I want to live out loud and break the mold.  I want to leave a story behind to be told. Continue reading “Matt Rogers knows it takes hard work to reach the top”

Music Row is disappearing, brick by brick

Another icon doomed to die, unless…

Looks like another piece of Music Row will get bulldozed – along with all the history embedded in those bricks – unless people who care get involved.  A developer is looking to tear down several more buildings along Nashville’s  16th Avenue to erect what’s called a ‘six-story boutique office building.’

Among the structures under threat: the Rhinestone Wedding Chapel, and Big Spark Music. But perhaps the most visible and well-known of the threatened businesses is Bobby’s Idle Hour.  The 16th Avenue tavern has been the haunt of singers, songwriters, music biz workers, area residents and tourists for decades.

According to a story in The Tennessean (May 23, 2018) Warner/Chappell Music’s publishing building, the Ed Bruce Agency and the building that formerly housed the Creative Soul Music Academy and are also under threat.

Replace with office block

The plans to tear down the buildings and replace them with an office block have been proposed by Panattoni Development Co, who recently constructed the building that now houses SESAC and the Country Music Association at 35 Music Square East.

  • Take a listen  here to the poignant song, ‘Saying Goodbye to Sixteenth Avenue,’ written by David Dwortzan with vocals by Ron Wallace and video by Ruth Rosen.
file photo. pixabay.com

Not so long ago, virtually all the buildings along 16th Avenue and parts of 17th Avenue housed recording studios, record label offices, songwriters’ rooms and video producers’ offices. The unassuming one- and two-story structures still looked like the residences they had once been, quirkily built and often unadorned by commercial signage.

But over the past few years, more than forty buildings along Music Row have been destroyed and replaced by apartment blocks and office buildings.  A drive along 16th and then back along 17th Avenue shows that the demolition and construction continues, seemingly unabated.

Timely action saved RCA Studio A

Continue reading “Music Row is disappearing, brick by brick”

Zach Stone tells stories in music and video

Texas singer/songwriter inspired by life’s moments

Zach Stone was in Nashville to play some dates at CMA Fest 2018. Zach is an emerging artist from Arlington, Texas.  His influences range from George Strait to Jason Aldean, and his own music can move from hard-driving country rock to emotional ballads.  He is currently self-releasing a series of singles and their accompanying music videos that are held together by a thematic thread running through them.

We sat down to talk just as CMA Fest was wrapping up.

This is one of a series of interviews that I conducted with rising singer/songwriters during CMA Fest to find out about their new music, their musical influences and their experience at CMA Fest.

Preshias Harris: What are some your favorite things to do with music, besides performing?

Zach Stone:  Wow. Well, you really made it hard for me because my favorite thing is performing! Songwriting is a lot of fun.  I really enjoy creating my own storylines, getting to tell stories and convey emotions that I’m feeling and thinking about going through. I really didn’t start doing that until I moved to Nashville about seven years ago. That’s been a new experience. The more I’ve done that, the better I’ve gotten. It’s just been super cool to keep moving forward with that. One of my other favorite things that I’m just recently discovering with our new video series that we’re doing is that music videos are so much fun.

PH:  It sounds like you’re enjoying that aspect.

Zach Stone

ZS:  I love getting to shoot music videos! It’s fun to create these storylines and characters and act in them.  It makes me think that one day, I’ll eventually want to do some movies.  Right now I’m just focusing on each song and music video individually because each one has been ‘my baby.’

Playing for The Country Network

PH: What were some of the highlights of your first CMA Fest? Continue reading “Zach Stone tells stories in music and video”