Music Industry News Archives - Page 37 of 38

Stars come out for CMA Music Festival

Don’t miss chance to see Nashville’s rising stars, too

It’s June in Nashville and that means it’s time for the CMA Music Festival. And as usual, it looks like the weather will be HOT and maybe a little stormy, but if it’s anything like last year, fans will be happy to brave the heat for a chance to get in front of their favorite acts.

One of the great things about the CMA Music Festival is that, in addition to the headliners, music fans get to see the rising stars and the breaking acts; often up close and personal.

Yes, Nissan Stadium (home of the Tennessee Titans) will be the place to see headliners such as Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood, Charlie Daniels, Chris Stapleton, Chris Young, Clint Black, Dierks Bentley, Florida Georgia Line, Luke Bryan, Keith Urban and Kelsea Ballerini to name a few. But there is SO much more talent to be seen and heard around town. Many of the clubs and bars in downtown Nashville will be hosting shows all week, offering an unbeatable opportunity to see and listen to some amazingly gifted bands, singers and songwriters.

Plus… there are the ‘free’ stages! The seven ‘no ticket required’ stages allow visitors to enjoy music from legends to up-and-comers. The free concert stages include Chevrolet Riverfront Stage (gates open at 9:00 am for Festival four-day ticket holders, and 9:45 am for the general public), Chevrolet Cruze Park Stage located at the Park between Hilton Suites and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, the AT&T Skyview Stage and the Budweiser Acoustic Stage (both at the Ascend Amphitheater), and the Gildan Broadway Stage at the Hard Rock Café, located at Broadway and First Avenue.

Where to start? Best bet: go to the CMA Music Festival website to see who’s playing when and where. And be sure to check out those bars and clubs where some of my favorite singer-songwriters will be playing!

Luke Bryan’s snafu provides learning moment for emerging artists

As ‘wardrobe malfunctions’ go, it wasn’t the world’s worst, but it was a bit embarrassing for Luke Bryan who was performing live on the Today show. He was singing “I Don’t Want This Night to End,” a song that was a Number One hit for him in 2011 and went on to be certified double platinum by RIAA. The rain was coming down as Bryan performed the song and, on impulse, he decided to peel off his damp jacket.

That would have been fine – except fluttering from his T-shirt were the white tags, still hanging from the collar. It took a minute or two before Bryan realized what the fans were pointing at, and he laughed as he stopped to pull off the tags and toss them into the crowd. For many, it was reminiscent of Minnie Pearl (Sarah Cannon) who would appear on the Grand Ole Opry stage wearing a fancy straw hat with the price tag hanging from the brim.

Luke Bryan is not easily flummoxed and, as an established star, can easily handle minor snafus such as a forgotten tag on a T-shirt. But if you are an emerging artist, there’s a learning moment here. Walking out on stage with an overlooked price tag or sticky size label attached to your clothing might be enough to throw you off kilter, just when you wanted to sound and look your best. There you are, starting your first song, and you notice audience members smirking and staring at… what? OMG! The price tag is still on my shirt!!

Unless you are at Luke Bryan’s star level, dealing with that kind of a moment is not something you’ll want to do. So let Bryan’s boo-boo be a reminder for you as you prepare for every performance: Are all the labels and tags removed from your clothes? Are zippers zipped up and buttons buttoned up? Is there toilet paper stuck to the heel of your boot? Something green stuck in your teeth?

Take a moment before every show to ensure your appearance is just the way it should be (better still, have someone else give you a quick visual once-over) and you won’t have a ‘wardrobe malfunction’ that throws you off balance at a crucial moment.

Confederate Railroad album out July 15

Fans of Southern Rock/Country will be pleased to know that multi-platinum-selling Confederate Railroad will release their upcoming album, Lucky to be Alive, on July 15. The project features guest appearances by Willie Nelson, John Anderson, Colt Ford and former NFL coach, Jerry Glanville, on a special 20th anniversary version of their signature smash, “Trashy Women.”

The band is out on tour right now but will be in Nashville, June 10, for shows on the WSM Stage and Nashville Palace during the CMA Music Festival. The blockbuster tour will hit both the east and west coast and everywhere in between.

Confederate Railroad are perhaps best known for their hit single, “Trashy Women,” the fourth single from their self-titled 1994 album. That album had already been the source of three other singles (“She Took It Like A Man,” “Jesus and Mama” and “Queen of Memphis”) all of which sold well, but “Trashy Women” became their monster hit, earned a Grammy nomination and is regarded as their ‘signature song.’

Latest tour info and samples from the new album here.

Garth and Trisha heading to San Antonio

small-Garth_Brooks_-_Man_Against_Machine-min From the “Time Flies When You’re Having Fun” Department… Can it really be 18 years since Garth and Trisha played San Antonio, Texas? The answer is ‘Yes!’ The Garth Brooks World Tour With Trisha Yearwood World Tour will include two concerts in San Antonio Friday July 22 at 7:00 pm and Saturday July 23 at AT&T Center.

Tickets go on sale Friday June 3 at 10:00 am CDT. There’s an eight-ticket limit per purchase, and tickets can only be purchased at ticketmaster.com or ticketmaster.com/garthbrooks. Tickets (including taxes, facility fees and service charges) are $74.98.

BTW, Garth’s most recent album, 2014’s ‘Man Against Machine’ has been certified platinum by RIAA, making him once again the #1-selling artist in US History with 136 million sold. More about Garth here including latest tour dates

New album from LOCASH

LOCASH Fighters LOCASH fans are looking forward to June 17, 2016. It’s on that date that the fast-rising duo of Chris Lucas and Preston Brust will release their first full-length album for Reviver Records, titled The Fighters. The album includes “I Know Somebody,” as well as fan favorites “Shipwrecked” and “Drunk, Drunk.” The duo has been featuring much of the new material in their live shows this past winter and early spring. LOCASH has a full slate of dates on their calendar throughout the rest of 2016 – including a June 12 stop at the CMA Music Festival in Nashville. Tour dates and more info about The Fighters here

Old Dominion on a roll

Old Dominion L to R: Whit Sellers, Brad Tursi, Matthew Ramsey, Trevor Rosen, Geoff Sprung — Old Dominion
L to R: Whit Sellers, Brad Tursi, Matthew Ramsey, Trevor Rosen, Geoff Sprung

Old Dominion are still reflecting on their recent win in the Breakthrough Group/Duo of the Year category on the ACC Awards.

“When we started this band, winning awards never crossed our minds,” said frontman Matthew Ramsey. That’s because he and his bandmates have celebrated successes as songwriters before having hit records as a band. “We just wanted to make the best music we could. But winning this award really shows us that the years of work we have put into this are paying off in ways we never dreamed of. We owe so much to our families, our management team, our record label, country radio and our FANS for embracing what we do and making us feel at home in the country music family!”

The win follows on the heels of earlier 2016 award wins at the Academy of Country Music Awards for Best New Vocal Duo/Group of the Year and the Association of Independent Music Publisher Awards (AIMPs) for Artist/Writer of the Year. Additionally, Ramsey, Trevor Rosen and Brad Tursi all individually took home CMA Triple Play Awards presented to top songwriters who have penned more than three No. 1 hits within a one year period in the Country format.

With an estimated 160 dates on the books in 2016—and it being a lighter year than 2015—Old Dominion are already looking to their next studio album, taking advantage of a break in touring to again join GRAMMY-winning producer Shane McAnally, their co-conspirator on Meat and Candy, in the studio to work on their upcoming second album.

More about Old Dominion, including tour dates here.

Rain can’t douse the Flame…

The storm clouds burst over Miranda's May 13 show in Maryland Heights, Mo, but the fans didn't leave. — The storm clouds burst over Miranda’s May 13 show in Maryland Heights, Mo, but the fans didn’t leave.

You can schedule a show, you can schedule a tour, but you can’t schedule the weather. Just ask Miranda Lambert whose ‘Keeper of the Flame Tour’ kicked off mid-May at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in Maryland Heights, Mo., with openers Kip Moore and Brothers Osborne. And a storm rolled in just an hour into Lambert’s set; mother nature’s way of offsetting the heat radiating from the seven-time Female Vocalist of the Year’s first tour stop of the season. The Tour continues at multiple locations through the rest of 2016. Updated tour info and more here

Women set to rock Music City

She Rocks finalists Who says women can’t rock? Not me, and not the Women’s International Music Network (WiMN) who have announced the finalists selected to perform at the 2016 She Rocks Summer NAMM Showcase, taking place Thursday, June 23, 2016, from 8:30-11:00 p.m., at The Listening Room Cafe in Nashville, Tenn., during the 2016 Summer NAMM trade show. Tickets are available here.

At that show, the audience will get to see singer-songwriter Ashley Riley, 13-year-old singer Juliana Wilson, jazz vocalist and guitarist Leni Stern, and singer-songwriter Savannah Lynne. The performers were chosen based on their submissions to thewimn.com

Continue reading “Women set to rock Music City”

Rising stars play for 95.1 The Goober in KY

Goober 95 A great day in Bowling Green, KY – despite the wet weather! I was there Thursday May 26 with five of ‘my’ artists to help WGGC-FM The Goober with their New Faces of Country showcase at the Bowling Green Hot Rods baseball game. Blane Howard, Cameron Lanz, Elvie Shane, Jessie Goergen (Jessie G) and Justin T. Dukes all performed. There was a rain delay during the game and the show moved inside, but everyone had a great time. Thank you everyone at 95.1 The Goober. Follow The Goober on Facebook here.

3 songwriters honored for FGL hits

Cole Taylor, Matt Dragstrem and Felix McTeigue

Three songwriters jointly celebrated their first Number Ones during an afternoon party at ASCAP’s Nashville HQ on May 25, thanks to TWO chart toppers scored by Florida Georgia Line.

Matt Dragstrem and Cole Taylor were recognized for their co-write credits on the cut, “Sippin’ On Fire,” that topped the charts for FGL. Felix McTeigue also scored his first Number One with another FGL hit, “Anything Goes,” co-written with veteran writers Craig Wiseman and Christ Tompkins. The three writers received plaques from ASCAP and awards from the CMA and Country Radio Broadcasters (CRB). Dragstrem, Taylor and McTeigue also received ASCAP-signature guitars, presented by Boulder Creek Guitars, in recognition of their first Number One hits.

Congrats to all three. I know we’ll see you back in the ‘winners’ circle’ before too long!