Dierks Bentley’s ‘Black’ tops two Billboard charts

The top sales week of Dierks’ career

Dierks Bentley BlackIt’s been a good week for Dierks Bentley. In fact, as his latest album, BLACK, hit Number One on the Billboard Top Albums and Billboard Country Albums Chart, it was the top sales week of career.

BLACK (Capitol Records Nashville) moved over 101,000 units upon release with 88,000 of those as traditional album scans. The album has already produced the multi-week No. one hit “Somewhere On A Beach,” and its follow-up “Different for Girls” (featuring Elle King) debuts this week as the most added at Country Radio with more than 100 first week stations on board.

Bentley will join forces with Elle King for the television debut of “Different For Girls” at the 2016 CMT Music Awards on Wednesday (6/8 on CMT at 7P CT) before he kicks off the first night of CMA Music Festival Thursday (6/9) at Nissan Stadium and returns to his 2016 SOMEWHERE ON A BEACH TOUR this weekend. For more information on the new album and tour dates, visit www.dierks.com.

Stars come out for CMA Music Festival

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

2016-CMAMusicFestival-Logo-Badge-4C-1It’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

Luke Bryan is tagged
Luke Bryan is tagged

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

Confederate RailroadFans 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-minFrom 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

Another Preshias Pointer

Preshias music notes graphic crop pink purpleA Performing Rights Organization (P.R.O.) is a songwriter’s best friend in the music business. A P.R.O. acts an intermediary between copyright holders and parties that use copyrighted music works publicly. Such public performances can include radio, television, clubs and restaurants. Without a P.R.O. it would be impossible to collect even a fraction of the income your music generates.

New album from LOCASH

LOCASH FightersLOCASH 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

Vince Gill and Emmylou Harris honored with American Eagle Awards

Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris

The National Music Council will bring its annual American Eagle Awards presentation to Nashville for a second year in a row on Saturday, June 25, 2016. The highly prestigious Eagle Awards are presented each year in national celebration of an individual’s or an organization’s long term contribution to America’s musical culture and heritage. This year, music legends Emmylou Harris and Vince Gill will be honored, along with the iconic Grand Ole Opry.

Vince Gill
Vince Gill

Past American Eagle Award recipients include Kris Kristofferson, Quincy Jones, Clive Davis, Benny Goodman, The Oak Ridge Boys, Roberta Peters, Odetta, Sherman Halsey, Sesame Street and Hard Rock Café. This year’s event in Nashville will mark the 33rd year of formal presentations of the Awards.

As someone who is deeply concerned about the ongoing problem of music piracy, I’m delighted to hear the event will also feature the New York Emmy award winning animation created by the NMC and the Music Publishers Association of the United States, as part of a primary school lesson plan that encourages kids to think about the ramifications of taking other people’s creative works without permission. NMC Director David Sanders frames the animated piece as “part of a world-wide effort by creators to change the narrative in terms of fostering an understanding that the online protection of creative works enhances freedom of speech and the marketplace of ideas, rather than encroaching on them.”

Tickets, details, etc at musiccouncil.org

A Preshias Musical Definition

Preshias music notes graphic crop black pinkHold

Noun: An agreement by a music publisher not to exploit or license a song to any other parties when a recording artist, a producer or a record label has indicated they plan to record it. Note that a publisher cannot place a hold on a song that has already been recorded and released commercially but a publisher may still agree not to actively plug a song to other artists for a certain length of time. For new or unreleased songs, a publisher has full discretion whether or not to issue a mechanical license.