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Shane Owens’ album keeps country music traditional

Stays true to his roots with ‘Where I’m Coming From’

Shane Owens makes no apologies for playing traditional country music, the kind he grew up listening to in rural Alabama. That influence is evident in every song on his latest album, ‘Where I’m Comin’ From,’ that includes songs written by some of country music’s top songwriters. The style might be traditional, but Shane’s voice definitely puts the songs in the here and now.

The album includes the single, ‘Lie,’ a witty song about, uh, stretching the truth. You can see the very funny music video of the song here at YouTube.

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.

Shane has played his share of bars and honky-tonks, but has also shared the stage with some of country music’s top names.

I met up with Shane while he was in town, playing dates at CMA Fest 2018.

Preshias Harris: How did it feel to re-cut one of John Anderson’s songs?

Shane Owens album, Where I’m Comin’ From

Shane Owens: Well you know, John’s a legend in this business, and he’s a traditional artist and paved the way for a lot of traditional artists like myself, and I believe that. I take great pride in my traditional country sound and sticking to my roots. He [Anderson] should be a Country Music Hall of Famer. I love John, I’ve actually had the opportunity to do a lot of shows with him over the years, opening up for him. He’s a great guy! Nobody can sing a country song like John Anderson. He stands out by himself. You know it’s going to be a John Anderson song as soon as you hear his voice.

PH: Do you have a favorite John Anderson song?

SO: ‘Swingin’! I remember when that came out, when I was a kid, I thought that’s the coolest thing. [sings] “Just a-swingin’…” and I thought, that’s awesome!

It’s a Southern Thing

PH: What’s your favorite song on your album? Continue reading “Shane Owens’ album keeps country music traditional”

Dallas Remington has ‘Never Turned Around’

New single now, EP to follow

Dallas Remington is a dynamic young singer/songwriter who, at only eighteen, already has several years of experience as a performer. Her current single, ‘Never Turned Around’ (RoadWarrior Records), a tale of heartache and love, is now at country radio, with an EP to follow.

Dallas stopped by to talk about her new songs and her musical influences.

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: Tell me the story behind your new single, ‘Never Turned Around,’ and who did you write that with?

Dallas Remington: I wrote ‘Never Turned Around’ with my friend Regan Stewart and we went into the session preparing to write a song about a girl who didn’t think she could ever be heartbroken. She was going to go out with this guy but he wasn’t going to break her heart because her heart would never break. We got halfway through the writing session and we were like… ‘This girl really loves him.’ She is so in love with him and she is going to be so heartbroken when he leaves her. So, ‘Never Turn Around’ is about that kind of love that you don’t want to let them go because you love them so much, no matter how much you want them to chase their dreams, you want to hold on to them forever. But you end up having to let them go because it’s what’s best for them.

PH: The single is a taste of your EP titled ‘Freedom,’ due out this summer. What can we expect to hear on this project? And how many of the songs have you co-written?

Co-written every song on EP

DR: I’ve co-written every song on the project. There are seven songs on there and I’m very excited. It’s a big mixture of what I’ve grown up listening to, because I grew up listening to traditional country but also Lynyrd Skynyrd and classic rock so these seven songs present to the world who I am through my music and how I like to present myself, so I’m excited for everyone to hear it. It will available digitally at the end of June or the beginning of July and the physical copies are available now.

PH: You are a Kentucky girl like me. What were some of your favorite Kentucky artists that you listened to? Continue reading “Dallas Remington has ‘Never Turned Around’”

Craig Campbell fights colorectal cancer with Cornhole Challenge

Raises hundreds of thousands of dollars with celebrity friends

It was Craig Campbell‘s Celebrity Cornhole Challenge time in Nashville on Tuesday, June 5. The celebrities – and hundreds of fans – turned out at the City Winery to enjoy a warm, pre-CMA-Fest afternoon of fun for a good cause: to raise aware and funds for Fight Colorectal Cancer (Fight CRC). This is a cause very close to my own heart. My brother Shannon died from colorectal cancer at the age of 39 and his death could have been prevented simply by a colonoscopy.

Craig Campbell gets the Cornhole Challenge under way. Photo: Preshias Harris

In case you are not familiar with cornhole, it is a game in which small bags filled with dried corn or beans are tossed at a target consisting of an inclined wooden platform with a hole at one end. Points are scored when a contestant tosses his or her corn bag into the hole (3 points) or onto the board (1 point). The game was said to originate in Germany in the 14^thcentury and was revived by settlers in Kentucky in the 19^thcentury.

Craig’s new single: ‘See You Try’

The annual Celebrity Cornhole Challenge is organized by Craig Campbell who is recognized for his ‘new-school’ take on classic Country. On June 8, Craig released his first new collection in five years, an EP titled SEE YOU TRY (Broken Bow Records). The title song, ‘See You Try,’ is also Craig’s new single, written by Tyler Hubbard (Florida Georgia Line), Bart Butler, James McNair and Jordan Schmidt.

Craig was joined by LOCASH, Walker Hayes, Brett Kissel, Russell Dickerson, Jerrod Niemann, Brett Young, Lindsay Eli, Tegan Marie, Morgan Mills, Taylor Phillips, Dee Jay Silver, The Cadillac Three and other celebrities who tried their cornhole skill (or lack of it) to entertain the fans who cheered them on.

During a break in the action, I asked Craig, how did this event come about?

“Six years ago, I wanted an event that honored my dad,” said Craig. “He was 36 years old when he died of colon cancer, so I thought, what can I do to honor him? And to have fun and do something different, you know? A lot of people are having free concerts, golf tournaments, fishing tournaments. But no-one is having a cornhole tournament. So then, I thought it was a pretty cool play on the whole corn hole / colon, that sort of thing! So that’s how it all started. Now we’re at year number six and I feel it’s just getting bigger and better.”

Brett Kissel talks about Garth and Brad

As Brett Kissel took a break to grab a bottle of cold water, I asked him how it felt when he opened for Garth Brooks, the dream of every singer and songwriter.

“It was the best thing I’ve ever been able to do in my career,” he said. “I’ll tell you, every night that I got to step out on stage to perform and open the show, and then a few times when I got to be on stage and sing with Garth in front of his crowd, I’m telling you Preshias, that was exactly what Cloud Nine feels like! I believe that there are moments that are similar to what heaven could feel like, and that was like a heavenly moment.” Continue reading “Craig Campbell fights colorectal cancer with Cornhole Challenge”

CMA Fest fan-favorites and ‘evergreen’ stars

Ten Legends of Country Music at CMA Fest 2018

Bill Anderson, Bobby Bare, Charley Pride, David Ball, John Berry, Lorrie Morgan, Ray Stevens, Ricky Skaggs, TG Sheppard, Tracy Lawrence… In my previous post, I spotlighted ‘Ten to Watch,’ new and emerging artists appearing at CMA Fest. In this post, let’s look at ten enduring talents who continue to entertain fans after many decades at the top of their game. Here’s where and when you can catch up with them at CMA Fest 2018. For tickets and everything you need to know about this year’s Fest, go here.

Bill Anderson & Bobby Bare

Sunday, June 10, 12:15 pm – 12:45 pm
CMA Close Up Stage

‘Whisperin’ Bill’ Anderson has released more than 40 studio albums, seven No. 1 singles and 29 Top 10 singles, and is a six-time Songwriter Of the Year award-winner. As a Grand Ole Opry member for more than 50 years and a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame since 2001, Anderson is one of the most decorated songwriters and performers in country music history. He has the distinction of having an entry on the Country charts for seven consecutive decades – a record held by no other songwriter in history. He is the author (with Peter Cooper) of ‘Whispering Bill Anderson: An Unprecedented Life in Country Music.’ Info about Bill Anderson here.

Bobby Bare’s music career seemed to be stalling until he signed with RCA where Chet Atkins was willing to listen to his ideas. The result was Bare’s breakout hit ‘Shame On Me,’ followed by ‘Detroit City.’ Bare’s music became increasingly country with such hits as ‘Miller’s Cave’ and ‘Four Strong Winds.’ Bare was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2013, among many other awards and accolades. In 2017, Rolling Stone named him one of the ’50 Greatest Country Artists of All Time.’ 2018 marks his 60th anniversary in the music business and the release of his studio album, ‘Things Change’ with two new accompanying music videos. More about Bobby here.

Charley Pride

Friday, June 08, 7:55 pm – 8:25 pm
Nissan Stadium

Charley Pride is celebrating his 25th anniversary as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. The Country Music Hall of Fame member and Recording Academy ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ recipient made his Opry debut in 1967. Charley will take the Nissan Stadium stage on Friday, June 08 and will be sharing the stage that evening with a host of other modern country staples like Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood, and Old Dominion. Tour updates and music here.

Continue reading “CMA Fest fan-favorites and ‘evergreen’ stars”

CMA Fest spotlights new talent alongside megastars

‘Ten to watch’ at CMA Fest 2018

CMA Fest 2018 once again brings together the cream of the crop in Country music. From Thursday, June 07 through Sunday, June 10, fans from across the country and around the world will descend on Nashville. Described by the Country Music Association (CMA) as ‘the ultimate country music fan experience,’ hundreds of artists will be performing on eleven stages.

One of the unique aspects of CMA Fest is the opportunity to see new and emerging artists in addition to current superstars and legendary performers – all in one music festival.

If you’re heading to CMA Fest to see Blake Shelton, Carrie Underwood, Chris Stapleton, FGL and Keith Urban, keep in mind there is SO much more talent to be seen and heard – even if some of the names are not familiar to you… yet!

Here are some quick pen-portraits of just a few of the acts appearing at Music Fest that you might want to check out…

Clare Dunn

Friday, June 08, 7:00 pm – 7:25 pm
Cracker Barrel Country Roads Stage, Ascend Amphitheater
Saturday, June 09, 4:30 pm – 4:55 pm
Chevy Breakout Stage

Growing up in tiny Two Buttes, Colorado (population: 43), Clare Dunn spent days at a time in a tractor cab helping plow and plant the family farm, sharpening her ears with uninterrupted music-listening in the driver’s seat, even as she strengthened her work ethic. “That’s where a lot of my creativity came from and where a lot of my vision was forged, was just having nothing else to do other than listen to music and dream all day long in the vast wide open of those plains,” she reflects.

Recording for MCA Nashville, she is the only female country artist in recent memory to have a hand in all of the writing, arranging and producing for her debut release, the Clare Dunn EP. The project was recorded in the Cave at Nashville’s House of Blues studios.

An accomplished musician, every lick of guitar on the EP is hers, from agile melodic figures to aggressive shredding. “I think there’s, like, one song where I didn’t play a mandolin part or something like that,” she says. “But other than that, every lead part is my playing—acoustic, electric, everything.”

Catch Clare singing (and shredding) on two stages during CMA Fest. More about Clare here.

EmiSunshine

Sunday, June 10, 2:30 pm – 2:45 pm
CMA Music Fest Spotlight Stage

EmiSunshine is a dynamic young singer/songwriter who initially captured the nation’s attention via her presence on social media, racking up 1,000,000+ views on YouTube. Releasing her first full-length CD at the age of 9 in 2014, she released her fourth studio recording, RAGGED DREAMS, in August 2017. She plays about 150 shows a year, and has included appearances at the Grand Ole Opry and on Marty Stuart’s Late Night Jam at the Ryman Auditorium.

EmiSunshine is a multi-instrumentalist with a unique vocal style that draws on her influences from early Country and Appalachian music. She cites artists as varied as Loretta Lynn, The Louvin Brothers, Bessie Smith, June Carter and Hank Williams as being music creators that have affected her own musical journey. Continue reading “CMA Fest spotlights new talent alongside megastars”