Pepsi Becomes Headlining Sponsor for BamaJam 2012

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BamaJam recently announced a partnership with Pepsi for its 2012 festival, scheduled for June 14-16 in Enterprise, Alabama.

Pepsi, which owns Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade, Frito-Lay and Pepsi-Cola, will be promoting the event beginning in May.

Dual headline stages at BamaJam 2012 will feature artists including Tim McGraw, Zac Brown Band, Alan Jackson, Eric Church, Willie Nelson, Kid Rock, Sheryl Crow, NEEDTOBREATHE, Casey James, Uncle Kracker, Yelawolf, Gov’t Mule and more. BamaJam Farms spokesman Darryl Worley will perform and host the opening night.

BamaJam is offering limited VIP tickets granting stage-side access throughout the festival for $999.

BamaJam’s grounds include a water park (opening Spring 2012), ATV trails, tailgate and camping sites, RV parking with full service amenities, and a par 3 executive golf course.

For more information or to purchase tickets, click here.

Photo: Final Round of Road to Bonnaroo

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Pictured backstage at Road to Bonnaroo are members of Sol Cat, Oh No No, fans, Courtney Jaye, Mercy Lounge’s Drew Mischke, BMI’s Perry Howard and Mark Mason. Photo: Drew Maynard

BMI, Mercy Lounge, the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival and the Nashville Scene presented the third installment of the 2012 Road to Bonnaroo competition at 8 off 8th last night (4/16). Performers included Courtney Jaye, Ravello, Oh No No, Electric Hearts, Fly Golden Eagle, The Captain Midnight Band, Sol Cat, and Escondido.

Fly Golden Eagle, who energized the crowd with some hypnotic psych rock and just the right amount of sax, emerged victorious and secured the final spot at Bonnaroo 2012, set for June 7-10 in Manchester, Tenn. Also earning praise from the audience were Courtney Jaye, who had a charming Stevie Nicks thing happening, and Escondido, whose sprawling, dusty brand of rock perfectly suited the clips of Sergio Leone’s The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly playing on the projection screen behind them.

Country Gold Added to 2012 CMA Music Fest Nightly Concerts

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The legendary Glen Campbell, Ronnie Milsap, and Kenny Rogers, and reunited multi-Platinum certified group The Mavericks have joined the performer lineup for the Nightly Concerts at LP Field held during 2012 CMA Music Festival.

Campbell will deliver the opening performance on the Nightly Concerts on Thursday (6/7). He last performed at CMA Music Festival in 2004. Last year, he revealed his Alzheimer’s diagnosis and released his final album, Ghost on the Canvas. He is currently in the midst of his Goodbye Tour.

Milsap will open the Nightly Concerts on Friday (6/8). His last performance at CMA Music Festival was in 2006 with Los Lonely Boys. In 2011 he released his latest album, Country Again.

Rogers will be the opening performer on Saturday (6/9). His most recent CMA Music Festival performance was in 2008. He recently released his first full-length inspirational Gospel album, The Love of God, through Cracker Barrel, and is the 2012 Artist-in-Residence at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum.

The Mavericks will open the show on Sunday evening (6/10). Like Campbell, the group last performed at CMA Music Festival in 2004. Recently, they signed with The Valory Music Co., began work on a new album, and are planning a summer tour. The current lineup includes Raul Malo, Robert Reynolds, Paul Deakin, and Eddie Perez.

Current lineups for the Nightly Concerts are as follows (in alphabetical order):

Thurs., June 7: Jason Aldean, Glen Campbell, Lady Antebellum, Brad Paisley, and Zac Brown Band

Fri., June 8: The Band Perry, Brantley Gilbert, Ronnie Milsap, Jake Owen, Blake Shelton, and Carrie Underwood

Sat., June 9: Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Hunter Hayes, Faith Hill, and Kenny Rogers

Sun., June 10: Dierks Bentley, Alan Jackson, The Mavericks, Martina McBride, Scotty McCreery, and Rascal Flatts

The evening concerts takes place Thursday through Sunday, June 7-10, in downtown Nashville, and will once again be filmed for an ABC television special to air in late summer.

Tickets to the individual Nightly Concerts are available for purchase through Ticketmaster.com or at CMAfest.com. Four-day ticket packages are also available.

All artists participate in the festival for free with net proceeds going to support music education.

Hayes’ New Video Hits No. 1 On GAC

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Warner Music Nashville artist Hunter Hayes has just released the new video for his single “Wanted,” which was promptly voted to the No. 1 spot on GAC’s Top 20 Countdown. The achievement marks Hayes’ first time to hit the network’s top video slot. The song is also climbing radio charts everywhere.

Additionally, Hayes played the Grand Ole Opry on Friday night (4/13) and was invited to the stage for an encore by Little Jimmy Dickens.

“I don’t know what else to say but THANK YOU, to my fans, for voting me into GAC’s Top 20 Countdown, and to be No. 1, I am so excited,” said Hunter.  “To top off the night I got to see you all in person, screaming and singing along to every single word at the OPRY! You guys are absolutely the best!”

Hayes will continue his “Most Wanted 2012” tour this week with shows in Minneapolis (4/19), Milwaukee (4/20), and Aimes (4/21). Full dates here.

Dierks Bentley Joined By Special Guests in LA

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(L-R): Bentley and Schiflett. Photo: Ryan Silver

Dierks Bentley journeyed to California on Friday (4/13) to kick off the US leg of his headlining 2012 Country & Cold Cans Tour for a sellout crowd at LA’s Nokia Theatre. His tourmates Eli Young Band and Will Hoge warmed up the audience before Bentley played his set, which included several surprise guest appearances.

Among those joining Bentley for performances was Foo Fighters’ lead guitarist Chris Shiflett on FF’s “Big Me” and a cover of the Flying Burrito Brothers’ “Sin City.” The show’s encore featured actor Garrett Hedlund performing “Hard Out Here.” The star-studded party continued after the show with friends Kirsten Dunst, Eric Stonestreet, and Foster the People.

While he’s out touring the West, Bentley will support Record Store Day this Saturday (4/21) with a special acoustic performance at Seattle’s Easy Street Records Queen Anne location.

“Record Store Day is such a great event that has hardly had any attention in country music,” said Bentley. “Some of the coolest exclusive product comes out on this day at indie retailers, and I wanted country fans to be able to get in on the action. I may have a few surprise special guests up my sleeve too. I’m really excited to take over Easy Street for an hour that afternoon…Seattle is such a great music town.”

Lee Brice Gears Up For Album Launch With Gold Single

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Lee Brice is headed into next week’s album release with a hit lead single, “A Woman Like You.” The track has been certified gold by the RIAA for sales of 500,000 digital downloads. Penned by Johnny Bulford, Phil Barton and Jon Stone the song has already reached No. 1 on the mainstream country singles charts.

Hard 2 Love, due out April 24, is Brice’s second album for Curb Records. He co-wrote eight of the thirteen tracks, and shares production credits with Stone, Kyle Jacobs, Doug Johnson and Matt McClure.

Among Brice’s promotional stops for the release are the Tonight Show With Jay Leno on May 1, Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson (airdate TBD), The Better Show, Fox & Friends and Huckabee.

Ringenberg’s Farmer Jason Educates on the Great Outdoors

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As the frontman for Nashville’s country-punk pioneers Jason & the Scorchers, Jason Ringenberg became known for explosive live performances and helping ignite a rock insurgence in Music City. The band’s albums fused a sincere love of classic country with the edgy sounds of punk, plus one blistering cover of Bob Dylan’s “Absolutely Sweet Marie.”

These days, Ringenberg is focused on entertaining a younger crowd, one that is more Sesame Street than Sex Pistols.

Ringenberg’s children’s entertainer alter ego Farmer Jason recently released his third album Nature Jams on the myKaZoo label, in conjunction with Universal Music Enterprises. The collection is full of amped up rock, twangy country, folk and more, with some pretty adorable songs like “Dison the Bison” and “Well Oh Whale.” An all-star lineup of guest performers makes contributions, including R.E.M.’s Mike Mills, Cheap Trick’s Tom Petersson, Alison Brown, Webb Wilder, Todd Snider, and even the Scorchers.

Initially conceived as a project for Ringenberg’s daughters 10 years ago, Farmer Jason has since turned into a full-time business. That wasn’t really part of his plan in the beginning–he just wanted to make some music he could play for his kids.

“I had no real ambitions for it,” he says. “I did that first record, A Day at the Farm With Farmer Jason, and the thing just sort of blossomed. It took on this organic momentum and I started looking at it differently as it developed.”

The character is an extension of his real life experiences. Before he arrived in Nashville, Ringenberg was raised on a farm in Illinois. Now with a family of his own, he lives on a hobby farm that raises animals and crops. It’s a lifestyle he’s happy to share with listeners, and the essence of Farmer Jason.

“That is the primary center of Farmer Jason’s mission, to motivate kids to get outdoors and enjoy nature,” says Ringenberg. “That’s the fundamental reason for why I’m doing this, other than the pure fun of it.”

Ringenberg still performs as a solo artist and with the Scorchers, but Farmer Jason is his career focus. Coming off years of playing late night rock shows, it was a shock to the system to update his schedule.

“There’s times I get ready at the venue at seven in the morning, for schools and things,” he explains. “It took some real getting used to in the beginning. I do schools, libraries, and performance halls. Sometimes little music clubs will do daytime matinee Farmer Jason shows for fun.”

Many of the early Farmer Jason supporters were fans of his work with the Scorchers, though increasingly his new fans may not have any knowledge of his old band. He never has trouble separating the two personae onstage, but sometimes he stays in character at Farmer Jason meet and greets without realizing it.

“Someone will bring a Jason & the Scorchers LP up and I’ll sign it like, ‘To Bob, Friends always. Love, Farmer Jason,’” he says with a laugh. “It’s just an old habit I have trouble breaking.”

Ringenberg will be meeting and greeting plenty of people this Spring and Summer, with a slew of upcoming U.S. dates in May and a European tour in June and July. He’s playing the Loveless Barn’s Music City Roots as Jason Ringenberg on 4/18, and West End Methodist Preschool as Farmer Jason on 4/20. Kids video channel MyKaZoo.tv is currently showing a series of new Farmer Jason videos in heavy rotation.

Women Rock For the Cure Announces Pink Trash Ball Lineup

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Brian Fuente. Photo: Taylor Christian Jones

Women Rock for the Cure will host its 3rd Annual Pink Trash Ball with special guest Tiffany May 3 at the Mercy Lounge.

Doors open at 7 pm and the festivities will begin at 8 pm. Guests will be treated to a Betsey Johnson Nashville fashion show with survivors as models, plus pink cocktails and live music by The Voice contestant Brian Fuente, Black Market Research, Baby Daggers, and DeeJay Silver in addition to Tiffany.

Partygoers are encouraged to arrive decked out in festive pink attire.

All proceeds to benefit Women Rock for the Cure, helping connect and support young women facing breast cancer.

For ticketing information, click here.

Final Waylon Jennings Recordings to be Released

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New music will be released from outlaw country legend Waylon Jennings on September 11, 2012. Ten years after his 2002 passing, Goin’ Down Rockin’: The Last Recordings of Waylon Jennings will be available on Saguaro Road Records.

The tracks were recorded during the last few years before his death, originally with Jennings and his guitar accompanied by longtime bassist Robby Turner.

Turner returned to finish the recordings in Jennings’ honor with musicians who had long worked with the country legend, including Reggie Young, Richie Albright and tourmate Tony Joe White.

Jennings wrote 11 of the 12 songs, which make personal statements about his life. In addition to his own songs, the album includes White’s “Goin’ Down Rockin’” with White making a guest appearance.

“Waylon knows he’s surrounded by friends and all that hear this will feel as if they know Waylon in all his authenticity,” explains his widow, country singer Jessi Colter.

Of his 54 albums, 11 hit No. 1 on the country charts. Jennings charted and more than 100 singles and took 16 to the No. 1 position. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2001.

Goin’ Down Rockin’: The Last Recordings of Waylon Jennings Tracklist:
1.     Goin’ Down Rockin’
2.     Belle of The Ball
3.     If My Harley Was Runnin’
4.     I Do Believe
5.     Friends In California
6.     The Ways of the World
7.     Shakin’ The Blues
8.     Never Say Die
9.     Wasting Time
10.  Sad Songs & Waltzes
11.   She Was No Good for Me
12.   Wrong Road To Nashville

Luke Bryan Scores Platinum Album

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Luke Bryan’s latest album Tailgates & Tanlines has received platinum status from the RIAA for shipments totaling one million units. This is Bryan’s third studio album on Capitol Records Nashville and has produced back-to-back platinum singles “Country Girl (Shake It For Me)” and “I Don’t Want This Night To End.” Current single “Drunk On You” is in the Top 10 on MusicRow’s Country Breakout chart. The album debuted at No. 1 last August with sales of 145,000 units.

Last month Bryan’s EP Spring Break 4…Suntan City debuted in the No. 2 spot on the Billboard Country Albums chart with sales near 30,000 units. His coinciding fourth annual spring break shows at Spinnaker’s in Panama City Beach attracted a crowd of 80,000 fans.

In addition to headlining his own dates, Bryan is on the road with Jason Aldean’s My Kinda Party Tour.