All For The Hall To Return To New York City in 2013

Vince Gill and Emmylou Harris at All For The Hall in 2010. Photo: Alex J. Berliner.

Vince Gill and Emmylou Harris at All For The Hall in 2010. Photo: Alex J. Berliner.


The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s All For The Hall series will return to New York City in 2013. All For The Hall New York will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 26 at Best Buy Theater, and will feature performances by Country Music Hall of Fame members Vince Gill and Emmylou Harris as well as other guest performers. The performance will take place in a “guitar pull” fashion and a cocktail reception and dinner will precede the performance.
“We are delighted to be returning to New York, and look forward to offering patrons a unique country music experience and an opportunity to engage in the life of our 45-year-old educational organization,” said Museum Director Kyle Young. “This annual event facilitates understanding of the important collection, research and scholarship that are the essence of our great national museum. The contributed income derived from the event allows us to continue our mission of preserving the evolving history and traditions of country music; it helps to fund our dynamic changing exhibit schedule, our school programs, the hundreds of public programs we present each year and more. We are very grateful for our warm welcome in previous years and look forward to seeing old friends and making new ones next month.”
The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum launched All For The Hall in 2005. All For The Hall was hosted in New York previously in 2007 and in 2008, and in Los Angeles in 2009, 2010 and 2011.
All for the Hall New York is chaired by AEG Live Chairman Tim Leiweke and produced by CAA’s Rod Essig, Vector Management’s Ken Levitan and BMI’s Jody Williams.
To purchase tickets or for more information, patrons may contact Rachel Shapiro at [email protected] or telephone 615-416-2069.

Facebook Unveils Graph Search

detail

Graph Search will appear as a bigger search bar at the top of each page. Users can create custom views of the results by changing the titles.

Facebook announced a new search tool yesterday (Jan. 16) called Graph Search. Built for use within the extremely popular social site, Graph Search is designed to keep users on Facebook, instead of going to other sites to seek information.

According to Facebook, “With Graph Search you combine phrases (for example: “my friends in New York who like Jay-Z”) to get that set of people, places, photos or other content that’s been shared on Facebook. It makes finding new things much easier, but [for privacy reasons] you can only see what you could already view elsewhere on Facebook.”
At present, Graph Search will mine users’ pictures, likes and check-ins, but not status updates. The first version of Graph Search focuses on four main areas — people, photos, places, and interests. Open Graph actions (for example, song listens) are not yet available, but could be in coming months.
Examples of searches include: “people from my hometown who like hiking,” “friends of friends who have been to Yosemite National Park,” “software engineers who live in San Francisco and like skiing,” “photos of my friends before 1999,” “cities visited by my family,” “Indian restaurants liked by my friends from India,” “tourist attractions in Italy visited by my friends,” “movies liked by people who like movies I like,” “languages my friends speak,” “strategy games played by friends of my friends,” and “books read by CEOs.”
According to the New York Times, “The search tool is plainly designed with an eye toward profits. If done right, said Brian Blau, an analyst with Gartner, it could offer marketers a more precise signal of a Web user’s interests. ‘It’s going to lend itself to advertising or other revenue-generating products that better matches what people are looking for,’ he said. ‘Advertisers are going to be able to better target what you’re interested in. It’s a much more meaningful search than keyword search.'”
Graph Search beta is open and only available in English. Click here for more details or to join the waitlist.
In more FB news, the company is testing a pay-to-message service for ordinary people to be able to message celebrities, CEOs, etc. More here.

Lady Antebellum, Stevie Nicks Team Up for 'Crossroads'

crossroadsStevie Nicks will share the stage with Lady Antebellum when CMT presents an all-new episode of CMT Crossroads. Meeting and collaborating for the first time on the CMT Crossroads stage in Los Angeles, Nicks and Lady Antebellum will share harmonies and stories on CMT Crossroads: Stevie Nicks and Lady Antebellum, premiering later this year on CMT.
CMT Crossroads is produced by Tom Forrest and Kathryn Russ. John Hamlin, Margaret Comeaux and Bill Flanagan serve as executive producers.

Nashville Gets New Full-Service Live Entertainment Company

Gary Bowman

Gary Bowman


Event producer Gary Bowman has launched Nashville Live!, a full-service live entertainment company. Bowman will work in conjunction with Jim Brammer and the company will be located at 1821 Air Lane Drive in Nashville.
Bowman has produced nearly 60 concerts and festivals during his 22 years in the industry, in addition to numerous live broadcasts and recordings. In over 40 of those events, Bowman served as the primary producer, managing staff and crew of up to 550 people and accommodating crowds of over 50,000. In 2011, Bowman’s work on the Greenbrier Classic Concert series, a multi-day festival that drew nearly 160,000 attendees and included artists Tim McGraw, Luke Bryan, Miranda Lambert, Keith Urban and The Black Eyed Peas, received the honor of “Best Special Event” from the PGA Tour Tournament Advisory Council.
Contact Nashville Live! at 615-495-9049.
 
 

DISClaimer: Blake Shelton Is At The Top Of His Game

coolI love country duets. There is just something so pleasing to my ears hearing two splendid voices singing in harmony with both parts mixed like lead vocals. No other musical format has anything like this. So it comes as no surprise that two of my favorite records in this listening session belonged to Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell and to Mark McKinney & Bri Bagwell. These are records that tell me that real country music is alive and well.
That said, I’d be a fool not to honor Blake Shelton with a Disc of the Day award. The man is at the top of his game.
Although the duo of McKinney & Bagwell is new, he has been in this column many times before as a solo. And none of the other newcomers knocked me out. So, alas, there is no DisCovery this week.
ANSON CARTER/All About the Music
Writer: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Rusted Truck Ranch  
—The track copies Waylon’s old Waylors sound and, sure enough, the lyric waxes nostalgic about the old “Outlaw” days. Then he veers off into praising Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen for not appearing on talk shows. Whatever. It rocks.
LONESTAR/Maybe Someday
Writer: Frank Myers/Dean Sams/Billy Montana/Richie McDonald; Producer: none listed; Publisher: Meleva/Last Song Standing/Clearbox Rights/Mike Curb/Dandon Ranch/NuSlate, BMI; 4Star
—The reunited Lonestar (Richie McDonald, Dean Sams, Keech Rainwater and Michael Britt) still sounds super great. This power ballad has a big, majestic sound that revels in regret and heartache. Hooks a-plenty.
THE CLAY WILSON BAND/Tomorrow
Writer: Clay Wilson; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed, BMI; CWB 
—Crisply produced, this has tasty electric guitar licks, throbbing rhythm, bopping energy, handclaps and a lead vocal that chews on the lyric with gusto. I’m totally digging it. These guys are batting a thousand in this column with their singles. Send an album!
BLAKE SHELTON/Sure Be Cool If You Did
Writer: Rodney Clawson/Jimmy Robbins/Chris Tompkins; Producer: Scott Hendricks; Publisher: Big Red Toe/Amarillo Sky/Big Loud Bucks/Big Loud Songs/Play Another/Extraordinary Alien, BMI/ASCAP; Warner Bros. 
—He’s swooning over her in a barroom. Best line: “You don’t have to shoot me down, ’cause you’ve already knocked me dead.” An echoey, mid-tempo, finger-snapping production perfectly frames his countryboy vocal performance.
KELLY PARKES/As Good As Me
Writer: Doug Bryson/Dee Briggs; Producer: Mike Borchetta, Darran Smith & Mark Lambert; Publisher: Cross Bayou/Songs South/Perleejo/Songscape/Lullabye Blue, ASCAP; Ocala 
—The track is full of energy, which contrasts with her somewhat languid, slightly pitchy vocal delivery. Intriguing, if not exactly flawless.
JAKE OWEN/Anywhere With You
Writer: Ben Hayslip/David Lee Murphy/Jimmy Yeary; Producer: Joey Moi & Rodney Clawson; Publisher: WB/Melissa’s Money/Get a Load of This/Old Desperados/N2D/Carol Vincent/EMI Blackwood/Beattyville/Great Day at This, ASCAP/BMI; RCA 
—Handsome Jake’s star-making album yields its fourth single. It is the collection’s lead-off track, an escape/road song with lots of wailing electric guitars and his customary vocal warmth.
JOSEY MILNER/Not Pretty Enough
Writer: Kasey Chambers; Producer: Micah Burdick & Matthew Russo; Publisher: Gibbon PTY, ASCAP; MTS 
—Ms. Milner’s bland interpretation of Aussie Americana star Kasey Chambers’ song drains all the blood and soul out of it.
EMMYLOU HARRIS & RODNEY CROWELL/Hanging Up My Heart
Writer: none listed; Producer: Brian Ahern; Publisher: none listed; Nonesuch  
Old Yellow Moon, the highly anticipated duets album by Emmylou and Rodney isn’t due until Feb. 5, but I couldn’t resist a sneak listen. This lead off track two-steps its way right across your heart with its jaunty vocals and clear, straightforward country production. A pre-order of the CD on Emmylou’s website gets you a free download of this charming number. Roger Miller’s “Invitation to the Blues” is also on the collection, as are Allen Reynolds’ “Dreaming My Dreams with You,” Matraca Berg’s “Back When We Were Beautiful” and several Rodney tunes. Every track is a glittering gem.
MARK McKINNEY & BRI BAGWELL/She Ain’t Leavin’
Writer: none listed; Producer: Eric McKinney & Mark McKinney; Publisher: none listed; MM 
—They’re broke, blue, overworked and disgusted. But they’ve got each other. Not to mention the best song of the listening session, and a rollicking, cool-as-brew production. Absolutely country and absolutely wonderful.
JOHN CORBETT/Steal Your Heart
Writer: Jon Randall/Gary Nicholson/Paul Overstreet; Producer: Gary Paczosa & Jon Randall Stewart; Publisher: Reynsong/Wha Ya Say/Sony-ATV Cross Keys/Gary Nicholson/Scarlet Moon, BMI/ASCAP; Funbone 
—From Sex and the City to My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Corbett has long since proved himself as an actor. But don’t let that color your opinion of him as a music maker. He’s no moonlighting dilettante. He’s a real-deal country rocker. I loved his last CD, and Leaving Nothin’ Behind only fulfills its promise. This bluesy lead track romps splendidly. Of the collection’s 10 songs, Jon Randall Stewart co-wrote seven. He also co-produced. Corbett calls him “my favorite songwriter.” You can’t argue with the man’s taste.

Shaun Silva Adds Two Editors To Post-Production House

e1353370508.27Two of the industry’s top offline editors, Lee Tucker and Scott Mele, have joined Nashville’s newest post-production house, Forward.
The company’s founder and owner, Shaun Silva, made the announcement Tuesday (Jan. 15).
“To be able to continue the growth of Forward with two of the industry’s top standouts will allow us to continue our goals of securing and attaining top projects from all over the world,” said Silva. “This is a game change and we are proud to be announcing that Lee and Scott have joined our growing company.”
Tucker is a 14-year veteran in his field with experience as senior editor on Nashville Star, editor on Women of K2 for the National Geographic channel, editor on Stars for Stripes, Wounded Warriors Return for GAC and Editor/Director on the Old Crow Medicine Show Live DVD. His love of music and the art of the story have led to color correction work on Jack White‘s “Love Interruption” and film projects from Harmony Korine‘s short films to Brent Stewart‘s recent Sundance entry, The Dirty Ones.
Mele’s 24-year career has led him to work with Lady Antebellum, Kenny Chesney, The Band Perry, Faith Hill, Limp Bizkit and Aretha Franklin. His commercial experience extends to national brands such as Verizon Wireless, Cellular One, Subway and a handful of hospital campaigns, in addition to episodic television shows, major network specials and theatrical releases.
Forward officially opened its doors in November of 2012 and is located in the historic Marathon Village.
Silva has directed numerous country music video clips, including work for Kenny Chesney, Sugarland, Luke Bryan, Brooks & Dunn, as well as work for rock artists Uncle Kracker and Three Doors Down. In 2010, Silva won Best Director at the CMT Music Awards.

Industry Ink (1/16/13)

ASCAP’s first showcase of 2013 featured four up-and-coming songwriters, Kelsea Ballerini, Shaunna Bolton, Adam Hambrick and Forest Glen Whitehead, performing in the round at Nashville’s Bluebird Cafe on Wednesday, Jan. 9.

Pictured (L-R): ASCAP's Mike Sistad, Shaunna Bolton, Adam Hambrick, Kelsea Ballerini and Forest Glen Whitehead

Pictured (L-R): ASCAP’s Mike Sistad, Shaunna Bolton, Adam Hambrick, Kelsea Ballerini and Forest Glen Whitehead

• • •

ScenicCity1Heng Dai Media producers Todd Mayo and John Walker recently announced a new “sister show” to Nashville’s popular Music City Roots series. Scenic City Roots which will premiere in Chattanooga on March 7, 2013. Scenic City Roots will take place monthly, on Thursdays, at Chattanooga music venue Track 29.
Shows will begin at 7 p.m. ET.

• • •

David Dixon

David Dixon


 
Media communications strategist David Dixon has been announced as Country Radio Seminar’s featured daily speaker for Thursday, Feb. 28, during CRS 2013.
Dixon is a partner at Dixon/Davis Media Group, based in Washington, D.C. The company was part of the Obama media team during the 2008 and 2012 elections, where they oversaw television and radio campaigns in Florida, Virginia and North Carolina. As part of the presentation, Dixon will discuss how radio has played an important role in winning recent political campaigns and how it fit into the overall media mix. He will also illustrate how radio is working with television and the growing relationship it has with digital and grassroots media.

• • •

Pictured (L-R): BMI’s Phil Graham, Charlie Feldman and Tommy James.

Pictured (L-R): BMI’s Phil Graham, Charlie Feldman and Tommy James.


Rock legend Tommy James was recently recognized by BMI for 22 million combined radio performances of his hit songs “Draggin’ The Line,” “Crimson and Clover,” “Crystal Blue Persuasion,” “Mony Mony” and “Tighter Tighter.”  James was presented with five BMI Million-Air Awards in New York.  James stated, “I was very honored to receive the BMI Million-Air awards, I have been a member for so long it feels like family. My thanks again to BMI.”

McGraw Announces Two Lanes of Freedom Tour

mcgrawTim McGraw announced today that his Two Lanes of Freedom 2013 Tour, presented by Pennzoil, will crank up this summer in Birmingham, Ala. on May 2 and continue on to 30 cities through July. The U.S. trek, will also feature emerging artists Brantley Gilbert and Love and Theft.
McGraw has partnered with Tumblr to create the “Fanticipation” program which will allow fans, for the first time ever, to announce through Tumblr when tickets will be available in their own hometown. Beginning in early February, McGraw will call a fan in each market who is selected to participate in “Fanticipation” and personally tip them off, so they can share the information with their friends and other McGraw fans first. For more information on “Fanticipation,” click here.
On Feb. 5, McGraw will release his first album on Big Machine Records, Two Lanes of Freedom. For more updates and the latest information, visit www.timmcgraw.com.
Two Lanes of Freedom Tour Dates:
5/2    Birmingham, AL    Oak Mountain Amphitheatre
5/3 Charlotte, NC    Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
5/4 Raleigh, NC     Time Warner Cable Music Pavilion
5/10 West Palm Beach, FL    Cruzan Amphitheatre
5/11 Tampa, FL    1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheatre
5/12 Atlanta, GA    Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood
5/17 Philadelphia, PA    Susquehanna Bank Center
5/18 Pittsburgh, PA    First Niagara Pavilion
5/19 Detroit, MI    DTE Energy Music Theatre
5/23 St. Louis, MO    Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
5/24 Chicago, IL    First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
5/25 Cincinnati, OH    Riverbend Music Center
5/26 Darien Lakes, NY    Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
5/30 Indianapolis, IN    Klipsch Music Center
5/31 Cleveland, OH    Blossom Music Center
6/1 Washington, D.C.    Jiffy LubeLive
6/7 San Diego, CA    Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre
6/8 San Bernardino, CA    San Manuel Amphitheatre
6/9 Mountain View, CA    Shoreline Amphitheatre
6/13 Albuquerque, NM    Hard Rock Casino Albuquerque Presents the Pavilion
6/14 Salt Lake City, UT    USANA Amphitheatre
6/15 Denver, CO    Fiddler’s Green
6/20 Beaumont, TX    Ford Park Pavilion
6/22 Dallas, TX    Gexa Energy Pavilion
6/28 Hartford, CT    Comcast Theatre
6/29 Boston, MA    Comcast Center
6/30 Holmdel, NJ    PNC Bank Arts Center
7/25 Toronto, ONT    Molson Canadian Amphitheatre
7/26 Bethel, NY    Bethel Woods Center for the Arts
7/27 Virginia Beach, VA    Farm Bureau Live at Virginia Beach
 

'The X Factor' Winner Signs with Syco Music/RCA Records Nashville

Pictured (L-R): Sony Music Nashville Chairman & CEO Gary Overton, Stevens, Ken Levitan (Vector Management), Sony Music Nashville VP A&R Jim Catino, Michelle Owens (Vector Management).

Pictured (L-R): Sony Music Nashville Chairman & CEO Gary Overton, Stevens, Ken Levitan (Vector Management), Sony Music Nashville VP A&R Jim Catino, Michelle Owens (Vector Management).


Tate Stevens, who recently won the second season of Simon Cowell’s The X Factor, has inked a deal with Syco Music/RCA Records Nashville. Stevens is currently writing and recording his debut album, which is set to release in spring 2013.
Throughout his season on The X Factor, Stevens performed material from Craig Morgan, Lonestar, Garth Brooks, Bon Jovi, Chris Young and Little Big Town, among other songs.
 

Ashley Monroe, Vince Gill Preview 'Like A Rose'

Ashley Monroe and Vince Gill (who produced Monroe’s upcoming album Like A Rose) gave a preview of the project for several industry members on Monday (Jan. 14) at Jim McGuire‘s photo studio in Nashville. McGuire has taken the portraits of numerous Nashville celebrities, including Kris Kristofferson, Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Chet Atkins and numerous others.
Monroe’s manager John Grady (Crush Management) and Warner Music Nashville’s Peter Strickland hosted the event, welcoming Monroe and Gill to play all of the tracks from the upcoming album. Monroe (who is also part of the trio Pistol Annies with Miranda Lambert and Angaleena Presley) possesses a soulful, twang-drenched voice that easily draws comparisons to Lee Ann Womack and Dolly Parton, along with the knife-sharp songwriting that comes from someone who has been writing and singing for over half of her life. The camaraderie between the Knoxville native and her producer comes naturally; Monroe has been co-writing with Gill for over a decade, even before Monroe had a driver’s license.
ashley monroe1They kicked off the evening with “Two Weeks Late,” a rollicking tune that showcases Monroe’s sharp wit. Another rocker, “Monroe Suede,” highlighted her ace storytelling skills. Gill offered high praise for the singer-songwriter throughout the evening, comparing the work on Like A Rose and Monroe’s traditional leanings in the midst of a rock-oriented country music landscape to that of Emmylou Harris. “Emmylou in a sense was that person. If you analyzed what country was doing in the ’70s, it wasn’t traditional,” said Gill. “She reclaimed some traditional spirit again in country music. I think this record of Ashley’s has the same opportunity. It’s honest.” Sharing a bit of advice he got from music publisher Fred Foster about producing an artist project, Gill added, “You have to go frame the picture.” And that’s exactly what Gill has done with this album.
Another highlight from the album is “Mornin’ After,” which Monroe penned when she was 17. The track features a vintage ‘tic tac’ bass doubling which sounds similar to a kickdrum. They followed the ballad with “Used,” a song Monroe penned after musing how many things, such as guitars, vintage clothing–and ultimately people–are better with some history behind them.
The title track, co-written with Guy Clark and Jon Randall, is a semi-autobiographical track detailing Monroe’s challenging teenage years, the loss of her father when she was 13, and her determination to rise above them. “You Got Me” features background vocals from Little Big Town and was co-written with LBT’s Karen Fairchild.
Like A Rose is slated for release March 5.