DISClaimer: The Americana Scene

/by

gurf morlix111

Gurf Morlix


We’re going for gender equality this week. Here are five guys and five gals who help to make the current Americana scene so listenable. What do Emmylou Harris & Rodney Crowell, Bobby Bare, Bruce Robison & Kelly Willis, The Lumineers, Buddy Miller & Jim Lauderdale and Mumford & Sons have in common? Besides the fact that they sing some of my favorite current records, they’re all Americana acts.
Deserving to join them on my current playlist are Jeff Black, Martha Redbone, Caroline Herring, Kate Campbell, David Olney, our Disc of the Day performer Gurf Morlix and our DisCovery Award winner, Levi Lowrey.
R.J. JONES & THE NECTARTHUGS/Blink of an Eye
Writers: Robert John Jones; Producer: R.J. Jones & Jeff King; Publisher: Nectarthugs, BMI; Subverse
-Jones is a veteran country songsmith whose works have been recorded by Tammy Wynette, Barbara Mandrell, Reba McEntire, The Whites, The Kendalls (”Thank God for the Radio”), Jim & Jesse, George Jones, T.G. Sheppard, Loretta Lynn, Mel Tillis, Susan Raye (”It Didn’t Have to Be a Diamond”), Johnny Paycheck, Alan Jackson, David Frizzell, Buck Owens (”California Okie”), Freddy Hart, Jean Shepard, Vern Gosdin and more. Dreams That Rhyme is his debut album, and he sings his heart out on it. His light, folk-pop tenor voice is backed by stellar acoustic picking throughout. This touching ode about a life in music and the passing of time is just one of its many pleasures.
HARPETH RISING/Amends
Writers: Jordana Greenberg/Rebecca Reed-Lunn; Producer: Bil VornDick; Publisher: none listed; Grimm Rising
-If you fancy the sound of cello, violin and banjo twiddling away while three folk damsels warble, step right up.
levi lowrey111

Levi Lowrey


JEFF BLACK/Avalon
Writers: Jeff Black; Producer: Jeff Black; Publisher: Lotus Nile, BMI; Lotus Nile
-This Nashvillian’s song craftsmanship has been described as “perfect,” and his works are, indeed, polished gems where not a word is wasted. His B-Sides and Confessions Volume Two CD presents 12 such creations. His accompanists include Sam Bush and Jerry Douglas. On this stirring, slowly-building track, Matraca Berg and Gretchen Peters provide vocal harmonies. Sample this or “Impala,” or “An Evil Lesson Is Soon Learned” or “Molly Rose” and I think you’ll agree that this man is a special, special talent.
MARTHA REDBONE/The Garden of Love
Writers: William Blake/Martha Redbone/John McEuen/Aaron Whitby; Producer: John McEuen and David Hoffner; Publisher: Rez Kitty/Whitful/Next Decade Entertainment/Video Wizards/Hoffman House, SESAC/BMI; Blackfeet
-Redbone is a soulful vocalist of Native American and African American heritage who grew up in Appalachia. Hence, her thoroughly unique musical style. Her Roots Project CD is an ambitious collection that sets the poetry of William Blake to acoustic mountain melodies sung in a gospel-inflected wail punctuated by war-whoop yelps. Prepare to be startled and captivated.
DAVID OLNEY/Go Down Dupree
Writers: David Olney; Producer: Jack Irwin; David Olney/Bug/Three Minute Movie, BMI; Deadbeet
-Robbery & Murder is the third Olney mini-album in a trilogy that also includes 2011’s Film Noir and 2012’s The Stone (All three are also packaged together as Body of Evidence). It kicks off with this righteous r&b stomper which features our hero shouting and growling over a red-hot track featuring blues harmonica, piano triplets and relentless rhythm. Guaranteed to wake you up quicker than a shot of espresso. If you’ve been a fan of this man as long as I have been, you don’t need me to tell you how gripping the rest of the tracks are (”My Family Owns This Town,” for one). Catch Olney’s weekly video postings on his website every Tuesday, each of which features one of his vivid songs, the story behind it and his various musings.
KRISTEN COTHRON/Tart
Writers: Elvis Costello; Producer: Ben Strano; Publisher: none listed; KC
-This Nashville singer/songwriter is now marketing her third collection. Show Me Where the Edge Is dominated by her jazz-pop originals, but also includes three covers of Elvis Costello tunes. This one, for instance, demonstrates how effectively her behind-the-beat phrasing can be in making a song completely her own. Admirable.
GURF MORLIX/Present Tense
Writers: Gurf Morlix; Producer: Gurf Morlix; Publisher: Crankbait/Bug, SESAC; Rootball
-This Austin-based songwriter and stellar producer is noted for his darkly humorous attitude. And he does not disappoint on his latest collection, Gurf Morlix Finds the Present Tense. Bleak, stark and practically creepy in sections, it’s exactly why we love him so. Highly recommended.
KATE CAMPBELL/1,000 Pound Machine
Writers: Kate Campbell/Will Kimbrough; Producer: Will Kimbrough; Publisher: Large River/Will Kimbrough/Blue Water, BMI; Large River
-The “machine” in question is a grand piano. Although Campbell customarily accompanies herself on guitar, the piano was her first instrument, and she returns to it on her current album. This CD title tune is a lilting voice-keyboard outing, but with ace guitarist Kimbrough producing, you can rest assured that other tracks on the collection resound with his notes as well as hers, not to mention such esteemed instrumentalists as David Hood, Spooner Oldham (the subject of the song “Spoonerville”), Dave Jacques, John Deaderick and Paul Griffith. As always, her exquisite songs reverberate with gospel and Southern folk tones. Particularly ear-perking are “Montgomery to Mobile,” which imagines Rosa Parks and George Wallace on a bus ride together, the prison song “Alabama Department of Corrections” with Emmylou Harris harmonies and the civil-rights infused “Wait for Another Day” and “Walk With Me.”
LEVI LOWREY/Hold On Tight
Writers: Levi Lowrey; Producer:Zac Brown, Matt Magano, Clay Cook & John Driskell Hopkins; Publisher: Southern Ground, BMI; Southern Ground
-Lowrey opens concerts for the Zac Brown Band and records for its Southern Ground imprint. The singer/songwriter’s CD I Confess I Was a Fool features this tender-hearted story of youngsters getting pregnant and vowing to share a life together. He sings in a soft, earnest, almost hushed tenor while acoustic instruments swirl around him like mountain mist. Enchanting.
CAROLINE HERRING/Camilla
Writers: Caroline Herring; Producer: Erick Jaskowiak; Publisher: Zelleria, ASCAP; Signature Sounds
-Folk fixture Herring came to Nashville to enlist Steven Sheehan, Fats Kaplan, Bryan Owings, Bryn Davies and Claire Holley for her musical backers on her current collection. The title tune is a Southern-flavored, bluesy, dark meditation on motherhood, crime and punishment. Her haunting delivery is matched, lick for lick, by the interwoven notes plucked by her sterling accompanists.

Music Filmmaker Les Blank Passes

/by

Les Blank. Photo: Harrod Blank

Les Blank. Photo: Harrod Blank


Documentary filmmaker Les Blank, notable for his interest in American roots music, died Sunday, April 7, at age 77 in Berkeley, CA.
Blank created short films that spotlighted the music of Appalachian fiddler Tommy Jarrell, zydeco music great Clifton Chenier, jazz trumpeter Dizzy Gillespie, Huey Lewis, Ry Cooder and blues immortals Mance Lipscomb and Lightnin’ Hopkins, as well as polka artists, Cajun fiddlers, Texas norteno bands, cowboy music and Mardi Gras culture. He was also notable for a full-length movie about acclaimed film director Werner Herzog.
He was the recipient of lifetime achievement awards from the American Film Institute and the International Documentary Association.
Several of his early films were financed by Houston, TX businessman John Lomax II, the father of Nashville music figure John Lomax III.
Les Blank is survived by children Harrod Blank, Ferris Robinson and Beau Blank as well as three grandchildren.

LifeNotes: Lindsay Walleman

/by

lindsay222111

Lindsay Walleman


Lindsay Walleman, Manager of Midwest/Northeast Promotions, W.A.R. Team at Warner Music Nashville lost her battle with cancer this morning (Tuesday, April 9). Walleman was 28.
Warner Music Nashville issued the following statement. “Lindsay was a wonderful, dynamic and kind person, who poured her heart and soul into everything she did. Her passion for music was inspiring and her dedication to artists was incredible. She will be missed greatly by our company, our artists, and everyone who had the pleasure of knowing her. Our thoughts and prayers are with her family.”
 
 

MusicRowLife

/by

Barry Coburn, co-president of Ten Ten Music Group, wed artist Ronell Venter in Leipers Fork, Tenn. on Saturday, March 30. Venter has had her paintings in many homes and buildings around the country.
Coburn opened Ten Ten Music Group in 1994.

Barry Coburn Wedding1111

Barry Coburn and Ronell Venter

Paisley Song "Accidental Racist" Stirs Controversy

/by

bradpaisleyBrad Paisley’s album Wheelhouse was released today (April 9) by Sony Music Nashville, and its track “Accidental Racist” is attracting plenty of attention. Many bloggers and reports have offered negative reviews of the song penned by Paisley, Lee Thomas Miller and rapper LL Cool J.
New York’s The Village Voice posted one of the more insightful reviews, explaining the situation this way: “Yesterday the Internet lost its collective shit upon hearing Brad Paisley and LL Cool J’s ‘Accidental Racist,’ a song much thornier and more complex than the simpleminded reactions it has stirred…It’s sad that Paisley’s most important song is not one of his strongest. But its heart is in the right, complex place, no matter how dopey Cool J’s ‘do-rag/red flag’ formulation.”
The LA Times reported the song “even-handedly questions assumptions about race relations,” and called Wheelhouse “his most ambitious album to date, taking on such hot-button topics as spousal abuse, Southern provincialism, racism and social justice alongside characteristically well-crafted mainstream country fare.”
Paisley shared his thoughts on Twitter: “‘Cause I wouldn’t change a thing. This is a record meant to be FAR from easy listening. But fun. Like life. Have a ball, ya’ll. love- brad” and “…I hope the album rocks you, soothes you, raises questions, answers, evokes feelings, all the way through until Officially Alive”

Industry Ink (4-9-13)

/by
plamedia1PLA Media has teamed with ComLink Entertainment to offer texting communications to enhance client and audience interaction. To initiate the program, Nashville music industry and Middle Tennessee locals text the phrase “PLA” to 44622 to become part of the PLA PLAnet social circle. Clients will also be able to join the network under the PLA umbrella and with the simple use of keywords, PLA can develop a campaign for overall fan information acquisition or demographic market area research. “It’s crucial to keep pace and moreover be ahead of new media and marketing,” says Pam Lewis, president of PLA Media. “Aligning with this new venture makes perfect sense to better serve our clients and offer them an important competitive edge.

“Regardless of what kind of smart phone you have, there’s no denying that your phone is probably your most used device between texts, data and calls,” Lewis continues. “We were very excited to connect with ComLink and implement a communication method that makes sense in the current business arena, but is also affordable for clients at all levels.”

 • • •
watershed Three-Day festival passes for the Watershed Music Festival, to be held August 2-4, have sold-out four months in advance. Terrace, premier, family and big rig camping are also sold-out and the remaining standard camping passes will be sold on a first come, first served basis and only to those who have already purchased festival tickets.

Watershed Music Festival features a versatile lineup of artists, late night sets, camping sites, collaborations and more. The line-up for the second annual event includes Luke Bryan, Toby Keith, Brad Paisley, Lee Brice, Terri Clark, Kip Moore, Thompson Square, Chris Young and more with late night sets at the “World Famous Late Night Honky Tonk” by Shooter Jennings and Blackberry Smoke. The festival will be held at The Gorge Amphitheatre, located in George, Wash.
• • •
schermerhorn symphony center111The banks holding the Nashville Symphony‘s debt have given the Nashville Symphony a deadline of this week to repay the funds or face foreclosure on the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, according to The Nashville Post.

Artist Updates (4-9-13)

/by

CMHOFThe Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum will unveil a special spotlight exhibit dedicated to singer Lee Greenwood on May 10. Lee Greenwood: American Patriot, which will be located within the museum’s permanent exhibit on the third floor, will incorporate costumes and other artifacts spanning Greenwood’s 50 years of musical activity. The exhibition will run through April 25, 2014. Lee Greenwood: American Patriot traces the artist’s personal and professional life from his musical childhood in California to his award-winning music career. The exhibit also places a special focus on Greenwood’s most beloved song, “God Bless the USA,” and his work with military and veterans organizations.

• • •

ashleymonroesliderAshley Monroe will be the fourth featured artist on Warner Music Nashville’s new monthly interactive live concert stream, “Live from Music Square,” via StageIt tomorrow (April 10) at 7 p.m. CST. The live concert will be broadcast from Studio B on Music Row in Nashville and the stream can be accessed at www.livefrommusicsquare.com. RSVP to see the free performance.
 

• • •

BRC Change My Mind111Buffets, Inc.® will stock Billy Ray Cyrus‘ 13th studio album, Change My Mind, beginning today (April 9). Guests can pick up Cyrus’ latest CD at Ryan’s®, Country Buffet®, HomeTown® Buffet, Old Country Buffet® and Fire Mountain® for a special $8.99 price, while supplies last. Proceeds from the CDs will support the Armed Services YMCA® (ASYMCA) for Operation Outdoors, a camp program that assists the children of military personnel during deployment.

• • •

Aaron Lewis

Aaron Lewis

Aaron Lewis has partnered with Jägermeister to announce his 2013 Country Tour. The tour kicks off May 1 in Glen Allen, Va.,  with each show featuring special guest support acts including Jägermeister artist and emcee, Rick Monroe. The tour will run through June 23 in Evansville, Ind. For more information, visit ticketmaster.com.

• • •

natalie-maines-without-you2222Natalie Maines has released the single “Without You” from her upcoming debut solo album, Mother.

 
 

Mahan Named President of DC Media

/by

michael mahan11

Michael Mahan


Michael Mahan has been named President of DC Media, the parent company of dick clark productions (dcp). Based at the company’s Los Angeles headquarters and reporting to CEO of dick clark productions Allen Shapiro, Mahan will oversee certain dcp operations including revenue, business affairs, finance and foreign distribution. In addition, Mahan will be responsible for all strategic transactions including acquisition opportunities.  
dcp is a leading independent producer of television programming, including hits such as the American Music Awards, the Golden Globe Awards, the Academy of Country Music Awards, Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve and So You Think You Can Dance. The company currently has additional projects in various stages of production including: CBS Sports Network’s Rome, the Miss Universe and Miss USA pageants, NFL Honors, Bloopers, and the Streamy Awards.

 “It’s such a pleasure to welcome Michael back into the dcp family,” said Shapiro. “His track record of creating value will be invaluable as we take dick clark productions to the next level. We’re all looking forward to launching this new chapter with him.”
“Michael’s appointment signals the intention of DC Media to structure a robust management team designed to both build and acquire a bouquet of assets to fuel the company’s strategic growth,” said Peter Guber, Chairman of dick clark productions. “Michael is an extremely talented executive who will spearhead that growth.”
As President of DC Media, Mahan brings a wealth of experience to the new position from his previous post as President of the TV Guide Network and tvguide.com, as well as co-owner of Direct Holdings Global, a leading direct response company and the exclusive licensee of the Time Life brand for use on television. Mahan led the transformation of TV Guide Network from a guidance-focused utility network to a full-screen entertainment destination available in 81 million homes. During his tenure, Mahan successfully completed deals with Comcast, Dish Network, Verizon, Time Warner, Cox and Charter.
Prior to TV Guide, Mr. Mahan was most recently Sr. VP, Corporate Development for dick clark productions, inc., where he was responsible for strategic transactions and initiatives across numerous divisions including  foreign sales, media licensing, mobile, internet and home video. He also played a pivotal role in the successful sale of dcp in June 2007. Previously, Mr. Mahan spent over three years at CDP Capital Entertainment, a division of Caisse de dépôt, where he focused on private equity transactions in the media and entertainment industry; was on the board of dick clark productions and acted as an observer on the board of Lakeshore Entertainment Group; led the business development team for eWanted.com, a leading reverse auction company; worked in the business development team for Checkout.com, an online entertainment company focused on content and commerce for music and movies and began his career as an investment banker for Bear Stearns.

Nashville Songwriters Partner with SongwritingWith:Soldiers

/by

Songwriting With SoldiersTwelve active duty military service members and their guests will take part in an opportunity to share their stories with professional songwriters during the SongwritingWith:Soldiers retreat at the Cedarbrake Renewal Center in Belton, Texas on April 26-28.
Austin-based songwriter and program creator Darden Smith, along with songwriters Jay Clementi, Darrell Scott and Gary Nicholson, will be paired with military members to create songs based on their combat experience and its effect on them since returning home. All participants will be considered co-writers of their songs and will be registered with ASCAP. The Bob Woodruff Foundation, The ASCAP Foundation, Lockheed Martin, Veterans United Foundation, The Mayerson Foundation and the Charleston Center for Photography have joined SongwritingWith:Soldiers to provide stress relief for returning U.S. service members of Iraq and Afghanistan suffering from Post Traumatic Stress.
“My passion for songwriting has often landed me in unexpected terrain,” says Smith. “Songwriting with U.S. soldiers who have returned from combat is certainly one of the most unusual – and rewarding – career turns I never ever imagined. Now, we have several past retreat participants who’ve asked to help out, including some who were reluctant to attend last time. I can’t think of a better endorsement.”
In recent years, Smith established Be An Artist, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to sponsoring projects that bring arts and creativity into educational settings. SongwritingWith:Soldiers emerged out of this program and continues to expand its reach.
“As the number of military suicides rises — up to 22 per day — we are more determined than ever to reach more service men and women with our program,” says SongwritingWith:Soldiers Executive Director Mary Judd. “One of our goals is to develop materials to help replicate the program on a broad scale. We have seen the healing effects. More service men and women need this opportunity. More songwriters need this opportunity, too.”
Additional veterans in attendance will include award-winning combat photographers Andy Dunaway and Stacy Pearsall (recently honored as a White House Champion of Change), and combat veteran and videographer James Monk with Mercy Lamp Productions. For more information, visit songwritingwithsoldiers.com.
 

CTM Adds Production Coordinator

/by
Louellen Benton111CTM (Catch This Music), a full-service digital and analog recording facility and newly minted record label, has hired Louellen Benton as Production Coordinator. Effective immediately, Benton’s duties as Production Coordinator will include managing daily operations of the CTM recording studio and album projects, oversight of accounting services as well as seeking new talent in Nashville, across the U.S. and abroad.
“After listening to (CTM President and CEO) Eddie Robba share his vision of returning to the heart of the singer, the songwriter, and the music, I knew I had to be a part of Catch This Music. Whatever I can do to help him bring back integrity and the personal touch – to elevate the artistry – that’s what I want to do,” said Benton.
“We are very excited to welcome Louellen Benton to our staff. Louellen brings both professionalism and music knowledge to CTM.  She has been immersed in music since she was young and like us, she has a passion for great music. Her enthusiasm, attention to detail and experience in the music industry is what really makes her the perfect person for the position,” offered Robba.
Located at 1008 17 Avenue S., Nashville, CTM offers a studio as well as full-service production for album projects, video services, artist development, public relations, marketing and radio promotion for recording artists and corporate clients alike.
Louellen Benton can be reached at (615) 340-9000 or [email protected].