CMA Music Festival Packed With Free Activities

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marshall tucker band11

Marshall Tucker Band


The 2013 CMA Music Festival will take over downtown Nashville Thursday through Sunday, June 6-9, with six free performance stages and countless free activities. Everything gets started with the Ninth Annual CMA Music Festival Kick-Off Parade on Wednesday, June 5 at 11:00 AM. The parade will make its way down Broadway from Tenth to First Avenue with Kix Brooks serving as Grand Marshal. Following the procession, the fun will kick into high gear with the Eighth Annual CMA Music Festival Block Party. Fans can gather at the Chevrolet Riverfront Stage for The Henningsens followed by Brazilbilly, The Lacs, The Cadillac Three, and headliner Joe Diffie. Lyndsey Highlander will perform the national anthem.
There will be a total of 11 stages. Line ups for the Nightly Concerts at LP Field, Chevrolet Riverfront Stage and Bud Light Stage at the Bridgestone Arena Plaza were previously announced. Tickets for the Nightly Concerts sold out a record-setting six weeks in advance of the 2013 festival.
Here’s a run-down of the outdoor spaces that are free and open to the public:
(alphabetical order; artists and schedule subject to change) Details including hours and location here.
BMI Tailgate Party
Returning to the CMA Music Festival for a second year is the BMI Tailgate Party. Located right off the Cumberland River outside LP Field, the stage will feature a strong selection of BMI’s songwriters, artists, and DJ Du warming up the audience before they enter LP Field for the Nightly Concerts beginning at 4:30 PM.
Thursday, June 6: Joel Crouse, Joey Hyde, and Thomas Rhett
Friday, June 7: Lindsay Ell, David Fanning, and Josh Thompson
Saturday, June 8: Native Run, Jon Pardi, and Westbound Rangers
Sunday, June 9: Brazilbilly, Curious Band, and The Railers
Transitions Performance Park
Transitions® adaptive lenses will host fans at a two-story viewing platform, where they can star in a professional photo shoot. The legendary Marshall Tucker Band will make their first-ever CMA Music Festival appearance and kick things off at the Transitions Performance Park Stage on Thursday, June 6 at 11:00 AM.
Thursday, June 6: Ash Bowers, Tim Dugger, Flynnville Train, Marshall Tucker Band, Old Dominion, Chad Warrix, Holly Williams, and Jon Wolfe
Friday, June 7: The Cleverlys, Due West, Clare Dunn, Hudson Moore, Danielle Peck, Julie Roberts, Gwen Sebastian, and Phoenix Stone
Saturday, June 8: Jeff Bates, The Cadillac Three, Cowboy Troy, Jaida Dreyer, Morgan Frazier, Old Southern Moonshine Revival, Frank Ortega, and The Stickers
Sunday, June 9: Blackjack Billy, The Brothers Road, Kristy Lee Cook, High Valley, Carly Pearce, Stephanie Quayle, Sweetwater Rain, and A Thousand Horses
The Buckle
The Buckle Stage will host a variety of free performances and activities beginning with concerts presented by ASCAP on Thursday, June 6 and Sunday, June 9.
Thursday, June 6: Brent Anderson, Brian Burke, Karli Chayne, Steven Clawson, Clare Dunn, Josh Grider, Curtis Grimes, Austin Jenckes, Cody Johnson, Michaelis, Dylan Scott, Madeleine Slate, Two Story Road, Allison Veltz, Zane Williams, and Trent Willmon
Sunday, June 9: Chris Cavanaugh, Corey Crowder, Kalisa Ewing, Victoria Ghost, Adam Hambrick, JT Harding, Kris Hitchcock, Camaron Ochs, Brent Rupard, SaraBeth Taite, and Hailey Whitters
On Friday and Saturday, June 7 and 8, the ABC Television Summer Block Party will host appearances by Jason Thompson and Nancy Lee Grahn (General Hospital) and Chef Carla Hall (The Chew), along with free food from the Grilled Cheeserie Truck.
Fan Alley
The Chevrolet Roadhouse Stage in Fan Alley will feature daily concerts.
Thursday, June 6: Kenny Foster, Friends of Lola, Johnson, Pete Kennedy, Lisa Matassa, and Sundy Best
Friday, June 7: Tyler Barham, Eric Lee Beddingfield, Weston Burt, Courtney Cole, Striking Matches, and Carrie Zaruba
Saturday, June 8: Dakota Bradley, Brianna De Alba, Lyndsey Highlander, Rachel Holder, Kingston, and Austin Webb
Sunday, June 9: Cerrito, Zach Lockwood, Joanna Mosca, Josh Mullins, and Pierce Avenue
CMA Social Media Ticket Giveaways
Despite tickets to the LP Field Nightly Concert series being sold out, fans can win their way into the best seats in the house. Between Monday, May 27 and Friday, May 31, CMA will give away a pair of tickets each day across the organization’s social media channels Google+, Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook. Details at Blog.CMAfest.com beginning Monday, May 27.
Safety First
CMA will be utilizing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s “If You See Something, Say Something” program to raises public awareness of indicators of terrorism-related crime and the importance of reporting suspicious activity. Attendees are asked to text ALERT (space) and the LOCATION of the suspicious activity to 66937. There will also be a special festival law enforcement phone number posted throughout the event.

Faster Horses Festival Adds To Performance Lineup

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faster horses festival1The first-ever Faster Horses Festival has added several second stage acts including Frankie Ballard, Kelleigh Bannen, The Cadillac Three, Gunnar & The Grizzly Boys, Will Hoge, Chris Stapleton and many more.
The second stage artists will join previously announced headliners Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley and Luke Bryan, along with Kix Brooks, Florida Georgia Line, Colt Ford, David Nail, Jerrod Niemann, Thomas Rhett, Thompson Square, Chris Young, Brett Eldredge, Jon Pardi, Drake White, Greg Bates and Chase Rice.
In addition to the extended performance lineup, the camping and music festival is partnering with Camp Casey to provide horse vaulting and drill team performances. The festival will feature nine campgrounds, a Foamalicious organic foam party, the world’s largest inflatable water slide and a 100-foot tall vertigo swing.
The three-day Faster Horses Festival is set for July 19-21 in Brooklyn, Mich.
For more details, visit fasterhorsesfestival.com.

Primetime 'Nashville': Season Finale

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Rayna and Juliette share a moment at Juliette's mom's funeral.

Rayna and Juliette share a moment at Juliette’s mom’s funeral.


I’ll Never Get Out of This World Alive
Season 1 | Episode 121 | Aired 05/22/2013

The season finale of Nashville packed a one-two punch of cliffhangers which will leave fans wondering until next season. The episode ended with Rayna and Deacon in a terrible car wreck, Gunnar popping the question to Scarlett, and Teddy finding out that his ex-girlfriend Peggy is preggers.
Just when things were looking good for Rayna and Deacon’s romantic relationship, he found out that Maddie is his biological daughter. The secret Rayna had been keeping for 13 years drove him to a disastrous alcohol binge after more than a decade of sobriety.
At the CMA Awards, Rayna and Brad Paisley performed “Bitter Memory,” written by Lucinda Williams.

At the CMA Awards, Rayna and Brad Paisley performed “Bitter Memory,” written by Lucinda Williams.


Reeling from the news, Deacon tracked down mayor Teddy outside his office and tackled him. Years ago, when Rayna found out she was pregnant with Maddie, she and Teddy decided to get married and raise Maddie as Teddy’s daughter.
Now that Teddy and Rayna are separated, it turns out he might have another child on the way, this time with Peggy (Kimberly Williams Paisley). In another of the show’s ongoing storylines, Teddy and Peggy were contacted by federal investigators over an embezzlement scheme that could land Teddy in prison.
Deacon continued on a path of self-destruction until his AA sponsor, who is also Teddy’s former deputy mayor, Coleman, showed up to help. Deacon tried to physically fight off Coleman during one of the episode’s best played scenes (see video below).
Later that night, Deacon showed up at the Bluebird Café where Juliette was hosting a memorial service for her mother Jolene. In last week’s episode, Jolene killed the man who was blackmailing Juliette and then took her own life.
The CMA Awards served as a backdrop for the season finale, where Juliette and Rayna were nominated for Female Vocalist of the Year. In a maudlin scene, Juliette skipped the ceremony and ended up alone at the funeral home, crying over her mother’s casket. Juliette won Female Vocalist, but wasn’t there to accept.
Jolene had always wanted to see her daughter perform at the Bluebird, so Juliette arranged a small graveside burial followed by a memorial at the famed music venue.
At the Bluebird, Juliette performed “Nothing In This World,” joined by her band member Avery and the song’s real-life writer Kate York. York wrote the song with Sarah Buxton (see them discuss it here). While Juliette poured her heart into the song in her mother’s tribute, a montage showed Gunnar presenting an engagement ring to a surprised Scarlett, as well as Rayna and Deacon leaving the Bluebird together, and arguing in the car leading to a rollover accident in the SUV (see the video above).
Juliette and Avery grew close toward the end of the season, a storyline that could develop next season. Meanwhile, Avery still has feelings for his ex-girlfriend Scarlett. On the finale, he and Scarlett had lunch together and she joined him onstage at his show to perform the episode’s new song, “Moon Is High,” written by Elvis Costello. In one more season-closing storyline that is sure to leave viewers guessing, Rayna’s sister Tandy quit the family business where she worked for their scheming father, Lamar. Wonder what she has up her sleeve?
• • • •
Read more: The Nashville Scene explores the possibility that season two of Nashville won’t actually be shot in Music City.

Industry Ink (5-23-13)

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wsm 65011For the first time in its 87-year history, 650 AM WSM is set to release a compilation volume of live, in-station performances. On June 25, the 16-track release Live From The Archives of 650 AM WSM- Volume One (Red River Entertainment/RED Distrbution) will be available on CD, vinyl and digitally. The disc features an introduction from Vince Gill, Ralph Emery’s National Radio Hall of Fame Induction and songs from Darrell Scott, The Time Jumpers, Mark Wills, Shawn Camp, JD Souther, The Grascals, Elizabeth Cook and others.

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120512_American_Idol_lo11It seems that American Idol isn’t moving viewers to download new music as mightily as it once did. The season’s winner Candice Glover only notched 54,000 downloads of her debut single “I Am Beautiful,” according to Nielsen Soundscan, while runner-up Kree Harrison‘s “All Cried Out” moved 24,000 downloads. Comparatively, Season 9 American Idol Lee DeWyze winner sold approximately 100,000 copies of his single “Beautiful Day” in 2010.
Here are the best first week for Idols coming off the show, according to USA Today:

  1. Clay Aiken, “This Is the Night” (393,000 first-week sales)
  2. Ruben Studdard, “Flying Without Wings” (286,000)
  3. Phillip Phillips, “Home” (278,000)
  4. David Cook, “Time of My Life “(236,000)
  5. Kelly Clarkson, “A Moment Like This” (236,000)
  6. Taylor Hicks, “Do I Make You Proud” (228,000)
  7. Scotty McCreery, “I Love You This Big” (171,000)
  8. Carrie Underwood, “Inside Your Heaven” (171,000)
  9. Fantasia, “I Believe” (142,000)
  10. Kris Allen, “No Boundaries” (134,000)
  11. Lauren Alaina, “Like My Mother Does” (122,000)

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kelsey granda11

Kelsey Granda


Creative Nation’s Co-Owners Beth and Luke Laird have added Kelsey Granda as Office Manager. Granda will report directly to Beth Laird. She can be reached at [email protected]. “Kelsey was one of our first Belmont interns and she impressed me from the first day she started! Her attention to detail and warm personality will make a great addition to our team and we are so excited to have her join us,” shares Co-owner/General Manager Beth Laird.
 
 

Nashvillians Score Teen Choice Award Nominations

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taylor swiftThe accolades keep piling up for Taylor Swift. Fresh off of her eight wins at the Billboard Music Awards, she has earned three nominations at the upcoming Teen Choice awards. The Teen Choice awards will celebrate the most popular teen icons in television, music, film, fashion, sports and comedy during a two-hour event that airs Sunday, Aug. 11 on FOX. Voting is now open; fans ages 13-19 can vote once per day in each category for their favorite Teen Choice 2013 “Wave One” nominees by visiting teenchoiceawards.com.
Hosts, performers, presenters and additional nominees are yet to be announced.
ABC’s music industry-centered drama Nashville garnered a nomination for Choice TV Show: Drama, while Nashville actress Hayden Panettiere garnered a Choice TV Actress: Drama nomination. Music competitions American Idol and the X Factor, along with Dancing With the Stars (which Kellie Pickler recently won), all received nods in the Choice TV: Reality Competition Show category.
In the music categories, Swift earned a nomination in the all-genre Choice Female Artist category, alongside Selena Gomez, Demi Lovato, Pink and Rihanna. Rock acts with Nashville ties–Paramore and The Lumineers–both earned nods in the Choice Rock Group category, along with AWOLNATION, Imagine Dragons and Mumford & Sons.
For Choice Male Country Artist, Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Hunter Hayes and Blake Shelton all received nominations. Meanwhile, Carrie Underwood, Jana Kramer, Miranda Lambert, Kacey Musgraves and Swift received nods in the Choice Female Country Artist category. The final five nominations in the Choice Country Group category include Florida Georgia Line, Lady Antebellum, Little Big Town, The Band Perry and Thompson Square.
Swift also scored a nomination in the category of Choice Smile.

Hosts Announced for 'CMA Music Fest: Country's Night To Rock'

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Little Big Town

Little Big Town


Little Big Town will serve as hosts for this year’s CMA Music Fest: Country’s Night to Rock, a CMA Music Fest-centric television special that will air Monday, Aug. 12 on ABC, beginning at 8 p.m. ET.
“When we found out we were just thrilled,” says LBT’s Karen Fairchild. The group’s first CMA Music Fest was in 1999. The group recalled that first two-song performance at CMA Music Fest, where they were backed only by an acoustic guitar. “We’ve been playing CMA Fest ever since that two-song debut, so the chance to host it is just incredible,” says Fairchild.
In 2012, Luke Bryan and The Band Perry‘s Kimberly Perry hosted CMA Music Fest: Country’s Night to Rock.

Sidewalk Records Hires Promotion Rep

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sidewalk records logo111Sidewalk Records (an imprint of Curb Records) has hired Rob Ellis as Northeast/Midwest promotion representative. Ellis replaces Wix Wichmann, who recently made the move to Average Joes Entertainment.
Ellis has previously worked as a Midwest Regional for MCA Records. Ellis is currently based in Indianapolis, but a move to Nashville is possible.
“Rob’s competency and likeability made this an easy decision,” says Sidewalk Records’ Larry Hughes.
Ellis can be reached at 317-443-8575 or at [email protected].
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Lipscomb Creates Master of Arts in Film and Creative Media

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lipscomb logoNashville is on its way to becoming a new hotbed in the film industry, with the television show Nashville being filmed here and a several recent and soon-to-be filmed movies choosing Music City as a home base. That’s not including the wide range of music videos and commercials that are filmed in the city.
For students wanting to get into the burgeoning film industry, Lipscomb University is meeting a need for training with a newly created Master of Arts in Film and Creative Media. The 36-hour curriculum can be completed in a 17-month time frame, beginning this fall. The inaugural class will receive 20 percent off the cost of the program. Applications are due by Aug. 2.
“The master’s degree in film and creative media prepares graduate students to operate within all digital media, making their skills more marketable in today’s multi-platform world,” said Mike Fernandez, chair of the Lipscomb University Department of Theatre and acting director of the new program. “These students will be able to do so much more than just feature films. They will be prepared to film commercials, music videos, training and education videos as well as content for social media,” he said.
The program will require a one-year internship with a production company. AFFIRM Films/Sony Pictures Entertainment, Veritas Entertainment, Cartoon Pizza and Klausner Creative have signed on as Lipscomb’s first internship partners for the program. Through these internships, students will have the opportunity to work in different areas of film, including development, pre-production, production, post-production and distribution.
In addition, spring 2014 is expected to bring the first Lipscomb University Film Festival. It will be held on campus, featuring the works of creative media graduate students. Industry professionals will serve as judges.
Discussions are currently happening regarding the development of an undergraduate film program as well as a Master of Fine Arts in Film and Creative Media with concentrations in directing, film production, gaming and animation. The program is now accepting applications and expects an inaugural class of 10 students this fall. For more information, visit lipscomb.edu/film or call 615.966.5186.
 
 
 
 

Industry Ink (5-22-13)

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amygrantAmy Grant‘s latest album, How Mercy Looks From Here, debuted at No. 12 on the Billboard 200 charts, scanning over 26,000 units. The project also notched a No. 1 debut on Christian Soundscan. The set features guest vocals from James Taylor (“Don’t Try So Hard”), Sheryl Crow and Eric Paslay (“Deep As It Is Wide”), Carole King (“Our Time Is Now”), and Will Hoge (“Shovel In Hand”).

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wix wichmann average joes entertainment111

Wix Wichmann


Wix Wichmann has joined Average Joes Entertainment in promoting and marketing the label’s roster. Most recently, Wichmann was a northeast promotion representative for Curb’s Sidewalk Records.
“Knowing Wix for 19 years has been both a blessing and a curse,” laughs Tony Morreale, AJE VP Promotion/Marketing. “Seriously, he’s a smart, funny guy who brings a unique perspective and will complement the Average Joes’ team.”  Wichmann can be reached at [email protected] or by phone at 615-972-2326.

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caa logo11Music agent Jake Kennedy has joined Creative Artists Agency (CAA). He is based in the agency’s Nashville office. Kennedy previously worked at Buddy Lee Attractions, where he was a booking agent for the past three years. He also worked at New Frontier Touring. He can be reached via phone at 615-383-8787 or at [email protected].

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Songwriter Chris Lindsey has signed an exclusive, worldwide publishing agreement for all of his future works with Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) Nashville. Kent Earls, Executive VP/General Manager of UMPG made the announcement recently. Lindsey’s catalog of hits includes Lonestar‘s “Amazed,” Martina McBride‘s “This One’s For The Girls,” and many others.

Chris Lindsey signing photo(1)11

Pictured: Back row, standing (L-R): Freeman Wizer, Creative Director, UMPG Nashville; Whitney Williams, Creative Director, UMPG Nashville; Missy Wilson, Senior Creative Director, UMPG Nashville; Ron Stuve, VP of A&R/Special Projects, UMPG Nashville; Cyndi Forman, Vice President, Creative, UMPG Nashville; Travis Gordon, Creative Manager, UMPG Nashville. Front row, seated (L-R): Chris Lindsey; Kent Earls, Executive Vice President/General Manager, UMPG Nashville


 
 
 
 

Artist Photos (5-22-13)

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Last week, Arista Nashville family recording trio The Henningsens visited Public School 22 in Graniteville, Staten Island, NY, to perform with the talented group of fifth graders in the acclaimed PS22 Chorus.  The chorus joined The Henningsens for a rendition of the trio’s hit debut single, “American Beautiful,” as well as a cover of this week’s #1 Billboard Pop Songs radio airplay smash, Justin Timberlake’s “Mirrors.”

Henningsens PS22 Chorus (1)1111

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Parmalee was recently handpicked by Southwest Airlines to perform at 35,000 ft. for passengers on a direct flight from Nashville to Houston as part of Southwest Airlines’ Live at 35 Travelin’ Taylor Tour. “It was a blast!” says Parmalee’s Josh McSwain. “I mean, who gets to do that? It was so much fun. Plus the show was sold-out in pre-sale and no one walked out during the performance. It was a perfect gig.”

Pictured (L to R): Scott Thomas, Josh McSwain, Matt Thomas and Barry Knox post-performance with the official autographed Southwest Airlines Travelin’ Taylor Tour custom GS Mini guitar

Pictured (L-R): Scott Thomas, Josh McSwain, Matt Thomas and Barry Knox post-performance with the official autographed Southwest Airlines Travelin’ Taylor Tour custom GS Mini guitar

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Toby Keith dined at Chappy’s restaurant in Nashville earlier this week. Chappy and his wife Starr can relate to the tragedy in Keith’s homestate of Oklahoma, because they relocated from New Orleans to Nashville following Hurricane Katrina.

Starr, Toby Keith and Chappy

Starr, Toby Keith and Chappy