The Mavericks Map Tour

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mavericksCelebrating over two decades of performing together, The Mavericks will embark on the 25 Live Tour on Feb. 27. The outing runs through May and includes a string of dates in Canada. Fans will be treated to new music and hits like “Here Comes The Rain,” “Crying Shame,” “Dance The Night Away” and “All You Ever Do Is Bring Me Down.”
In addition, frontman Raul Malo is set for a Valentine’s Day performance with the Nashville Jazz Orchestra at Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music at Ingram Hall.
Last February, Malo and bandmates Paul Deakin, Robert Reynolds, Eddie Perez and Jerry Dale McFadden reconnected to release a new album, In Time, via The Valory Music Co.
The Mavericks’ music was recently featured in the movie Grudge Match and ABC’s new TV drama Killer Women, in which the band made a cameo appearance performing “Dance In The Moonlight.”
Tour Dates
2/27 Charleston Music Hall (Charleston, SC)
2/28 Carolina Theatre (Durham, NC)
3/1 Jefferson Theater (Charlottesville, VA)
3/2 The Birchmere (Alexandria, VA)
3/7 Northern Lights Theater (Milwaukee, WI)
3/8 Royal Oak Music Theatre (Royal Oak, MI)
3/9 Pantages Theatre (Minneapolis, MN)
3/13 O’Brian’s Event Centre (Saskatoon, Canada)
3/14 Casino Regina (Regina, Canada)
3/15 Living Sky Casino (Swift Current, Canada)
3/16 Burton Cummings Theatre (Winnipeg, Canada)
3/18 W. Manitoba Centennial (Brandon Manitoba, Canada)
3/19 Festival Place (Sherwood Park, Canada)
3/20 Festival Place (Sherwood Park, Canada)
3/21 Athabasca Regional Multiplex (Athabasca, Canada)
3/22 Flames Central (Calgary, Canada)
3/29 Silver Legacy Resort & Casino (Reno, NV)
3/30 Great American Music Hall (San Francisco, CA)
4/1 Belly Up Tavern (Solana Beach, CA)
4/3 The Fonda Theatre (Los Angeles, CA)
4/5 Talking Stick Resort Showroom (Scottsdale, AZ)
4/10 House Of Blues (Houston, TX)
4/11 ACL Live at The Moody Theater (Austin, TX)
4/12 Main Street Arts Festival (Ft. Worth, TX)
4/13 Floores Country Store (Helotes, TX)
4/18 Knuckleheads Saloon (Kansas City, MO)
4/25 Center Stage (Atlanta, GA)
4/26 JazzFest (New Orleans, LA)
5/1 Parker Playhouse (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
5/2 Capitol Theatre (Clearwater, FL)
5/3 Suwannee River Jam (Live Oak, FL)
5/ Calvin Theatre (Northampton, MA)
5/9 State Theatre (Portland, ME)
5/10 Capitol Center For The Arts (Concord, NH)
5/11 The Wilbur Theatre (Boston, MA)
5/15 SOPAC (South Orange, NJ)
5/16 Keswick Theatre (Glenside, PA)
5/17 Carnegie Music Hall of Homestead (Munhall, PA)
6/7 Little River Casino Resort (Manistee, MI)
6/19 Count Basie Theatre (Red Bank, NJ)
6/20 The Space at Westbury (Westbury, NY)
6/22 Mayo Performing Arts Center (Morristown, NJ)

Musgraves Sweeps 'Nashville Scene' Critics Poll

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kacey musgraves coverstory1-1It’s no surprise that critical darling Kacey Musgraves swept the Nashville Scene’s 14th annual Country Music Critics’ Poll. The results are out in today’s (Jan. 23) issue of the alternative weekly newspaper, and show Musgraves winning Artist of the Year, New Artist, Album, Singles Artist, and Female Vocalist. Musgraves was also a big winner at the industry-voted 2013 MusicRow Awards.
In the survey led by Geoffrey Himes, the Scene polled 98 music critics from outlets across the nation including the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Rolling Stone and Country Weekly.
Right behind Musgraves in all five categories were Brandy Clark and Ashley Monroe. According to the Scene, it was an unprecedented sweep by three artists releasing their first nationally distributed albums. It’s interesting to note that female singer-songwriters dominated critics’ lists, while males continue to dominate radio airwaves.
Taylor Swift was voted Best Live Act, Pistol Annies was named Best Group, and Jason Isbell earned Best Male Vocalist. Shane McAnally, who has received notable national attention, is the only non-artist who made the best Songwriters list. [Given Nashville’s bounty of talented tunesmiths, perhaps that ranking should be reserved for songwriters who aren’t artists.]
In an hourlong special today at 9 a.m. Central (and again on Sunday, Jan. 26, at 9 a.m./8 a.m. Central), CMT and host Katie Cook will count down the poll’s Top 10 Country Singles of 2013.

Moonshine Bandits, The LACS Team for 'Country Gone Wild' Tour

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Moonshine Bandits


Moonshine Bandits and The LACS will hit the road starting this spring on the 20-city 2014 Country Gone Wild national tour. Signed to Average Joes Entertainment, the tour collaboration unites the LACS, who are supporting the recently released project Keep It Redneck, and Moonshine Bandits, who are promoting their latest release, Calicountry.
Moonshine Bandits said of the tour, “We are very pumped up to get out on the road with our good friends, The LACS. We are excited to meet new ‘shiners’ and see some familiar faces, as well. There’s a reason why this tour is called the Country Gone Wild Tour — it’s guaranteed to be one big wild party that you won’t wanna miss. We look forward to performing some of our new songs as well as raising a little hell with The LACS boys.”
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The LACS


“Very excited about teaming up with our West Coast family, Moonshine Bandits, for the Country Gone Wild Tour,” commented The LACS. “It’s gonna be a helleva good time.”
“Country Gone Wild Tour” Cities:
March 20, Scottsdale, Ariz.
March 21, Flagstaff, Ariz.
March 22, Ventura, Calif.
March 23, Ridgecrest, Calif.
March 24, Fullerton, Calif.
March 26, Sacramento, Calif.
March 27, Medford, Ore.
March 28, Springfield, Ore.
March 29, Portland, Ore.
March 30, Seattle
April 4, Denver
April 5, Omaha, Neb.
April 11, Richmond, Texas
May 23, Tampa, Fla.
May 24, Carrabelle, Fla.
June 5, Flint, Mich.
June 6, Wheeling, W.Va.
June 7, Copemish, Mich.
June 20, Indianapolis
June 21, Turtle Lake, Wis.

Big Machine Label Group Heading to Rolex 24 at Daytona

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big machine logoThe Big Machine Label Group will be off to the races again at the Rolex 24 At Daytona on Saturday, Jan. 25 and Sunday, Jan. 26. The label group has partnered with Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) for the big event. The No. 01 and No. 02 Prototypes will carry branding with the Big Machine Records logo.
To coincide with race day activities and create fun experiences for music and racing fans alike, Big Machine will conduct hourly contests throughout the Rolex 24 At Daytona, beginning at 2pm EST on Saturday (1/25) and ending 2pm EST on Sunday (1/26). Fans who follow Big Machine Label Group on Twitter and Facebook will be eligible to win premium giveaways that include music packages featuring Big Machine artists, signed merchandise from CGRFS drivers and luxury pillow products from Comfort Revolution. Details on how to participate will be revealed on both social media platforms.
“The Big Machine Label Group continues to find great value in connecting Country music fans with race fans during key events like the Rolex 24 At Daytona,” said BMLG President and CEO Scott Borchetta. “Both groups of fans are extremely loyal and passionate toward the drivers and the artists and we are proud to partner with Chip and his teams to become the intersection of Country music and sports car racing.”
The No. 01 Ford EcoBoost Riley will be driven by a team of champions led by Scott Pruett, three-time and defending Rolex 24 At Daytona winner Memo Rojas, 2010 Daytona 500 winner Jamie McMurray along with Rolex 24 At Daytona rookie and 2013 Indy Lights Champion Sage Karam.
The No. 02 Ford EcoBoost Riley will feature another All-Star cast of drivers including three time and reigning IndyCar Champion Scott Dixon, 2004 IndyCar Series Champion and reigning Indianapolis 500 winner Tony Kanaan, 2013 NASCAR Nationwide Series Rookie of the Year Kyle Larson and 2013 LMP2 American LeMans Series Champion Marino Franchitti.
Television for the Rolex 24 At Daytona will included coverage on FOX (2 – 4 p.m. on Jan. 25), FOX Sports 2 (4 -9 p.m. on Jan. 25), IMSA.com (9 p.m. on Jan. 25 – 7 a.m. Jan. 26) and FOX Sports 1 (7 a.m.-3 p.m. on Jan. 26).

'The Voice' Auditions Coming to Nashville

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Pictured (L-R): CeeLo Green, Christina Aguilera, Adam Levine and Blake Shelton.


The next big winner of NBC’s The Voice just might come from Nashville.
The popular talent competition, which features Country star and judge Blake Shelton, is holding auditions across the country for the upcoming season, and will stop in Nashville on Feb. 1-2. Auditions will take place at the Music City Center, located at 201 5th Ave. S. Participants must be 15 or older by May 31, 2014, and must first register at nbcthevoice.com.
Other audition cities included Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Chicago.

CMA, CRS Team For Research Session on Country Radio

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Mark Ramsey

Mark Ramsey of Mark Ramsey Media


The Country Music Association is partnering with Country Radio Seminar to present a session on radio’s path to the future. The session, entitled “Building a Strong Brand No Matter What Technology Does,” will be presented by veteran media strategist Mark Ramsey of Mark Ramsey Media and Karen Stump, CMA’s Sr. Director of Market Research. The session will take place Thursday, Feb. 20 (11:00–11:50 AM/CT) during Country Radio Seminar, which is slated for Feb. 19-21 at the Nashville Convention Center.
The session will focus on the declining attention span of consumers, understanding consumer needs in relation to radio, and discussing what type of content is radio’s best bet for the future. This is not a session about digital, but will reinforce the idea that more is not necessarily better.
“Technology does not equal branding and Mark’s insights help peel away the clutter of today’s ever-changing technology options and bring consumer relevance into focus,” said Stump. “CMA is thrilled to be able to share Mark’s wisdom and research with CRS attendees and provide them with tools for identifying their opportunities for success.”
“Radio is suffering a crisis of attention,” said Ramsey. “The solution to this problem is not more social media, better apps, a slicker stream, or some new techno-integration in the auto dashboard. The solution is to understand what ‘jobs’ consumers are ‘hiring’ radio brands for and how easy or hard it is for those ‘jobs’ to be disrupted by other media and other technology.”

Sugar Hill Records Promotes Two

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Megan McNair


Sugar Hill Records has promoted two members of its marketing team.
Megan McNair has been promoted to Sugar Hill’s Director of Marketing and Media Relations. Since joining Sugar Hill last year as Marketing Manager, McNair has played a significant role in all of Sugar Hill’s artist development efforts. Prior to coming to Sugar Hill, McNair was Social Media & Public Relations Manager for Music City Roots.
She began her music business career at Lotos Nile Media and also worked at Music City Media as a Publicist prior to joining the Music City Roots team. McNair earned her Bachelor of Journalistic Arts degree with a minor in English from University of Georgia in Athens in 2006.
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Shannon Blauer


Also a key member of Sugar Hill’s marketing team, Shannon Blauer has been promoted into a new role for the company as Manager of Marketing Administration. In addition to her Sugar Hill responsibilities, she will also be involved in the new release process for Sugar Hill’s sister label, Vanguard Records.
Blauer joined Sugar Hill last year as its Marketing Coordinator upon graduation from San Francisco State University where she earned her degree in Broadcasting and Electronic Communication Arts with an emphasis in Audio Production and Recording Arts. She was a Universal Music Group Distribution College Rep during her time at SF State.
“Both Megan and Shannon are rising stars in our company and their promotions are well deserved,” Sugar Hill’s GM/SVP Cliff O’Sullivan states. “Sugar Hill has an exciting slate of releases coming in 2014 and the talents of our marketing team complement our big plans for the year!”
McNair can be reached at [email protected]. Blauer can be reached at [email protected].

The Band Perry, Phillip Phillips To Perform at Super Bowl Pregame Show

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The Band Perry. Photo: David McClister

The Band Perry. Photo: David McClister


The Band Perry and Phillip Phillips are slated to perform at the Super Bowl XLVIII pregame show in East Rutherford, N.J. on Sunday, Feb. 2. The two acts will perform at the NFL Tailgate Party and part of each performance will be televised live on Fox Super Bowl Sunday.
It was previously announced that Renee Fleming will perform the national anthem and that Bruno Mars will perform the Pepsi Super Bowl XLVIII Halftime Show. More than 164 million viewers in the U.S. watched last year’s Super Bowl; the pregame show and Super Bowl XLVII will be broadcast worldwide.
The Band Perry has amassed more than 10.3 million tracks sold from their self-titled debut project, and from their sophomore release Pioneer (both on Republic Nashville). The sibling trio recently completed their first global headlining We Are Pioneers World Tour. Pioneer produced three chart-topping songs on MusicRow‘s CountryBreakout Chart, including “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely,” “DONE.” and “Better Dig Two.”
Phillips’ 2012 single, “Home,” was the lead offering from his album The World from the Side of the Moon (19 Entertainment/Interscope Records), following his win on American Idol season 11. The 23-year-old Georgia native toured with Matchbox 20, headlined a college tour, and most recently served as an opening act on John Mayer’s Born and Raised tour. Phillips is currently working on his next album.

Rascal Flatts Plot Tour With Sheryl Crow

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rascal flatts rewind tourRascal Flatts today (Jan. 22) announced plans for the Rewind Tour 2014. Known for large-scale outings, the group will hit the road May 16 with special guest Sheryl Crow. Rising trio Gloriana has been tapped to open the shows. Dates run May through September.
On March 4 Rascal Flatts will release a Walmart exclusive EP, featuring new single “Rewind,” as well as previously released songs “Why Wait” and “Come Wake Me Up,” and new track “Dancing On My Grave.”
The band’s forthcoming Big Machine Records album this will be available this summer. Rascal Flatts has sold over 22.5 million albums and over 28 million digital downloads since their musical debut in 2000.
Last year, Rascal Flatts played to over one million fans and hit a career milestone with over 7 million concert tickets sold.
5/16     Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre — St. Louis, MO
5/17     Klipsch Music Center — Indianapolis, IN
5/30     Nikon At Jones Beach — Wantagh, NY
5/31     XFINITY Theatre — Hartford, CT
6/13     Winstock Country Music Festival — Winsted, MN
6/14     First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre — Chicago, IL
6/15     Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre — Bonner Springs, KS
6/20     Hershey Park Pavilion — Hershey, PA
6/21     XFINITY Center — Boston, MA
6/22     PNC Bank Arts Center — Holmdel, NJ
6/29     Dauphin’s Country Fest — Dauphin, MB, Canada
7/10     Austin360 Amphitheatre — Austin, TX
7/11     Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion — Houston, TX
7/12     GEXA Energy Pavilion — Dallas, TX
7/17     Desert Peak Recreational Complex — Toole, UT
7/25     Walnut Creek Amphitheatre — Raleigh, NC
7/26     PNC Music Pavilion — Charlotte, NC
7/27     Farm Bureau Live — Virginia Beach, VA
8/1       Blossom Music Center — Cleveland, OH
8/2      Jiffy Lube Live — Washington, DC
8/3      Saratoga Performing Arts Center — Saratoga, NY
8/9      Mission Raceway Park — Mission, BC, Canada
8/15    Ak-Chin Pavilion — Phoenix, AZ
8/16    San Manuel Amphitheatre — San Bernardino, CA
8/17    Sleep Train Amphitheatre — San Diego, CA
8/21    Save Mart Center — Fresno, CA
8/22    Sleep Train Amphitheatre — Sacramento, CA
8/23    Shoreline Amphitheatre — Mountain View, CA
9/4      Darien Lakes Performing Arts Center — Darien Lakes, NY
9/5      Riverbend Music Center — Cincinnati, OH
9/6      First Niagara Pavilion — Pittsburgh, PA
9/11    Aaron’s Amphitheatre at Lakewood — Atlanta, GA
9/12    MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre — Tampa, FL
9/13    Cruzan Amphitheatre — West Palm Beach, FL
9/20    Molson Canadian Amphitheatre — Toronto, ON, Canada
9/21    DTE Energy Music Theatre — Detroit, MI
*Additional dates will be announced in the coming weeks.

Industry Ink (1/22/14)

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Alana Springsteen


Taylor Guitars has announced rising Country star Alana Springsteen as a performer on their NAMM Convention stage on Thursday, Jan. 23 in Anaheim, Calif. The performance will be streamed live at 6 p.m. ET/5 p.m. CT/3 p.m. PT and can be accessed at taylorguitars.com/namm. The 13-year-old songwriting dynamo has been a Taylor artist for two years.
“Hearing Alana sing for the first time reminded me why I am in this business: a love of music and an appreciation for the power of a great voice and song to take you to different places and evoke different emotions,” said Tim Godwin, Taylor’s Director of Artist and Entertainment Relations. “Alana is a perfect fit with Taylor and we’re glad we were introduced to her two years ago. It has been wonderful to watch her grow as an artist.”
To see Springsteen’s performance at the recent CMA Music Festival, watch below.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vVoZupzSe0

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Robin Roberts


The talent agency that reps frequent Nashville guest and country music supporter, ABC’s Robin Roberts has a new owner. N.S. Bienstock, Inc., the top agency for television news personalities and producers, is now a unit of the United Talent Agency.
The New York Times has more.

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Brandy Clark. Photo Credit: Becky Fluke

Smack Management client Brandy Clark. Photo Credit: Becky Fluke


Emilie Marchbanks-Glover has joined Smack Management where she takes the role of Senior Artist Manager. She previously spent 13 years with The Fitzgerald Hartley Company where she worked with Vince Gill, Jamey Johnson and Brandy Clark. Glover will continue her representation of Brandy Clark with Smack Management.
Marchbanks-Glover can be reached at [email protected].

     • • •

ascap diy uASCAP, in conjunction with Outside The Box Music and PledgeMusic, presents an ASCAP DIY-U workshop entitled “Effective Crowdfunding for Artists, Songwriters and Musicians” on Thursday, Jan. 23 at 5:30 pm. at ASCAP’s Nashville office. Admission is free, and beer/refreshments will be provided.
The workshop will discuss how to plan, execute and run an effective fan-funding campaign, and will include guest speakers Charles Alexander (Founder, Outside the Box Music & Director, Rock the Net) and Jay Coyle (Artist Relations, PledgeMusic).