DISClaimer: Americana Serves Up Irresistible Tunes

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long night moonThere’s a lot to like in today’s survey of current Americana records. Both of the bands here, The Devil Makes Three and Reckless Kelly, sport terrific graphics on their CD jackets and inserts. Reckless Kelly even includes a tiny flashlight (moonlight?). It is also the Disc of the Day. Of the singer-songwriters, my favorite recordings were by Rod Picott, Jimmy Webb (of course), Jeff Black and our DisCovery Award winner, Dan Cohen.
THE DEVIL MAKES THREE/Stranger
Writers: Pete Bernhard; Producer: Buddy Miller; Publisher: none listed
-This Vermont punk/folk/old-time trio traveled to Music City to record its fourth and best album, I’m a Stranger Here. It kicks off with this echoey, wailing, toe-tapping ditty. It’s like old-time string band music on acid. These three have played festivals from Bonaroo to Lollapalooza, from Newport to Austin, and along the way they’ve opened for stars like Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson and Rodney Crowell. Get on board.
ROD PICOTT/I Might Be Broken Now
Writers: Rod Picott/Amanda Shires; Producer: R.S. Field; Publishers: Welding Rod/Little LambsEatIvy, BMI; Welding Rod
-This former New England welder is now six albums into a widely heralded career as a singer-songwriter. His latest, Hang Your Hopes on a Crooked Nail has yielded this atmospheric track as his latest video offering, plus a free download on his website. Its beautifully produced sound almost obscures how bleak and dark the lyric is. Highly recommended. He writes like no one else: I remain an enormous fan.

Dan Cohen

Dan Cohen


DAN COHEN/Bluebird
Writers: Dan Cohen/Matt King; Producer: Dan Cohen; Publishers: Weston Boys/BME, BMI; Weston Boys
-Cohen has worked as a hotshot guitarist backing folks like Steve Wariner, Tracy Byrd, T. Graham Brown, Andy Griggs and others. But he’s also been making solo records since 2007. This is the title tune of his latest collection. It builds from a hushed, quasi-whispered beginning to a throbbing, bass-heavy shout of exultation. Cohen plays most of the instruments heard in this fabulous mix.
RECKLESS KELLY/Long Night Moon
Writers: Willy Braun; Producers: David Abeyta, Cody Braun, and Willy Braun; Publisher: FAH-Q, BMI; No Big Deal (track)
-Long Night Moon is the eighth album by these longtime Americana favorites and the first Reckless Kelly CD since 2011’s Grammy-nominated Good Luck & True Love. The new record’s title tune is a moody, Texas-drawled saga of traveling homeward while yearning for the touch of a lover. The album’s singles include the airy country-rocker “The Last Goodbye,” the twanging “The Girl I Knew” and the melodic invitation “Be My Friend.” Even if the music wasn’t as spectacular as it is, the record would be worth having for its gorgeous packaging.
KEB’ MO’/Rock Me on the Water
Writers: Jackson Browne; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Music Road (track)
-Nashville’s Keb’ Mo’ joins an all-star lineup on Looking Into You: A Tribute to Jackson Browne. Others with saluting tracks include Bonnie Raitt, Don Henley, Lyle Lovett, Lucinda Williams, Bruce Springsteen and J.D. Souther (who is also a Nashvillian). The neo-bluesman’s interpretation of this iconic 1972 hit is taut, simple and punchy. He brings a cool, soul-gospel groove to the familiar classic.
JEFF BLACK/Rider Coming
Writers: Jeff Black; Producer: Jeff Black; Publisher: Lotos Nile, BMI; Lotos Nile (track)
-This Nashville troubadour’s 11th album is his most stripped-down, hence its title, Folklore.The collection begins with this haunting guitar-vocal that has become Black’s latest video. As always, his almost-hoarse, emotionally compelling singing keeps you fully involved and hanging on every line.
JASON EADY/Daylight & Dark
Writers: none listed; Producer: Kevin Welch; Publisher: none listed; 4D2 (track)
-This Texan’s current album title tune is about a laconic loser with no direction home. The loping track follows his downcast, dusty vocal at a respectful distance. Listenable.
WYATT EASTERLING/A Shot in the Dark
Writers: Wyatt Easterling/Robbie Hecht; Producers: Bill McDermott/Wyatt Easterling; Publishers: Considerable/Old Man Henry; ASCAP/SESAC; Phoenix Rising
-Nashville songsmith Easterling has had cuts by Dierks Bentley, Joe Diffie, Neal McCoy, Sons of the Desert and others. His current Goodbye Hello CD contains this ballad about a guy who had no future until a lady took “a shot in the dark” at kindling romance. Its melody meanders somewhat, in a pleasing, almost jazzy way.
still within the sound of my voice222JIMMY WEBB/Still Within The Sound of My Voice
Writers: Jimmy Webb; Producer: Fred Mollin; Publishers: none listed; entertainmentone
-One of my favorite Jimmy Webb songs is the title tune of his current CD. He performs the lilting, soaring song with British female singer Rumer. Other guests on the album include Keith Urban, Carly Simon, Joe Cocker, Amy Grant, Kris Kristofferson and Art Garfunkel.
ROBIN & LINDA WILLIAMS/On and On
Writers: Robin & Linda Williams; Producer: Jim Rooney; Publishers: Songs for Dixie/Southern Melody; BMI; Red House (track)
-These Prairie Home Companion regulars are celebrating 40 years of being on the road together with a new collection titled Back 40. Recorded in Music City, it revives songs that have appeared on their 23 prior albums, many of which are vinyl and out of print. Covers of Hank Williams, Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell are interspersed with their original folkie/bluegrass tunes. The new Robin & Linda composition of the album is this jaunty, upbeat ode to the endless roadwork they still do to this day. As ever, their harmony singing is a delight.

WMN Promotes Hendricks To Exec. VP, A&R

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Scott Hendricks

Scott Hendricks


Warner Music Nashville has promoted Scott Hendricks to Exec. VP, A&R.
Hendricks will oversee the development of new talent and existing signings by helping to identify songs, songwriters and producers, as well as provide A&R resource and creative support, on behalf of WMN. Hendricks previously served as Sr. Vice President, A&R, and will continue to report to John Esposito, President & CEO, Warner Music Nashville.
“I’m honored to be named Executive Vice President of A&R at the greatest country music label on the planet,” said Hendricks. “To be able to work alongside such smart people like Espo and Peter Strickland—and of course tremendous talent like Blake Shelton and Hunter Hayes, just to name two—is an absolute treat. I’m very proud of all that we’ve accomplished together and I look forward to many more years of continued success.”
“Scott Hendricks is one of the most skilled and special music men I’ve ever met. To have the pleasure of working with Scott is an honor,” said Esposito. “He is responsible for some of the greatest modern country music and continues to demonstrate his ability for finding stars and producing hits, time and time again.”
Hendricks joined Warner Music Nashville in 2007, as the head of its A&R department, coordinating the musical efforts of Blake Shelton, Hunter Hayes, Brett Eldredge and Jana Kramer, among others. Hendricks has been a longtime producer for Shelton, producing 11 consecutive No. 1 singles, two platinum and two gold albums.
To date, Hendricks has produced 93 Top 10 hits, with 55 of those going all the way to No. 1. He has helped 16 different artists to the top 10, and 10 of whom have reached No. 1. Hendricks has won six trophies from the Academy of Country Music and two from the Country Music Association as the producer of such hits as Brooks & Dunn’s “Boot Scootin’ Boogie,” John Michael Montgomery’s “I Swear,” Alan Jackson’s “Don’t Rock The Jukebox” and Blake Shelton’s collaboration with Trace Adkins, “Hillbilly Bone.” He also won an Emmy for his production of Hank Williams Jr.’s “Monday Night Football” theme.

Eric Church Welcomes Dwight Yoakam For Tour

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Keith Urban's Fourth Annual We're All For The Hall Benefit Concert

Eric Church


Eric Church will launch the North American leg of The Outsiders World Tour on Sept. 11 in Bossier City, La. The trek’s 31 arena dates will include stops at Madison Square Garden, Quicken Loans Arena (Cleveland, Ohio), Wells Fargo Center (Philadelphia), the Sprint Center (Kansas City, Mo.), the Arena at Gwinnett Center (Atlanta), Thompson-Boling Arena (Knoxville, Tenn.), and FedExForum (Memphis, Tenn.), among others.
Tickets for the shows will go on sale beginning April 18.
Dwight Yoakam will join Church for every show, along with alternating opening acts Brothers Osborne, Brandy Clark and Halestorm.
Church promises fans a high-tech, 360 degree view at each tour stop. A limited number of VIP tickets will be available for each show. Each VIP ticket includes seating in the first 15 rows or in the general admission pit, an invitation to a pre-show party at The Outsiders Joint, a two-song acoustic pre-show performance by Church, a limited edition show poster, and a dedicated VIP concert concierge.
The first leg of the tour will take place throughout September through December in the U.S. and Canada and is exclusively promoted by Louis Messina of The Messina Group/AEG Live.
The Outsiders World Tour North American dates:
Sept. 11 | Bossier City, La. | CenturyLink Center*
Sept. 13 | St. Louis, Mo. | Scottrade Center*
Sept. 16 | Minneapolis, Minn. | Target Center*
Sept. 17 | Des Moines, Iowa | Wells Fargo Arena*
Sept. 18 | Omaha, Neb. | CenturyLink Center*
Sept. 25 | Louisville, Ky. | KFC Yum! Center*
Sept. 26 | Charleston, W.Va. | Charleston Civic Center*
Sept. 27 | Greensboro, N.C. | Greensboro Coliseum*
Oct. 9 | Grand Rapids, Mich. | Van Andel Arena*
Oct. 10 | Cleveland, Ohio | Quicken Loans Arena*
Oct. 11 | Pittsburgh, Pa. | Consol Energy Center*
Oct. 16 | Charlottesville, Va. | John Paul Jones Arena**
Oct. 17 | New York, N.Y. | Madison Square Garden**
Oct. 18 | Philadelphia, Pa. | Wells Fargo Center**
Oct. 23 | Manchester, N.H. | Verizon Wireless Arena**
Oct. 24 | Uncasville, Conn. | Mohegan Sun**
Oct. 25 | Uncasville, Conn. | Mohegan Sun**
Oct. 30 | Knoxville, Tenn. |Thompson-Boling Arena**
Oct. 31 | Memphis, Tenn.| FedExForum**
Nov. 1 | Tulsa, Okla. | BOK Center**
Nov. 13 | London, Ont. | Budweiser Gardens**
Nov. 14 | Hamilton, Ont. | FirstOntario Centre**
Nov. 15 | Ottawa, Ont. | Canadian Tire Centre**
Nov. 20 | Green Bay, Wis. | Resch Center
Nov. 21 | Peoria, Ill. | Peoria Civic Center***
Nov. 22 | Evansville, Ind. | The Ford Center***
Dec. 5 | Kansas City, Mo. | Sprint Center
Dec. 6 | Sioux Falls, S.D. | Denny Sanford Premier Center***
Dec. 11 | Atlanta, Ga. | The Arena at Gwinnett Center***
Dec. 12 | Lexington, Ky. | Rupp Arena***
Dec. 13 | Birmingham, Ala. | BJCC Arena***
All dates with special guest Dwight Yoakum
*denotes Brothers Osborne
**denotes Brandy Clark
***denotes Halestorm

Address Book Updates (4/8/14)

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nash logo111Cumulus‘ NASH campus is up and running at 506 2nd Ave. S., Nashville, TN 37210. The NASH campus will house America’s Morning Show, American Country Countdown with Kix Brooks, Nash Nights Live with Shawn Parr, and Country Weekly (soon to be renamed NASH).

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rolling stone country111Rolling Stone Country‘s Nashville office has set up shop at 1510 16th Ave. S., Nashville, TN 37212. Beville Dunkerley is serving as Sr. Editor. She previously founded Country music website theboot.com, and her career includes time as a news writer and producer for Nashville’s CBS affiliate.

Industry Ink (4/8/14)

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Ryan Huie

Ryan Huie


The Ryan Huie Fund has been set up in memory of Ryan Huie, son of Dawn and CAA’s John Huie, and brother of Jason Huie. Ryan Huie grew up in Franklin, Tenn., attended Walnut Grove Elementary, Brentwood Academy and graduated from Pepperdine University.
He worked at Outback Concerts, then joined the Agency Coalition. Most recently, he was involved in starting a new music management company.
In lieu of flowers, the Ryan Huie Fund will benefit MusiCares. Make a donation here.

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destiny nashville1Destiny Nashville is accepting applications for a General Manager position. Seeking a music industry professional with a minimum 3-5 years experience, and the vision to help the company meet/exceed goals and get to the next level. Interviews begin April 21.
For more information on the position, visit destinynashville.com.

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The Country Music Hall of Fame ® and Museum presented Pete Anderson: California Country’s Second Generation on Saturday, March 22. Anderson discussed his career, including his collaborations with Dwight Yoakam that helped re-establish the Bakersfield Sound as a force on country radio. He also performed songs from the Bakersfield repertoire and from his latest release, Bird Above Guitarland.

Pictured (L-R): are Billy Burnette, Gary Swan, Pete Anderson, Curatorial Director Mick Buck, Lael Eccard and Gary Morse.

Pictured (L-R): are Billy Burnette, Gary Swan, Pete Anderson, Curatorial Director Mick Buck, Lael Eccard and Gary Morse.

Azoff MSG Acquires 50 Percent Stake in Burns Entertainment

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Irving Azoff

Irving Azoff


Azoff MSG Entertainment (AMSGE), the joint venture between Azoff Music Management and the Madison Square Garden Company, has acquired a 50 percent stake in celebrity and music procurement firm Burns Entertainment. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.
For over 44 years, Burns Entertainment has represented many consumer brands, working to match them with celebrities and licensing music for advertising campaigns and promotions. Burns has worked globally on behalf of companies including Unilever, Dr. Pepper, Snapple Group, Beam Global, Audi, Sprint and hundreds of others.
“We are thrilled to have Burns as part of the AMSGE family,” said Irving Azoff, CEO of Azoff MSG Entertainment. “Bob Williams, Doug Shabelman, and Marc Ippolito have built a globally recognized business and we are looking forward to helping take it to new heights.”
AMSGE recently acquired a 50 percent stake in Pop2Life (P2L), an experiential marketing and music agency that specializes in branded entertainment, social experiences, and unique promotions.
 
 

Walmart Reportedly Planning To Reduce CD Shelf Space

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walmartThe United States’ largest CD retailer, Walmart, reportedly plans to reduce the amount of shelf space devoted to CDs by 40 percent beginning in May, reports Billboard.
The retail giant will supposedly offset sales losses by displaying CDs more prominently in the electronics/entertainment department of its stores.
The cutback in product will likely make it even more difficult for newcomer artists’ product to be placed on the retailer’s shelves nationwide, as Walmart relies on an array of new and recent titles, as well as catalog product from established artists.
Label sources estimate that Walmart’s average inventory will decline from approximately 3,500 titles to around 2,100.

Country Stars Earn RIAA Certifications

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RIAASeveral Country stars received sales awards from The Recording Industry Association of America last month.
Digital Single Awards are now based on song sales and on-demand streams.
Earning their first Platinum single certifications were Republic Nashville singer-songwriter Cassadee Pope for “Wasting All These Tears,” and Warner Music Nashville rising star Cole Swindell for “Chillin’ It.”
Tallying three-times Platinum was Darius Rucker’s “Wagon Wheel” (Capitol Nashville).
Welcoming their first Gold song certifications were Christian musician Britt Nicole for “Gold” (Sparrow) and California-bred country crooner Jon Pardi for “Up All Night” (Capitol Records Nashville).
Florida Georgia Line earned two RIAA Platinum song awards for popular tracks “’Round Here” and “Stay” plus a Gold song award for “This Is How We Roll” (Republic Nashville).
Labelmate Brantley Gilbert earned Platinum certifications for “You Don’t Know Her Like I Do” and “Country Must Be Country Wide,” and a Gold award for “Bottoms Up.”
The highly successful WOW Christian and gospel music enterprise secured two new Gold albums in March: WOW Hits 2014 (Sparrow Joint Venture) and WOW Gospel 2011 (RCA Inspiration).

Hirings, Promotion At Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum

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Amy Holm

Amy Holm


Joe Chambers, Founder and CEO of Nashville’s Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum, has announced a round of hirings and a promotion at the organization.
Amy Holm joins as Director of Public Relations. Holm moved to Nashville from Bellingham, Wash. where she attended Western Washington University and earned degrees in Journalism/Public Relations and History.
Holm can be reached at [email protected] or (615) 244-3263 Ext. 111
 
Tyler Hancock

Tyler Hancock


Tyler Hancock has been added as Director of Special Events. Hancock is a Belmont University graduate and comes to the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum from Premier W.E.D. And Corporate Board Member.
Hancock can be reached at [email protected] or (615) 244-3263 Ext. 118
 
Blake Chambers

Blake Chambers


Blake Chambers joins as Operations Manager and is responsible for the day to day operation of the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum.
Chambers can be reached at [email protected] or (615) 244-3263 Ext. 115
 
Jay McDowell

Jay McDowell


In addition, the Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum’s Multimedia Curator, Jay McDowell, is promoted to Multimedia/Assistant Museum Exhibit Curator where his responsibilities will also include assisting in acquiring museum exhibits and artifacts and historical research of exhibits and artifacts.
McDowell can be reached at [email protected] or (615) 244-3263 Ext. 117

NMPA Adds Renzer To Board

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nmpaThe National Music Publishers’ Association (NMPA) has named music and entertainment executive David Renzer to the organization’s board, effective immediately. Renzer is the chairman of Spirit Music Group.
“David has been in the publishing business for over a quarter of a century, and was at the forefront of shepherding our industry through the transition to the digital age,” said Irwin Z. Robinson, chairman of the NMPA Board.
Prior to joining Spirit, Renzer served as chairman and CEO of Universal Music Publishing Group (UMPG). Major signings include the catalogs of Elton John and Bernie Taupin, Justin Timberlake, Paul Simon, Elvis Costello, U2, and Mary J. Blige. He began his career at Zomba Music Publishing.
“The strength of our organization comes from the commitment of Board members to the songwriting and publishing community,” said NMPA president and CEO David Israelite. “David’s leadership and experience is a tremendous asset to our organization.”