At age 12, artist Veronica Ballestrini‘s musical ambitions blossomed while watching entertainment legend Dolly Parton deliver her songs to an ardent crowd. “I loved how she played with a full band, and then did a beautiful delivery during her solo acoustic portion of the show,” says Ballestrini.
Fast forward to 2014, and Ballestrini is a full-fledged artist-songwriter herself. She co-wrote all 11 tracks on her latest album Flip Side (produced by Brandon Metcalf), which released June 17 through iTunes and other digital retailers. She is the sole writer of her current single, “Cookies and Cream.”
Fresh from a six-week radio tour, Ballestrini visited the MusicRow office to perform a trio of songs, including “Lonely Alone,” Wishing Wondering Waiting,” and “Cookies and Cream.” “It’s funny, when you are going through a breakup, you just want to eat that whole pint of Cookies and Cream ice cream, but when you are on a first date, you can barely eat anything because you are so nervous,” she says of penning the song. “This kind of blends the two.”
They recently filmed the video for the song at wholly appropriate Nashville’s Elliston Place Soda Shop, under the direction of Carl Diebold.
Ballestrini was recently named a brand ambassador for Davy Crockett’s Cookies & Cream Whiskey. The Gatlinburg, Tenn.-based distillery chose to partner with Ballestrini as she visits radio stations across the country. “I’ll go play the single for radio stations, and I’ll bring some Davy Crockett Cookies & Cream Whiskey with me,” she said. “They started making the whiskey a few months ago. When our song came out, someone sent me a tweet of their Cookies and Cream whiskey, and I was so surprised and excited that it shared the title of my song. So we partnered with them.”
Ballestrini has spent much of the year touring the US and currently Asia with band Secondhand Serenade.
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Creative Nation’s Luke Laird was recently honored by MusicRow with MusicRow Challenge Coins for his work on chart-topping songs “American Kids” (recorded by Kenny Chesney) and “Give Me Back My Hometown” (co-written and recorded by Eric Church). Over the years, challenge coins have marked significant occasions and commemorated outstanding individuals. Continuing this tradition, MusicRow distributes its No. 1 Challenge Coin to the artists and songwriters who have achieved a No. 1 hit on the MusicRow CountryBreakout Chart.
“American Kids,” an ode an all-American childhood, backed by an irresistible groove, topped the MusicRow CountryBreakout chart on Aug. 14, 2014. “I started playing a different groove and building a little track with drums, and we just started it from the first verse, talking about where we all grew up, similarities,” Laird said of penning “American Kids” with Shane McAnally and Rodney Clawson. “I remember Shane starting that post-chorus about growing up in little pink houses and we were all throwing lyrics out about childhood things we can all relate to. When we finished, we felt like we had something special.”
“I think as songwriters, you hope to always write those kinds of songs, and it doesn’t always happen,” he continues. “My favorite kinds of songs are the ones that say something, but also feel good, and those can be hard to write. You can always come up with a cool melody, but you want to have great lyrics, with a great singable melody, and when you get that marriage, it’s really special.”
“Give Me Back My Hometown” embodies a different take on childhood reminiscence, and topped the MusicRow CountryBreakout chart for two weeks on March 13-20, 2014.
“Eric is one of the best songwriters,” Laird says. “Even if he wasn’t an artist, he would be here on Music Row getting cuts on other artists, because he’s one of the best songwriters I’ve been around. He had that idea of ‘Give Me Back My Hometown,’ and it was his idea to make the chorus just those two lines. You wouldn’t think right away that it would be a hit song to just say those two lines in the chorus, but the melody and the set up to it so emotional. It’s a case of less is more, and Eric is great at that.”
As with “American Kids,” Laird drew upon his childhood experiences to help craft the song. “You think about your hometown experiences in high school, girls you dated in high school. I had some good experiences in high school, and every now and then you miss that time of freedom, and thinking about the future. It’s not about any one relationship, but it’s just nostalgic, looking back at that time in your life. All that said, I don’t want to go back to high school,” he said, laughing. “I just had a fondness for where I grew up.”
Though Laird says he felt they had a solid song after the co-write, there was no guarantee it would make Church’s final album. “I wasn’t sure Eric would cut that one. There have been other songs where I’ve felt more sure that artists would record them, but with Eric, he writes hundreds of songs and I’m sure they are all great. When I found out it would be a single, I was excited. Sometimes songs that they decide to make singles are not always maybe the ones you are most proud of. I’m excited to get anything recorded, but it’s impressive to get a song you are real proud of lyrically and have it out on radio.”

As part of the weekend-long Music City Food + Wine Festival (Sept. 20-21), event co-founders Kings of Leon announced musical guests will include Hunter Hayes, Jamey Johnson, Charles Kelley, Ashley Monroe, Bobby Bare Sr., Bobby Bare Jr., Clare Bowen, Michael McDonald, Phosphorescent, Brendan Benson, Jessie Baylin, Billy Joe Shaver, The McCrary Sisters, Moon Taxi, The Watson Twins and more.
Each artist will perform songs representative of Music City, backed by local musicians, The Long Players, and hosted by Comedy Central’s Ben Hoffman. Beginning at 7 p.m. at Walk of Fame Park in downtown Nashville, Harvest Night presented by Infiniti, is available with individual tickets ($225 per person), or included in a All-In weekend pass ($500).
Additionally, food and beverage samplings will include chefs, Sean Brock (Husk); Jonathan Waxman (Adele’s by Jonathan Waxman & Barbuto); Ashley Christensen (AC Restaurants); Tyler Florence (Chef & TV Personality); Amanda Freitag (Empire Diner); Michael Hudman & Andy Ticer (Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen & Hog and Hominy); Mike Lata (FIG & The Ordinary); Tim Love (Lonesome Dove Western Bistro, Woodshed Smokehouse, Queenie’s Steakhouse, Love Shack & White Elephant Saloon); Masaharu Morimoto (Morimoto Restaurants); Aarón Sánchez (Chef & TV Personality); Alon Shaya (Domenica); Frank Stitt (Chef & Restaurateur); Michael Symon (Chef, Restaurateur & TV Personality); Levon Wallace (Proof on Main); and Andrew Zimmern (Chef & TV Personality).
Events, post and prior, will take place at Nashville’s Public Square Park, including cooking demonstrations, wine, beer & spirits tastings, intimate panel discussions, book signings and daily Grand Taste tents from previously announced local food purveyors.
For more information and tickets, click here.
Previously Music City Eats, the 2014 Music City Food + Wine is produced by Vector Management’s Ken Levitan and Andy Mendelsohn, Kings of Leon, Jonathan Waxman, C3 Presents (Austin FOOD & WINE Festival, Austin City Limits Music Festival, and Lollapalooza).

The 10th Anniversary of the CMA Songwriters Series will be celebrated on Oct. 15 at The Parish in Austin, Texas. Songwriters Hall Of Fame member Bob DiPiero will serve as host of the event. DiPiero has had more than 1,200 songs recorded by artists, countless hit singles, and an astounding 15 No. 1 hits.
Other songwriters set to perform include Rob Hatch, Jamey Johnson and Raul Malo.
Hatch has penned songs for Rhett Akins, Terri Clark, George Jones, Jake Owen, Gretchen Wilson, and more. He has two No. 1 songs with Randy Houser’s “Goodnight Kiss” and Lee Brice’s “I Don’t Dance.”
Two-time CMA Award winner Jamey Johnson is best-known for his 2008 hit “In Color.” He is also credited as co-writing hits including Trace Adkins‘ “Honky Tonk Badonkadonk,” and George Strait’s “Give It Away.”
Malo is a singer, songwriter, guitarist, and record producer that is best-known as the lead singer of Country group The Mavericks and the co-writer of many of their singles.
For nearly a decade, the CMA Songwriters Series has been exposing fans across the country and the globe to the artisans who, through their craft, pen hits that touch the lives of millions of music fans. Since it began at Joe’s Pub in New York City in 2005, the CMA Songwriters Series has presented more than 75 shows in 15 cities, including Austin, Boston, Belfast, Chicago, Dublin, London, Los Angeles, New York, Paris, Phoenix, and Washington, D.C. at the renowned Library of Congress. The series has featured 132 of music’s most gifted storytellers who collectively have 71 CMA Song of the Year nominations.
Tickets go on sale Friday, Sept. 12 (10:00 AM/CT). To order tickets, visit CMASongwritersSeries.com, or theparishaustin.com.