MusicRowPics: Boone

Boone2015

Boone

New country singer Boone visited the MusicRow offices to perform his debut single “Summer Girls.” He recently shot a video for the song and has been on a radio tour promoting it.

During the MusicRow visit, Boone also entertained the staff with the songs “Truck” and “This Is Our Night,” which was inspired by his sister’s wedding. He is working on an EP titled American Young Hearts, and previously scored a viral YouTube hit with his track “Redneck Heroes.”

Boone grew up performing in church, playing guitar and piano. In high school he often covered country classics by Merle Haggard and Keith Whitley, and he won the Indiana State Future Farmers of America talent competition. Boone began building an audience by playing fairs and clubs, and eventually got into songwriting and moved to Nashville.

The Indiana native gets his nickname from his love of the outdoors.

BooneStaff2015

Pictured (L-R): Kelsey Grady, Nine North’s Larry Pareigis, Sarah Skates, Boone, Sherod Robertson, Eric Parker, Troy Stephenson

 

Darius Rucker Adds Fall Leg to Southern Style Tour

Darius Rucker 2015With 400,000 fans turning out for the first leg, Darius Rucker’s Southern Style Tour has now been extended into fall and will run though November. A Thousand Horses will continue its opening run with Rucker throughout the fall dates, and David Nail will join the tour in October.

The tour’s summer run has 15 shows left and had recent sellouts in Gilford, N.H., Boston, and Jones Beach, N.Y., and is on track to exceed 700,000 tickets sold. Tickets to the first fall date in Chicago on Oct. 8 will go on sale this Friday, July 24. Over 15 more stops are planned and will go on sale in the coming weeks.

Rucker recently released a video for his latest single/title track, “Southern Style.” Shot in his hometown of Charleston, the clip was directed by Peter Zavadil and produced by Jennifer Rothlein.

Southern Style Fall dates:
October 8 | Chicago, Ill.
October 9 | Dayton, Ohio
October 10 | Youngstown, Ohio*
October 15 | Topeka, Kan.
October 16 | Lincoln, Neb.
October 17 | Sioux City, Iowa
October 22 | Syracuse, N.Y.*
October 23 | Albany, N.Y.*
October 24 | Uncasville, Conn.*
November 1 | Indianapolis, Ind.
November 10 | Greensboro, N.C.
November 12 | Bemidji, Minn.
November 13 | Green Bay, Wis.
November 14 | Moline, Ill.
November 19 | Grand Rapids, Mich.
November 20 | Toledo, Ohio

*A Thousand Horses will not be appearing on these dates

Round Hill Announces New Staffers, Promotion

Kari Smith.

Kari Smith

Round Hill Music has announced new hires and promotions for its Nashville offices.

The New York-based publishing company has promoted Kari Smith from Director to Senior Director, A&R. Her new duties will focus on continuing to expand the company’s A&R efforts in Nashville in the pop, rock, and country areas.

The company’s Director, Creative and Licensing Steve Nalbert has relocated to Nashville where he will continue to manage Round Hill’s licensing process. Nalbert will take on additional responsibilities, including more involvement in the pitching of the company’s song catalog to synchronization clients. He reports to Mallory Zumbach, Sr. Director in the company’s New York office.

New hires include Kevin Thompson as Manager, Licensing; Steven McMillan as Manager, Royalty Services; and Bob Squance as Sr. Coordinator, A&R Administration. Thompson brings experience from Sony/ATV Los Angeles’s Film & TV department before he relocated to that publisher’s Nashville offices. Thompson now reports to Nalbert. McMillan joins from Big Loud Bucks after spending time at Ten Ten Music Group. At Round Hill he reports to Britnie Stingelin, Director, Royalty Services. Squance brings experience from Ten Ten Music and Big Yellow Dog, and reports to Brown.

Round Hill Music was founded by Josh Gruss in 2010 in partnership with Richard Rowe and Neil Gillis. It has signed exclusive publishing deals and joint partnerships with a number of established music companies including Big Loud Shirt Industries, Big Loud Bucks and also provides a high level of service to songwriters and producers including singer/songwriter Wade Kirby (Blake Shelton, Jason Aldean, George Strait).

Pictured (L-R): Bob Squance (Sr. Coordinator, A&R Administration), Steven McMillan (Manager, Royalty Services), Steve Nalbert (Director, Creative and Licensing), Kevin Thompson (Manager, Licensing).

Pictured (L-R): Bob Squance (Sr. Coordinator, A&R Administration), Steven McMillan (Manager, Royalty Services), Steve Nalbert (Director, Creative and Licensing), Kevin Thompson (Manager, Licensing)

John Anderson To Launch WSM’s Country on the Cumberland Series

John Anderson 2015John Anderson will perform his first acoustic concert in Nashville in over 30 years on July 29, as the first guest on the inaugural “Country On The Cumberland” series presented by 650 AM WSM. The special event will take place aboard the General Jackson Showboat as guests cruise down the Cumberland and enjoy a dinner with the intimate show. Anderson will perform songs from his new CD Goldmine, which was released May 26, along with favorite hits.

The new series is being held as part of WSM’s 90th Anniversary celebration, and the station will spotlight a different artist for each show from July through October.

Listeners can purchase tickets to the Country On The Cumberland shows via wsmonline.com.

 

Matt Austin – “The Island”

Matt Austin is a Detroit, Michigan, native and Nashville country recording artist. Nominated Best New Country Artist 2016 by New Music Weekly. Emerging national act, with recent debut single “Summer I’ll Always Remember” to national country radio, reaching #9 on the New Music Weekly country main chart!

Current single, “Bad Feelin,” is impacting country radio now, and the single was listed as one of the most added songs at the MusicRow CountryBreakout stations its first week out!

Extensive touring history of the Great Lakes region. Prior direct support for Lee Brice, Brantley Gilbert, Chase Rice, Sam Hunt, Jon Pardi, Uncle Kracker, Aaron Lewis, Charlie Worsham, The Cadillac Three, and more. Signed by Rusty Boots Entertainment in 2016 for ongoing artist management. International touring and promotion of new EP in US, Ireland, UK, and Europe under development.

“After all of my music story, I have now grown in to the artist that best fits who I am,” says Matt Austin, “and it is good to do music that can touch your soul and raise the hairs on your arms, because that is what I grew up on, and why I fell in love with music in the first place.”

Matt Austin grew up with musical influences of classic rock, Southern rock, and blues, from artists such as Lynyrd Skynyrd, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, and Stevie Ray Vaughan. His music journey includes being the former lead guitar player of the Paper Street Saints, a major Detroit rock headliner, regularly packing houses throughout the metro area and opening for national acts as large as Bon Jovi with 20,000 fans in a sold out arena. Matt went on to form the self-titled Matt Austin Band. Again opening for national acts (this time Def Leppard, Styx and Tesla), a change in path altered Matt’s itinerary to the world of music.

In the summer of 2011, he discovered the New Age Country genre. He was immediately attracted to music from the likes of Dierks Bentley, Brantley Gilbert, Jason Aldean, Zac Brown Band, and more. The sound and songwriting was so overwhelming to him, it reminded him of that same feeling when he was young. He was hooked – this was his comfort zone!

Matt’s evolution from blues to rock to New Age Country has been a road of discovery. Now it’s your turn to discover this talented singer, songwriter and musician.

For more information, visit
www.MattAustinMusic.com

Radio contact:
LeeCherryEntertainment@gmail.com

 

 

Meghan Linsey Releases New EP ‘Believer’ July 31

Meghan Linsey 2015The Voice runner-up and former Steel Magnolia member Meghan Linsey is releasing a new EP, Believer, July 31. The collection was produced by Tyler Cain and recorded in Nashville, and features six songs co-written by Linsey that highlight her soulful, swampy sound.

The EP will be available exclusively in an early release on Ghost Tunes at a reduced price beginning July 27, and will be released to all digital retailers four days later.

“Recording this time around was really just about finding my voice as a solo artist, and for me, that meant getting back to my roots,” Linsey says about the new project. “I grew up in New Orleans and I’ve always had a soulful sound, I’m just now really able to showcase it fully. Tyler Cain produced the record and we did a lot of it with a total of three musicians. I think keeping it small was key. His production really allows me to showcase my soulful side while keeping it mainstream. These six songs are a great representation of me, as a human and an artist. They’re bold and genuine and have depth. I really laid it all out there.”

Believer Track Listing:
“Counterfeit”
“Believer”
“Sunshine In My Soul”
“This Side of Heaven”
“Everything is Happening”
“Best of Me”

Neon Cross and Warner/Chappell Sign Devin Dawson

Neon Cross Music and Warner/Chappell Music have signed a worldwide co-publishing agreement with singer/songwriter Devin Dawson.

Dawson and fellow Belmont University student Louisa Wendorff are known for their mashup of Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space” and “Style” which became a viral sensation. To date it has garnered more than 25 million views on YouTube. Dawson spoke to MusicRow about that project in December.

He is pursuing a Songwriting and Music Business degree at Belmont and is currently recording his debut EP.

Pictured: Phil May (WC), Ben Vaughn (WC), Devin Dawson, Melissa Spillman (Neon Cross), Brittany Shafer (Loeb & Loeb), Travis Carter (WC)

Pictured (L-R): Phil May (WC), Ben Vaughn (WC), Devin Dawson, Melissa Spillman (Neon Cross), Brittany Shafer (Loeb & Loeb), Travis Carter (WC)

Cassadee Pope Offers ‘Invincible’ Anthem

CassadeePope2015Republic Nashville artist Cassadee Pope releases her new single “I Am Invincible” this week (July 24) across all digital retailers and to radio with an official impact date of Sept. 8. The power anthem was written by Brett Boyett and Nash Overstreet and produced by Julian Raymond.

Pope said the first time she heard the song it hit her right in the heart. “I was thinking of all the things I have gone through over the last few years that could have very well influenced me to step away from making music. At the same time, I was reminded of how proud I should be of myself for sticking to my true passion. I have my fans to thank for that with their encouragement, support and really cheering me on at a time of uncertainty. Thinking about all of those emotions really takes this song to another level when I’m performing it and I hope ‘I Am Invincible’ gives others their confidence too.”

She adds, “The song is for those people who have gone through a really tough experience. What I love about this song is it’s very empowering. The song encourages people to get through tough things and be stronger because of it. But there’s a vulnerability to it that I think is really important. It’s ok to not be ok, and it’s ok to be wounded.”

Her parents’ divorce when she was only eleven proved to be a difficult time for the songstress. Pope shares, “I thought of my mom when I first heard this song. It was a huge struggle for her but she taught my sister and I how to be self sufficient, how to be empowered and how to be independent. I learned so much from that experience because of her and how she handled it.”

The singer is offering up a chance for fans to participate in the song’s official lyric video. Fans can register here.

The Florida native’s debut single, “Wasting All These Tears,” sold over a million copies and was featured on her debut country album, Frame By Frame. She came onto the national stage after winning the third season of NBC’s The Voice in 2012, making her the first female winner of the singing competition.

Maddie & Tae ‘Start Here’ in October With Solo Tour

Maddie & Tae Start Here 2015After opening for Dierks Bentley on his Sounds of Summer Tour, Maddie & Tae are about to “fly” on their own, kicking off their Start Here Tour Oct. 10 at New York City’s Highline Ballroom. The tour will hit a dozen key markets through early November, playing smaller listening rooms and historic music clubs.

“Spending the summer with Dierks was an amazing masterclass in playing,” says Maddie. “He has such a great sense of how to connect with the audience, but he also understands how to keep music the focus… to make sure the playing and the songs don’t get lost in the fun of it. To write songs that matter is one thing, to bring people inside them is another. I can’t wait to share all the songs with the fans once Start Here comes out.”

“Maddie and I wanted to get out and play all the songs from this new record,” Tae says. “We’ve spent a few years writing these songs, figuring out how to say what we thought was important about being our age, and figuring out how to create our kind of music, so before we get back onto someone else’s tour, we wanted to take some time and show people all of who we are!”

The duo is gearing up for the release of their debut CD, Start Here, on Aug. 28.

Maddie & Tae Start Here Tour Dates  
10/07/15          Highline Ballroom           New York, NY
10/08/15          Paradise Rock Club       Boston, MA
10/10/15          The Asylum                    Portland, ME
10/15/15          Cotton Eyed Joe            Knoxville, TN
10/16/15          Amos’ Southend            Charlotte, NC
10/17/15          Track 29                        Chattanooga, TN
10/22/15          Cain’s Ballroom             Tulsa, OK
10/23/15          Banita Creek Hall          Nacogdoches, TX
10/24/15          House of Blues              Houston, TX
11/05/15          Boondocks                    Springfield, IL
11/06/15          St. Andrew’s Hall           Detroit, MI.
11/07/15          Joe’s On Weed Street   Chicago, IL

Loretta Lynn to Play Mini-Festival During Americana Conference

Loretta Lynn

Loretta Lynn

Loretta Lynn will play a special Nashville show at the city’s new Ascend Amphitheater as part of a Sept. 19 mini-festival held in the midst of the 16th Annual Americana Festival and Conference.

The one-day-only celebration that is open to the general public will also feature performances by Steve Earle, Gillian Welch, Tift Merritt, Eric Heywood, Nikki Lane, and Emmy Rose Russell. The mini-festival setup includes two stages, and more performers will be announced in the coming weeks.

Tickets for the special event run from $25-$75 and go on sale via Ticketmaster on July 31.

“We’re proud of the success of our boutique festival and conference, but this event at the Ascend Amphitheater is really for the entire community, not just the folks in the industry attending our business conference” said Americana Executive Director Jed Hilly. “It’s a celebration of the great city of Nashville and who better to highlight such an event than Miss Loretta Lynn.”

Lynn was honored by the Americana Music Association last fall with its Lifetime Achievement for Songwriter award.