Bobby Karl Works Jason Aldean’s 20th No. 1 Celebration

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Pictured (L-R): Songwriter Jordan Schmidt (ASCAP/Tree Vibez Music), Artist/Songwriter Morgan Wallen (BMI/Big Loud), Jason Aldean, Florida Georgia Line’s Brian Kelley (BMI/Big Loud) and Tyler Hubbard (BMI/Big Loud), Michael Knox (Producer). Photo: Steve Lowry

Chapter 598

The party was billed as a celebration of the 20th No. 1 hit by Jason Aldean, but the real attraction for me was a look at the latest country-star honky-tonk on Lower Broadway.

The first thing to know is that Jason’s joint is HUGE. It’s a $32 million investment for its owners and encompasses 27,000 square feet, six bars, multiple music stages and three rooftop venues.
Décor touches include stone-walled lighted stairways, rustic wood walls, tin ceilings, neon signs, video walls showing sporting events, antique metal ad logos and a Jason photo wall of his memories. We partied on the top level, which featured a vintage Ford pickup shell mounted on a seven-foot-tall ledge.

This floor featured two levels of rooftop, each with its own bar. Half of the rooftop area is covered, which was good, because it rained briefly.

ASCAP and BMI hosted the event, while RIAA president Mitch Glazier surprised Aldean with the news that “You Make It Easy” is the first country song to reach Platinum status in 2018. He was also awarded a Gold certification for his recently-released album Rearview Town, making it the first country album released this year to reach that mark.

Jason’s 20th No. 1 is “You Make It Easy,” penned by Tyler Hubbard, Brian Kelley, Morgan Wallen and Jordan Schmidt. Florida Georgia Line’s Kelley and Hubbard, who are both signed to Big Loud for publishing, were on hand to celebrate the chart-topping single, and to support co-writer Schmidt, who is signed to FGL’s publishing company Tree Vibez.

Following multiple plaque presentations, Aldean mingled freely with the guests. That was good, too. Brandi Simms, Earle Simmons, Chris Parr, Chris Oglesby, Jody Williams, Andrew Kintz, Clarence Spalding, Lisa Konicki, Michael Knox, Brendan Oliver, David Preston, Tom Roland, Kos Weaver and more mingled along with the star. We all got party favors, little sacks full of “whiskey stones.” They bore Jason’s Georgia-shaped logo.

The Ford truck isn’t the only vehicle on display. Floors two and three of the venue are combined into one massive entertainment space, and it features a 1961 “Big Green Tractor” bar. What must be the largest John Deere machine ever manufactured is situated with its giant rear tires, up-high seat and front section intact. Where the motor should be is a rack of liquor bottles. Oh, heck, the rest is too complicated to describe. Just go see it. This level also features a roof bar.

The first floor features a 1960 chopped, powder-blue Cadillac mounted above the bar. Like the other levels, this one also has an excellent stage for performances.

Since the venue is officially called Jason Aldean’s Kitchen + Rooftop Bar, I thought it was odd that no food was served. Just for the record, the menu includes catfish sliders, steak, pork chops, salmon, meatloaf, pot roast, salads, burgers, hot chicken, mac & cheese, hot dogs, fried bologna and pasta.

I am told that Jason Alden’s Kitchen + Rooftop Bar has been packed with fans ever since it had its soft opening last spring.

Pictured (L-R): Rick Shedd (BBRMG), Jason Aldean, Mitch Glazier (RIAA President), Liz Kennedy (RIAA Director, Communications), Jon Loba (BBRMG). Photo: Steve Lowry

Rhett Walker Band’s Self-Titled EP Out Today

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The Rhett Walker Band has released their self-titled EP today on Essential Records/Sony Music.

The six-song EP features the debut single “Say Hello,” and its follow-up, “Like Your Father Does,” which the band debuted on the Grand Ole Opry, their tenth appearance on the show, earlier this summer. The EP is the follow-up to their albums Come To The River (2012) and Here’s To The Ones (2014). 

In support of the new album release, yesterday the band performed “Say Hello” on Nashville’s “Today In Nashville,” which aired live on the NBC affiliate WSMV. This fall, they will hit the road with 7eventh Time Down and visit cities including Fayetteville, NC, New Bedford, MA, Paoli, PA and more through October 28.

Fall 2018 Tour dates with Seventh Time Down:
September 20    Rome City, IN
September 21    Point Pleasant, WV
September 22    Paoli, PA
October 3          Winston Salem, NC
October 6          Fayetteville, NC
October 11        Spencer, WV
October 12        Ephrata, PA
October 18        Collinsville, IL
October 19        Clinton, MO
October 20        Paragould, AR
October 25        New Bedford, MA
October 26        Auburn, ME
October 27        Montgomery, NY
October 28        Sewell, NJ

Sony Music Nashville Elevates Alli Champagne To Director, Legal & Business Affairs

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Alli Champagne

Alli Champagne has been promoted to Director, Legal & Business Affairs, at Sony Music Nashville. Reporting directly to SVP, Legal & Business Affairs Angie Magill, Champagne will continue handling contract negotiations in connection with the label’s artist roster, serving as counsel to all label departments, and as Sony Music Nashville’s Radio Compliance Officer.

Champagne, who joined Sony Music Nashville in 2014, was previously with Viacom/CMT’s Legal & Business Affairs team, prior to which she practiced entertainment law and copyright infringement litigation for various Nashville based law firms. Champagne is a Music Business graduate of Belmont University, as well as Pepperdine University School of Law where she received Certification in Entertainment, Intellectual Property, & Technology Law, and served as editor for the Journal of Business, Entrepreneurship and the Law.

Champagne can be contacted at [email protected].

The War And Treaty’s ‘Healing Tide’ Rolls In Today

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The War and Treaty’s anticipated full-length debut album, Healing Tide, is out today on Strong World/Thirty Tigers. Produced by Buddy Miller, Healing Tide features 11 songs from the powerhouse duo made up of husband and wife Michael Trotter Jr. and Tanya Blount-Trotter.

The 11 songs on Healing Tide were written solely by Michael and feature Tanya (vocals), Michael (vocals, piano, Wurlitzer, Rhodes) and Miller (guitars, banjo) as well as Brady Blade (drums), Adam Chaffins (bass), Jim Hoke (organ, saxophone, autoharp, harmonica), Russ Pahl (pedal steel, banjo), Sam Bush (fiddle), Bill Huber (trombone), Matt Slocum (cello) and special guest vocalist Emmylou Harris on “Here Is Where the Loving Is At.”

The duo will tour throughout 2018 including upcoming festival stops at Fayetteville Roots Festival, Moon River Music Festival and a triumphant return to AmericanaFest in Nashville, where the two first made headlines after a breakthrough performance at the 2017 Americana Music Festival & Conference when they stepped in to fill in for an ill Buddy Miller.

The War And Treaty Tour Dates:
August 11-12—Edmonton, AB—Edmonton Folk Festival
August 17-19—Grand Prairie, AB—Bear Creek Folk Festival
August 24—Florence, AL—Billy Reid Shindig 10
August 25-26—Fayetteville, AR—Fayetteville Roots Festival
September 7—Las Vegas, NV—Big Blues Bender
September 9—Chattanooga, TN—Moon River Music Festival
September 12-15—Nashville, TN—AmericanaFest
September 22—Bristol, TN—Bristol Rhythm & Roots Reunion
September 28—Dana Point, CA—Ohana Festival
February 10-17—Tampa, FL—Cayamo Cruise

Centricity Music’s Caitie Hurst Releases Debut EP

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Centricity Music artist Caitie Hurst releases her first EP today (Aug. 10), How Could I Be Silent. Each of the project’s seven tracks were written or co-written by Hurst.

Hurst worked with several producers and writers including Cody Fry (Ben Rector), Ground Control (Apollo LTD), Colby Wedgeworth (Jordan Feliz, Zach Williams), Justin Morgan (Audio Adrenaline), and Riley Friesen (Brandon Heath, Matt Hammitt). The title track has made its way to the No. 2 spot on the CHR Indicator chart, and currently stands at No. 4 on the Hot AC chart.

Hurst will go on tours this fall with both NewSong and Unspoken, followed by a slot on For King and Country at Christmastime’s tour.

How Could I Be Silent Track Listing:
1. How Could I Be Silent
2. Walkin’ On The Water
3. Nothing To Hide
4. Answers
5. Lights
6. Wanderer
7. Signs

Tri Star To Host American Red Cross Blood Drive August 21

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Tri Star Sports & Entertainment Group will be hosting its second Red Cross Blood Drive on August 21st from 8:30 am-1:30 pm to help combat the emergency blood shortage the organization is currently facing. The Red Cross has issued an urgent call for eligible individuals of all blood types to give now and help save patient lives, and Tri Star is pitching in to lend a hand.

Blood donations are currently being distributed to hospitals faster than donations are coming in, and more donations are needed now to help prevent the suffering a blood shortage can cause, so Tri Star is encouraging members of the Nashville music community to come on over to their offices at 11 Music Circle South and help. The goal for this year’s drive is to fill 33 slots and gather 27 units of blood.

The Red Cross Blood Drive truck will be located in the back parking lot of the Tri Star offices, and a schedule sign-up sheet with appointment times is available here. Food will be served during the drive as well, and industry members are encouraged to come by and participate. For any questions, contact Morgan Nellis at [email protected] or (615) 513-0712.

Industry Ink: PLA Media, FBMM, Copperline Music Group

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PLA Media Signings

PLA Media has added two new clients to its roster, including singer/actor Gary Morris, and Americana outfit My One And Only.

They join PLA Media’s additional clients, which include Johnny Cash Museum, Patsy Cline Museum and Tina Turner Museum, Jesse Rice, and actor/musician Tim Williams.

 

Promotions At FBMM

Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy has promoted Emma DeWeese and Jana Horvath to account executive, and Brianna Joyce and Ashley Kennedy to senior account assistant.

“Emma, Jana, Brianna and Ashley have mastered the ins and outs of the music industry. Their drive to accommodate our clients’ personal financial needs is invaluable,” said Jamie Cheek, president of FBMM. “We are fortunate to have such bright, motivated individuals on our team, and we look forward to seeing them continue to grow in their careers at FBMM.”

DeWeese began working at FBMM in 2016 and is now an account executive. Before working for FBMM, she served as an intern for The Agency Group, CEG Presents, Urban Expositions and Foundations Artist Management. Horvath joined the FBMM team in 2014 and has been promoted to account executive. She served as an office manager and bookkeeper at Marking Impressions Corp. prior to her time at FBMM.

Joyce also has been with FBMM since 2016 and is now a senior account assistant. Her previous work experience includes serving as an accounts payable specialist at Endless Edge and finance specialist at Fox Chapel Yacht Club. Kennedy came to FBMM in 2016 and is now a senior account assistant. She has nine years of professional experience in the music industry. Before her time at FBMM, she worked at Vector Management as an executive assistant and helped manage day-to-day operations for artists.

 

Copperline Music Group Signs Ciera Mackenzie

Ciera Mackenzie

Copperline Music Group has signed up-and-coming singer-songwriter Ciera Mackenzie to a label deal.

“Working with Ciera has been quite inspirational,” says Copperline Music Group’s Rusty Harmon. “She embodies all of the elements of success: talent, determination, maturity, and work ethic. We are anxious to get this started!”

The singer-songwriter has opened for established acts Big & Rich, Trick Pony, Tracy Lawrence, Joe Diffie, and Mark Chesnutt, and has headlined events such as NAMM, Nashville Rising Star, and the Airborne Annual Convention. Previously featured on Radio Disney, the Oklahoman will release a new self-penned single later this year.

Weekly Chart Report (8/10/18)

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Click here or above to access MusicRow’s weekly CountryBreakout Report.

Music Expo Announces Panelists For Inaugural Nashville Conference

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Music Expo, the multi-city conference series for music makers in partnership with Sound On Sound, has announced the initial panelists, program highlights and exhibitors for its first-ever Nashville conference. Hosted by SAE Institute, the full day of educational sessions with music production masterclasses, music business discussions and the latest in music technology will take place on Saturday, Sept. 22, 2018. Early bird tickets are $25 and are available at eventbrite.com.

Music Expo Nashville’s programming will include a combination of keynote presentations, live demos, panels and educational workshops with tracks covering business, technology and creative.

Highlights thus far include:

“The Singers Ultimate Challenge: Developing Your Vocal Identity” – Producer and Owner of Decapo Music, Jonell Polansky will share tips on how to demystify the vocal recording session. Working with artists to develop their “vocal identity” is Polansky’s specialty, and she will discuss how to empower a great vocal performance in the studio, develop a ‘vocal vocabulary,’ and work with a variety of personalities.

“The Changing Business & Craft of Nashville Songwriting” Presented by Song Assembly – Grammy award-winning songwriter Steve Leslie will lead a panel to discuss hot button issues; writing with the artist, publishers as A&R, track guys and union demos, how technology affects the craft and country radio singles and the album cut. The panel will consist of professional songwriters from the glory days of the 1990’s and the new young guns.

“Making The Most With Minimal Gear” – Producer/Engineer Hayley McLean will demonstrate, with a live track, how to build a professional sounding recording with limited resources and edit with a basic interface, Wave plugins and basic software synths. Her trial and error process of creative software manipulation is a skill she’s put to work on many projects with award-winning Producers and Engineers.

“Breaking Into The Music Business and Staying There” – MusicRow Magazine’s Sherod Robertson will moderate a Q&A with Grammy Award-winning Recording Engineer Zach Allen to discuss how to prepare for a recording session, how to speed up workflow in the studio, the Do’s and Don’ts in the recording studio, and how to use technical problems as opportunities.

“Making Your Mix Standout” – Award-winning Producer/Engineer and Songwriter Robert Venable (Kelly Clarkson, Twenty One Pilots, Megadeth) will discuss his proven techniques to take a mix to the next level and make it stand out, applicable to any independent artist.

“The Craft of Writing a Country Song: How To Tell a Story with Words & Music” Presented by Song Assembly – Songwriter Steve Leslie will discuss how to develop a story-song that connects with listeners and provide an overview of the principles covered in his online songwriting course at www.songassembly.co. As a hitmaker in Nashville for 25+ years, will share tips on storytelling from his perspective, working and living in Music City – a place that’s famous for songwriting.

“Brand Your Band to Get More Fans” – Brian Bauer (Bauer Entertainment Marketing) will moderate the discussion with brand experts Logan Crowell (Record Realization/HOME), artist/producer/label owner Vian Izak (Vohnic Music LLC), and alt-Rock duo Ariel Bloomer and Shawn Jump (Icon for Hire).

David Lee Murphy, Kenny Chesney Celebrate Spirit-Lifting, Chart-Topping Hit

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David Lee Murphy and Kenny Chesney

Nashville’s ACME Feed & Seed on Lower Broadway was infused with tropical vibes on Wednesday (Aug. 8), as members of the industry gathered to celebrate David Lee Murphy and Kenny Chesney‘s No. 1 success.

“Everything’s Gonna Be Alright,” recorded by Murphy and Chesney, was penned by Murphy, Jimmy Yeary and Chris Stevens. The single is the first release from Murphy’s Reviver Records album No Zip Code.

Following his string of hits in the ’90s (including “Dust On The Bottle” and “Party Crowd”), Murphy has penned numerous country hits for others, with songs recorded by Chesney, Jason Aldean, Dan+Shay, Midland, and Thomas Rhett. This collaboration with Chesney marks Murphy’s first return to No. 1 on the country charts as an artist in more than two decades.

“First, I wanna thank Chris and Jimmy. We knew the day we wrote it, this was a hit even if nobody played it,” said Murphy. He gave credit to the Reviver Records staff for their hard work and perseverance. “They were tough as can be, and we had a long haul. They’ve worked really hard on this record. We knew it was going to be a fight, but every regional got in there and gave it their all. We said you can run, but you can’t outrun us.”

Pictured (L-R): Jimmy Yeary, David Lee Murphy, Buddy Cannon, Kenny Chesney, Chris Stevens. Photo: Allister Ann

Among those celebrating were “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” co-producer Buddy Cannon, Joe Galante, ASCAP’s Michael Martin, BMI’s Leslie Roberts, THiS Music’s Rusty Gaston, Sony/ATV’s Troy Tomlinson, Reviver Records’ Gator Michaels and David Ross, MusicRow Magazine’s Sherod Robertson, as well as the Country Music Association’s Sarah Trahern and Brandi Simms. Capitol CMG Publishing is also a publisher on the song, but could not be in attendance.

Chris Stevens has earned several Grammys and BMI Christian Awards for his work on Contemporary Christian songs including TobyMac’s “Steal My Show,” but “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” marks his very first country No. 1 song.

Yeary commented, “I love being a songwriter. I love to feel, so you can feel it…. If you feel, we connect. If we connect, we form a bond. If we form a bond, you’ll listen to me. And that gives us the opportunity to say things like ‘everything’s gonna be alright.’”

Pictured (Back row, L-R): Doug Casmus, Reviver’s Bob Reeves, Will Robinson, David Ross; David Lee Murphy; Buddy Cannon, Reviver’s Gator Michaels; Kenny Chesney; Reviver’s Hayley Cowoski, Clay Henderson, Ben Bieri; songwriters Chris Stevens, Jimmy Yeary. (Front row, L-R): Reviver’s Rick Hughes, Suzanne Durham, Dave Collins and Paul Williams. Photo: Allister Ann

Replicas of Chesney’s signature old blue chair were placed strategically around the room. The walls were decorated with backdrop-sized photos of Chesney and Murphy, which chronicled their years as both friends and songwriters. The room was filled with good spirits–both from the glow of celebrations, and from the signature Blue Chair Bay Rum cocktail created just for the event – an Everything’s Gonna Be Alright Mojito, which contained high proof white rum, mint, lime and a bit of sugar.

“This all started three, four years ago, because David Lee would send me all these songs–demos that sounded like records–and he was singing so great,” Chesney told the crowd. “I remember thinking, ‘I’d love to hear that on the radio.’ It seemed to me that there were a lotta people who aren’t being sung to, and David Lee could be one of those people who could do that.”

Chesney, who co-produced Murphy’s album, was a champion for Murphy and for the song, and said he feels that same passion in return each time he joins in singing the song for fans on his Trip Around The Sun tour.

“To stand up there in front of 50,000 people every Saturday night, and see a song truly move people, to really feel it is something. This song made me believe in that all over again, because to experience that is really, really beautiful.” Chesney said.

The celebration is another high-mark this week for Chesney, whose own album Songs For The Saints, currently reigns atop the country albums chart. Chesney will bring his Trip Around The Sun Tour to Nashville this weekend.