MusicRowPics: Casey Donahew Band

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Casey Donahew Band Artist Visit

Casey Donahew Band Artist Visit


Singer-songwriter Casey Donahew of The Casey Donahew Band visited MusicRow‘s office Wednesday (Oct. 9) to perform songs from his album Standoff.
Donahew, a Burleson, Texas native, grew up roping and riding before launching his music career. The Casey Donahew Band found success without the help of a major label (Donahew and wife Melinda run their own independent outfit) or high-powered management company. The band has been running the Texas circuit for more than a decade, and has built a large following outside the Lone Star state as well. “We sold 3,000 tickets to a show at Billy Bob’s [club in Texas] before we had a show in Nashville,” said Donahew. “We came on when MySpace was a big thing. We got this cool grassroots fire from playing college towns, gained fans, and then took it to the media.”
The group’s 2009 project Moving On sold 32,000 copies and a legion of fans regularly attend shows in and outside of Texas. “It’s a backward way of doing things, but it has given us stability,” said Donahew. “It is our 11th year and every year has been better than the last. Many bands in Texas are playing 80-90 percent Texas shows, while we are about 70/30.”
He performed “Small Town Love,” followed by the band’s recent single “Whiskey Baby” and the tongue-in-cheek tune “Go To Hell.” “This is a ‘You ruined my life,’ anti-love song,” said Donahew, laughing.
For more information, visit caseydonahewband.com.
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Primetime 'Nashville': "I Don't Wanna Talk About It Now"

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ABC.com

Scarlett O’Connor shows off a new look. ABC.com


Deacon (Charles Esten) and Rayna (Connie Britton) grappled with the aftermath of their near-tragic accident in Wednesday evening’s (Oct. 9) episode of Nashville. Rayna’s troubles continued to mount as she confided in producer Liam (Michiel Huisman), who is now back in the picture producing her forthcoming project, that she fears she has permanently damaged her voice after the accident. She also shared plans to leave her longtime label Edgehill Records. The discovery comes at an unfortunate time, as label head Jeff is pushing Rayna to get new music into the marketplace. She also finalized her divorce from Teddy, who had Peggy waiting anxiously in the wings.
Meanwhile, Juliette (Hayden Panettiere) ticked off labelhead Jeff (Oliver Hudson) by refusing to perform at the Edgehill Records stockholders’ party. Instead, she agreed to a performance for media mogul Charlie Wentworth (Charlie Bewley) for an fifth wedding anniversary party for Charlie’s wife. The appearance seemed like a great idea at first, when Juliette performed “Trouble Is,” (penned by Marv Green and Kate York) and welcomes Charlie onstage to play guitar with her band. The occasion turned sour when guitar player/sometimes friend Avery Barkley (Jonathan Jackson) overheard Juliette telling Charlie that Avery is “just on the payroll.” Avery later confronted Juliette about the comment and she threatened to fire him. Later, in true Juliette fashion, the troubled superstar failed to reject romantic advances made by Charlie at the end of the episode.
Rayna, desperate to hide her vocal malfunction and to promote her fledgling Highway 65 label’s sole artist, surprised label head Jeff by allowing Scarlett O’Connor (Clare Bowen) to perform for the execs, when they were expecting a performance by Rayna. Scarlett wowed the audience (especially old flame Gunnar) not only with her new look, but with the song “Waitin'” (penned by Caitlin Rose). The location of the stockholder event, by the way? Downtown Nashville’s Wildhorse Saloon.
Several of the Music industry’s favorite haunts made last night’s episode, including clothing store Two Old Hippies, where Will Lexington (Chris Carmack) and Scarlett O’Connor get makeovers in preparation for Edgehill’s stockholder event. Once again, the songs were the stars of the episode, thanks to Will’s performance of “What If I Was Willing” (co-penned by Randy Montana, Billy Montana and Brian Davis) and the performance of “Waitin'”.
In the episode’s most emotional plotline, Deacon finally faced down his demons. He started by allowing doctors to help him repair his damaged hand.
He also talked to Teddy about his relationship with Maddie, saying “I’m not built to be a father.” Fortunately, Teddy didn’t let Deacon get away with it, reminding him that Maddie will be watching everything he does now that she knows Deacon is her biological father. Deacon returned to Alcoholics Anonymous, where with the support of  Coleman (Robert Wisdom), he confessed his own troubled family history. Deacon shared that his father was an alcoholic that beat Deacon’s mother and sister. “When you’re a man, you’re going to be just like me,” his father told him. “Here I am,” Deacon heartbreakingly said, and vowed to not be like his father.
It seems like last night’s episode was good fodder for some more hit song material.

Blake Shelton's 'True Story' Gets Platinum Honors

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blakesheltonAfter wrapping up his sold out Ten Times Crazier Tour, Blake Shelton received a platinum plaque in honor of his current album Based On A True Story in Tulsa, Okla. The singer was joined by local radio stations KTGX, KWEN, KVOO, KJKE, along with WMN’s President & CEO, John Esposito and Southwest Regional Promotion Manager, Mark Niederhauser.
Shelton’s single “Mine Would Be You” is currently climbing the charts. Fans can watch the singer on NBC’s The Voice.
 
 
 
 
 

Chris Lane Signs With Big Loud Mountain

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Pictured (Front row, L-R): Scott Safford, Chris Lane, Austen Adams.(Back row L-R): Seth England, Chief Zaruk, Joey Moi & Craig Wiseman. Photography credit: Amy Allmand photography

Pictured (Front row, L-R): Scott Safford, Chris Lane, Austen Adams.(Back row L-R): Seth England, Chief Zaruk, Joey Moi & Craig Wiseman. Photography credit: Amy Allmand photography


Singer/songwriter Chris Lane has inked an exclusive deal with Big Loud Mountain. The North Carolina native has played over 500 shows over the past few years, opening for Florida Georgia Line, The Band Perry, the Eli Young Band, and others. He is currently on the road opening select dates on Lee Brice’s The Otherside Tour and Florida Georgia Line’s Official After Party. Big Loud Mountain is a partnership between Big Loud Shirt Industries owner Craig Wiseman, Seth England, producer/writer Joey Moi and veteran artist manager, Kevin “Chief” Zaruk.

Given Music Publishing Forms; Names Sebastian VP/GM

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Mike Sebastian

Mike Sebastian


The newly formed Given Music Publishing has appointed veteran music publisher Mike Sebastian as VP/General Manager.
“Songwriters are the heartbeat of our industry,” said industry veteran Cindy Owen and partner Jim Kacmarcik in a joint statement. “It was important to find someone with the vision, track record and a strong commitment to the writers and the songwriting community to lead our publishing division. We have found all of that in Mike and are honored to have him join our executive team as we build our Given Entertainment family.”
Sebastian was formerly the Senior Director of Catalog for ole music following the sale of his company, Blacktop Music Group, to ole in 2010. Prior to Blacktop, Sebastian was the VP/GM of Starstruck Writers Group until its sale to Warner/Chappell in 2001.
“Knowing Cindy for 20 years and the reputation she has in the industry and the businessman I have come to know in Jim, I am thrilled to have this opportunity with them,” said Sebastian. “I look forward to building a great publishing company together. After the success of Blacktop, I’ve been wanting to start a company again, and they have provided me the chance,” said Sebastian.
Mike can be reached at [email protected] or 615-430-2491.

'CMA Country Christmas' To Air In December

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CMACCThe Country Music Association has announced its two-hour CMA Country Christmas will air Monday, Dec. 2 from 9:00-11:00 p.m. ET on ABC. Newly revealed special guest performers includes Duck Dynasty‘s Willie Robertson, while the whole Robertson family plans to participate in a fireside chat. The A&E reality family will release Duck the Halls: A Robertson Family Christmas album on UMG Nashville on Oct. 29.
Previously announced performers for the CMA event include host Jennifer Nettles in addition to Trace Adkins, Luke Bryan, Sheryl Crow, Lucy Hale, Jake Owen, Kellie Pickler, Rascal Flatts, Darius Rucker and Michael W. Smith.
Audience members for the special, which tapes live at Nashville’s Bridgestone arena on Friday, Nov. 8, are encouraged to bring a new, unwrapped toy to be distributed to Nashville area homeless families. Nashville-based, non-profit group Generosity will collect the toys in specially marked bins starting Friday, Nov. 8 at 1:00 p.m./CT at the Bridgestone Arena Plaza. Last year, more than 5,000 toys were collected.
Tickets for the program range from $25-50 and can be purchased at ticketmaster.com; by calling 800-745-3000; or at the Bridgestone Arena Box Office. Tickets are not required to drop off a toy.

Taylor Swift, Florida Georgia Line Score Multiple AMA Nominations

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American-Music-Awards-logo-350x200Taylor Swift and Florida Georgia Line piled up the nominations Thursday morning (Oct. 10) for the upcoming American Music Awards; Swift scored five nominations, while Florida Georgia Line collected four. Kelly Clarkson and will.i.am revealed the 2013 American Music Awards (AMAs) nominations this morning in New York City on ABC’s Good Morning America.
Swift was nominated in the Artist of the Year category, alongside Justin Timberlake, Rihanna, Bruno Mars, and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis. She also earned a nod for Favorite Female Artist-Pop/Rock, alongside P!nk and Rihanna. Her album RED will compete for Favorite Album-Pop/Rock alongside Timberlake’s The 20/20 Experience and One Direction‘s Take Me Home.
Florida Georgia Line was nominated in the all-genre New Artist of the Year Award category, alongside Ariana Grande, Imagine Dragons, Phillip Phillips and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis; the duo’s collaboration with Nelly on a remix of “Cruise” also earned a Single of the Year nomination, alongside “Blurred Lines” (Robin Thicke ft. Pharrell & T.I.) and “Thrift Shop” (Macklemore & Ryan Lewis ft. Wanz).
The Favorite Male Artist-Country category features nominees Blake Shelton, Luke Bryan and Hunter Hayes. Swift, Miranda Lambert and Carrie Underwood are nominated for Favorite Female Artist-Country, while The Band Perry, Florida Georgia Line and Lady Antebellum will compete for the title of Favorite Band, Duo or Group-Country. In the Favorite Album-Country category, Bryan’s Crash My Party, Swift’s RED, and Florida Georgia Line’s Here’s To The Good Times are up for the honor.
It was also announced that Miley Cyrus and Imagine Dragons will be performing on this year’s show, which will be broadcast live from the NOKIA Theatre L.A. live on Sunday, Nov. 24 (8:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT) on ABC. Additional acts and presenters will be announced in the coming weeks.
View the full list of nominations below.
2013 AMERICAN MUSIC AWARDS NOMINEES:
ARTIST OF THE YEAR

  • Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
  • Bruno Mars
  • Rihanna
  • Taylor Swift
  • Justin Timberlake

NEW ARTIST OF THE YEAR PRESENTED BY KOHL’S

  • Florida Georgia Line
  • Ariana Grande
  • Imagine Dragons
  • Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
  • Phillip Phillps

SINGLE OF THE YEAR

  • Florida Georgia Line Featuring Nelly/Cruise
  • Macklemore & Ryan Lewis Featuring Wanz/Thrift Shop
  • Robin Thicke Featuring Pharrell & T.I./Blurred Lines

FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – POP/ROCK

  • Bruno Mars
  • Robin Thicke
  • Justin Timberlake

FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST – POP/ROCK

  • P!nk
  • Rihanna
  • Taylor Swift

FAVORITE BAND, DUO OR GROUP – POP/ROCK

  • Imagine Dragons
  • Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
  • One Direction

FAVORITE ALBUM – POP/ROCK

  • One Direction/Take Me Home
  • Taylor Swift/Red
  • Justin Timberlake/The 20/20 Experience

FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – COUNTRY

  • Luke Bryan
  • Hunter Hayes
  • Blake Shelton

FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST – COUNTRY

  • Miranda Lambert
  • Taylor Swift
  • Carrie Underwood

FAVORITE BAND, DUO or GROUP – COUNTRY           

  • The Band Perry
  • Florida Georgia Line
  • Lady Antebellum

FAVORITE ALBUM – COUNTRY

  • Luke Bryan/Crash My Party
  • Florida Georgia Line/Here’s To The Good Times
  • Taylor Swift/Red

FAVORITE ARTIST – RAP/HIP-HOP

  • Jay Z
  • Lil Wayne
  • Macklemore & Ryan Lewis

FAVORITE ALBUM – RAP/HIP-HOP

  • Jay Z/Magna Carta…Holy Grail
  • Kendrick Lamar/good kid, m.A.A.d city
  • Macklemore & Ryan Lewis/The Heist

FAVORITE MALE ARTIST – SOUL/R&B

  • Miguel
  • Robin Thicke
  • Justin Timberlake

FAVORITE FEMALE ARTIST – SOUL/R&B

  • Ciara
  • Alicia Keys
  • Rihanna

FAVORITE ALBUM – SOUL/R&B

  • Rihanna/Unapologetic
  • Robin Thicke/Blurred Lines
  • Justin Timberlake/The 20/20 Experience

FAVORITE ARTIST – ALTERNATIVE ROCK

  • Imagine Dragons
  • The Lumineers
  • Mumford & Sons

FAVORITE ARTIST – ADULT CONTEMPORARY

  • Maroon 5
  • Bruno Mars
  • P!nk

FAVORITE ARTIST – LATIN

  • Marc Anthony
  • Prince Royce
  • Romeo Santos

FAVORITE ARTIST – CONTEMPORARY INSPIRATIONAL

  • tobyMac
  • Chris Tomlin
  • Matthew West

FAVORITE ARTIST – ELECTRONIC DANCE MUSIC (EDM)

  • Avicii
  • Daft Punk
  • Calvin Harris
  • Zedd

TOP SOUNDTRACK

  • The Great Gatsby: Music From Baz Luhrmann’s Film
  • Les Miserables
  • Pitch Perfect

Roger Cook Latest 'Poet And Prophet' Honored By Hall Of Fame

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L-R are John Prine, Roger Cook, Bobby Wood and Museum Editor Michael Gray

Pictured (L-R): John Prine, Roger Cook, Bobby Wood and Museum Editor Michael Gray


Songwriter Roger Cook was honored recently in the Country Music Hall of Fame’s quarterly series “Poets and Prophets: Legendary Country Songwriters.” He is the pen behind hits like “Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again,” “Long Cool Woman (in a Black Dress), “I Believe In You,” and the well-known ’70’s Coke jingle “I’d Like To Teach The World To Sing (in Perfect Harmony).”
The Poets and Prophets programs showcase the careers of songwriters who have made significant contributions to country music history.

Underwood Receives Multiple Sales Honors in New York

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Pictured (L-R): Carrie Underwood and Gary Overton

Pictured (L-R): Carrie Underwood and Sony Music Nashville Chairman/CEO Gary Overton.


Carrie Underwood was recently surprised with multiple honors by Sony Music Nashville Chairman/CEO Gary Overton. Following her Sound of Music rehearsal on Monday (Oct. 7) in New York City, Underwood was presented with three plaques commemorating recent RIAA certifications. “Good Girl” reached double platinum status for more than 2 million downloads, while “Two Black Cadillacs” is now platinum for more than 1 million downloads. Her debut DVD, The Blown Away Tour: LIVE has reached gold status.
Underwood is up for three trophies at this year’s CMA Awards, including Female Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year (Blown Away) and Video of the Year (“Blown Away”).
Underwood is temporarily residing in New York as she rehearses for the live three-hour broadcast of the original Broadway production of The Sound of Music on NBC on Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. CT/8 p.m. ET. Underwood will  return briefly to Nashville to-host the 47th Annual CMA Awards with Arista Nashville label-mate Brad Paisley on ABC on Nov. 6 at 7 p.m. CT/8 p.m. ET.

Michael Knox Produces ‘Nashville’ Single

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Pictured (L-R): ABC’s Nashville Executive Music Producer Buddy Miller, actor/singer Chris Carmack and producer Michael Knox.

Producer Michael Knox has produced the next single for ABC’s Nashville, called “What If I Was Willing.” The single will air on tonight’s episode (Oct. 9) at 9 p.m. CST.

Chris Carmack, who portrays rising Country entertainer Will Lexington on the show, performed the single, which was co-written by Randy Montana, Billy Montana and Brian Davis. Knox has previously worked with the ABC show, co-producing “The Wrong Song” featuring Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere with T-Bone Burnett, as well as “I’m A Girl” featuring Panettiere.
“I had the privilege of cutting a couple things on the show last year and the producers called me this year and wanted to know if I wanted to be a part of it,” said Knox. “It’s a great experience and I loved the cast that I got to record with.”
Knox has produced work for multiple artists, including Jason Aldean, Bush Hawg, Rachel Farley, Trace Adkins, Thomas Rhett, Big SMO, Kelly Clarkson, Ludacris, Luke Bryan & Eric Church, Montgomery Gentry, Randy Owen, Josh Thompson, Frankie Ballard, Hank Williams Jr., Brother Trouble, Chuck Wicks and others.
Fans can visit ABC Music Lounge to view an extended performance of “What If I Was Willing.” The single is available for download on iTunes.