CMT/GAC TV Premieres and MD Records Launch

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CMT will honor Jason Aldean, Kenny Chesney, Lady Antebellum, Brad Paisley and Taylor Swift as the top artists of the year in the new 90-minute special, CMT Artists Of The Year. The show brings the honorees together with their peers, as well as celebrities from across the entertainment spectrum for a glamorous evening of star-studded performances from the country world and beyond, all in celebration of the successes of the past year. Read a review of the show here. Premieres Tues., Dec. 13 at 9:00 p.m., ET/PT. CMT

>>Martina McBride: The Road To Eleven will premiere on GAC on Mon., Dec. 12, 2011, at 11:00 p.m. Eastern. The hour-long special gives fans an intimate look inside the life of Martina as a superstar entertainer, wife and mother to three daughters — in the midst of undergoing career changes, delving into songwriting and finalizing plans for her new album. Specifically it begins with her Republic Nashville label signing and continues through her recent four day train trek across America.

 

>>MD Records has launched under the leadership of President, Kelli McGarraugh. Kellie Vap heads Artist Promotion/Fan Development and Mark Burch is on board as staff producer. Mason Dixon Productions is handling marketing and promotion for MD Records artists. According to the company website, Jason Thomas is the first artist signed to the new label.

Toby Keith Foundation To Build OK Kids Korral

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The Oklahoman is reporting that the Toby Keith Foundation will move forward with its plans to build the Oklahoma City-based OK Kids Korral, a place to rest for families with children undergoing cancer treatment. Keith became a champion for children stricken with cancer after a friend’s child passed away.

The planned $8.5 million structure will be built on land owned by the Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority, which has approved project plans and designs. Construction on the 25,000-square-foot building is expected to start in spring 2012 and complete late in 2013.

Accommodations include 12 overnight suites, with the capacity to host five people each. There are an additional four suites reserved for families who have to wait for afternoon appointments.

Artist Compilation (12/9/11)

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For the second consecutive year, RCA Nashville recording artist Chris Young is sponsoring a special holiday tree in the Gaylord Opryland Resort’s fifth annual Hall of Trees to benefit St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

Each tree in the Hall of Trees includes major gifts donated by sponsors and is tied to a charity. Tree decorations, along with all the gifts, will be auctioned off to benefit the sponsor’s designated charity. Chris, a Country Cares for St. Jude Kids supporter, has chosen St. Jude to benefit from the proceeds of his NEON tree, which is currently on display.

• • •

Brad Paisley will be featured this Sunday (12/11) on CBS Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood at 9 AM/ET.  Bob Schieffer, host of Face the Nation, joined Paisley on tour earlier this year for a behind the scenes look and then spent the day with him in his hometown of Franklin, TN.  Paisley and Schieffer also visited The Castle recording studio and had lunch at one of Paisley’s favorite restaurants, Barbara’s Homecookin’.

Photo: CBS Sunday Morning

• • •

Jennifer Nettles hosts "CMA Country Christmas"

CMA Country Christmas, hosted for the second year by Jennifer Nettles, of reigning CMA Vocal Duo of the Year Sugarland, re-airs Saturday, Dec. 17 (9:00-11:00 PM/ET) on the ABC Television Network.

“Viewers now have a second opportunity to experience the music, memories, and stories of the season with some of our format’s biggest stars and their families,” said CMA Chief Executive Officer Steve Moore. “Fans have been calling since the original airing asking for more, and we are glad to give them a second helping.”

Artists who perform in the special and share their favorite holiday traditions include Lauren Alaina, Amy Grant, Faith Hill, Little Big Town, Martina McBride, Scotty McCreery, Kellie Pickler, Rascal Flatts, Darius Rucker, Brian Setzer with special guest Brad Paisley, Sugarland, Keith Urban, and Vince Gill with Miss Piggy.

• • •

Jo Dee Messina, who recently announced she’s expecting her second child with husband Chris Deffenbaugh, has debuted a new parenting blog, The Fumbling Mom.

The blog is inspired by her everyday adventures being a mother and gives fans a look into Messina’s personal life at home and on the road. She shares tips, personal photos of her family and home and openly discusses the challenges of being a good mother while balancing a successful music career.

To mark the debut of the blog, Messina has decided to give away something every mom is searching for: quiet time and a little pampering for herself. Now through Wednesday, Dec. 14, a $100 gift certificate for a spa day will be randomly selected for five twitter followers. To enter, fans need to follow Messina’s twitter account @fumblingmom and re-tweet the contest. For more information, visit www.fumblingmom.com/13571060977.

CountryBreakout No. 1 Song

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It’s December, which means it’s time for everyone to start putting together those “Best of 2011” lists so we can see what gems we might have missed during the last 12 months. One album that has been popping up consistently on those lists is Eric Church’s Chief, and it’s certainly received a few spins around our office.

Well, some magazine called Rolling Stone apparently liked Chief too, because it just landed at No. 19 on the publication’s 50 Best Albums of 2011 list. Here’s what they said:

“Church is a country singer a rock fan could love – saluting Jesus and Springsteen, mixing up backwoods twang with power chords and Stones riffs. If he’s great at playing the boozed-up tough guy, the lilting songs on his third LP show he’s got an endearing soft side when he sobers up – sometime around 11 a.m. Monday.”

He’s in full-on “boozed-up tough guy” mode for “Drink In My Hand,” which earns its second week at No. 1 on MusicRow’s CountryBreakout Chart. Though it’s been an pretty great 2011 for Church, he has plenty to look forward to in 2012: Chief is nominated for a Grammy for Best Country Album, and he’s also embarking on his Blood, Sweat, & Beers tour of the U.S. in January with partner-in-booze Brantley Gilbert.

So raise your glasses, and have a great (but responsible!) weekend.

Weekly Chart Report (12/9/11)

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Stoney Creek/Broken Bow labelmates Thompson Square and Jason Aldean celebrated their multiple wins backstage after the American Country Awards in Las Vegas Nov. 5. The artists took home a combined nine honors at the ACAs, including an Artist of the Year win for Aldean and Single of the Year by a Group for Thompson Square’s “Are You Gonna Kiss Me Or Not.”

SPIN ZONE
It’s a perpetual party on MusicRow’s CountryBreakout Chart, as Eric Church’s “Drink In My Hand” maintains its slightly buzzed footing to stick at No. 1 for a second consecutive week. (More on that here). The Band Perry’s “All Your Life” is still at No. 2, followed by new No. 3 Luke Bryan’s “I Don’t Want This Night To End.” Angling for Top 5 status soon are Martina McBride’s “I’m Gonna Love YOu Through It” at No. 6, followed by Dierks Bentley’s “Home” at No. 7.

Drinking is a fairly common theme in country music, of course, and there are some other boozy songs besides “Drink In My Hand” right now. Sunny Sweeney’s “Drink Myself Single” at No. 19 comes to mind, but perhaps the most notorious and polarizing of them all is Toby Keith’s consumer-friendly “Red Solo Cup,” (currently at No. 15) which just got the Glee treatment in Tuesday’s (12/6) episode. Veteran songplugger Sherrill Blackman predicts, with tongue in cheek, that Keith’s latest could signal the start of a new trend for the Nashville song machine.

“Writers and artists will want to jump on the bandwagon to try to achieve similar success with product endorsements. Thus, in the coming months, we will have singles released with such titles as ‘Yellow Post-It Note,’ ‘Black Sharpie Pen,’ and ‘Green Giant Beans.’ Writers will only be limited by their imaginations and available color schemes.”

So there’s hope someone might write “Pink Pepto Bismol”? Fingers crossed.

Frozen Playlists: KBCN, KMKS, KSED, KVVP, KYKX, WKWS, WRHT, WMEV, WOWF

Toys collected at WKDF/WGFX Toy Field on Wednesday, Dec. 7

GOOD WORKS
Congrats and kudos to Nashville Cumulus stations WKDF and sports sibling WGFX/104.5 The Zone for collecting over 8,600 toys during the annual Toy Field event Dec. 7 at LP Field to benefit Salvation Army’s Forgotten Angel Program.

Upcoming Singles
December 12
Josh Thompson/Comin’ Around/RCA
Tim Dugger/Way Past My Beer Time/Curb
Brantley Gilbert/You Don’t Know Her Like I Do/Valory

January 9
Canaan Smith/We Got Us/Mercury

January 16
Ronnie Dunn/Let The Cowboy Rock/Arista

• • • • •

New On The Chart—Debuting This Week
Artist/song/label — chart pos.
Tim McGraw/Better Than I Used To Be/Curb — 52
Brantley Gilbert/You Don’t Know Her Like I Do/Valory — 61
Love and Theft/Angel Eyes/RCA — 70
Wade Bowen/Saturday Night/Sea Gayle/BNA — 78

Greatest Spin Increase
Artist/song/label — spin+
Taylor Swift/Ours/Big Machine — 550
Tim McGraw/Better Than I Used To Be/Curb — 457
Keith Urban/You Gonna Fly/Capitol — 246
Brantley Gilbert/You Don’t Know Her Like I Do/Valory — 241
Dierks Bentley/Home/Capitol — 240

Most Added
Artist/song/label — New Adds
Tim McGraw/Better Than I Used To Be/Curb — 35
Taylor Swift/Ours/Big Machine — 33
Brantley Gilbert/You Don’t Know Her Like I Do/Valory — 19
Tyler Farr/Hot Mess/BNA 9
Lady Antebellum/Dancin’ Away With My Heart/Capitol — 9
Neal McCoy/A—Ok/Blaster Records — 8
The Lost Trailers/Underdog/CO5 — 8
Love and Theft/Angel Eyes/RCA — 8

On Deck—Soon To Be Charting
Artist/song/label — spins
Sawyer Brown/Travelin’ Band — 171
Oak Ridge Boys/What’cha Gonna Do/Cracker Barrel — 168
Shawna Russell/Waitin’ On Sunrise/Way Out West Records — 164
Jackie Arredondo/Rockin’ the Trailer/Gold Voice — 161
The Farm/Home Sweet Home/All In/Elektra/New Revolution — 153

• • • • •

Several major market radio outlets gathered to broadcast at the Music Row Live! Fall Remote during CMA Awards week in Nashville. Attendees also celebrated Music Row Live! Owner & Operator Sharla McCoy’s 10th year in business. The theme was Wild Wild West and Rugged Country, and PRCA Rodeo Announcer of the Year Wayne Brooks co-hosted the kickoff party.

Pictured: Marty Mitchell (WKMK/NYC-NJ); Tom Owens & Becky Palmer (WBBS/Syracuse); Mason & Remy (KSD/St. Louis); Danger Frog (WOGI/Pittsburgh); Jessie Roberts and Owens & Crockett (WGGY/Scranton); Shane Collins (WPAP/Panama City), Mike & Kera (WPKX/Springfield); Jonathan Wilde and Mudflap & Brooke (KWOF/Denver); Keith & Noelle Stubbs (KEGA/Salt Lake City); Sue Wilson, Scott Wynn & Jody Wheatley, Donna Reusser (WQMX/Akron); Cassandra Tluczek (RAM Country Music) Captain Jack and Bob Steele (Renegade Radio Nashville); John Ritter (Rise Up); Jack Waren (Nashville Music Minute), Sharla McCoy (McCoy & Associates). Photo: AJC Entertainment, LLC / Arron & Jody Christopherson

Lambert “Retweets” Pistol Annies

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The Pistol Annies have been causing a buzz and making registers ring. The band’s digital-only album was released in late August and debut sales were a remarkable 42,000 units. At the same time, the trio’s most famous member, fiery Miranda Lambert, has also been lighting torches. Lambert recently debuted Four The Record which hit the charts at No. 1 selling more than double any of her previous debut albums. Pistol Annies includes Ashley Monroe, managed by John Grady and unofficially signed to a solo deal at Warner Bros., plus Angaleena Presley, managed by Scott Kernahan.

Last week the Pistols stole the show on the American Country Awards and are now wrapping a three-show series at the House of Blues in Vegas and West Hollywood (see performance video below), plus Buck Owen’s Bakersfield Crystal Palace.

Gary Overton

“I don’t believe it’s ever been done or attempted before in country,” says Sony Music Chairman/CEO Gary Overton. “A solo artist with a current hit album who is also part of a band with a current hit album. That’s one of the things you get working with Miranda. She leads with great music and her heart, and then we all follow and try not to say ‘No’ just because it’s something no one’s done before.”

“Everyone talks about new models,” says Marion Kraft, whose Shopkeeper Management steers the careers of Miranda, Pistol Annies plus Chris Young and a few others. “But no one is trying anything. But let’s be honest about this project, I didn’t have a choice. Miranda called me one day and said, ‘I want to be in a band and this is who is in it.’ Later when it wasn’t going quickly enough she called me back and explained that she was ‘very serious’ about this. Isn’t that awesome? But in my mind I don’t see it as a dual career. I just have two different clients, Pistol Annies and Miranda Lambert.”

Two different clients, yes, but a unique case where one client sort of retweeted the other. “Miranda gave Pistol Annies a lift by putting them on her tour last year in selected cities,” Kraft continues. “Those performances generated great feedback so we went a step further, and decided to do three Pistol Annies shows. So far we’ve done a good job of building both brands by making it a bit of a dance. We put Pistol Annies in front when their album was released, then moved them aside in October/November for Miranda and her album launch. Then this last week we’ve come out again as Pistol Annies with three West Coast dates and a few other appearances to activate holiday sales.”

“We didn’t want to ask our physical retail partners to buy 50k units up front since there was no radio airplay and no tour,” says Overton. “So we decided to put it out digitally-only and see what happens. After we had a big first week it was, ‘Wow, we want that too.’ So we quickly got orders together and stocked the physical stores. Miranda pulled the trio out for a few numbers during some of her concerts, and there have been a number of key exposure moments including Good Morning America, the American Country Awards and more. Now we’re getting calls from pop radio and media people asking for tickets. The cool thing is we aren’t going to corporatize this, we’ll just let people discover it. And the band has done a great job of touching people through social networking. From an industry standpoint the dual albums may raise questions, but the fans aren’t confused at all. They don’t care that it is two projects, they just like what they like. The fans love Miranda’s record, but at the same time they love the Pistol Annies, too. It’s all driven by great music. People are telling their friends about it.”

With all the acclaim and excitement does this mean that the Pistols might shoot a single out to radio? “For this band we’ll call it ‘Focus Track,'” says Kraft. “‘Hell On Heels’ was our first focus track to guide the album. If all goes as we envision we’ll pick a second. Most likely the first 3-4 months of 2012 will be Miranda Lambert time because we are supporting her record and On Fire tour. Then hopefully around the end of April the Pistols will start gearing up and in the Fall play some shows on their own.”

Marion Kraft

Are there any thoughts about a second album for the Pistol Annies? “Since it’s all about the music,” Kraft continues, “why not give the fans more music and find some different ways of kickstarting this country format? People want more music, more often. There are young successful bands in our format that sing beautiful harmonies like The Band Perry and Lady Antebellum. It’s a style of music that’s working. As compared to Lady Antebellum or TBP the direction of Pistol Annies I would say is a little more like looking back in time. It’s blue collar and story specific, like housewives hanging out. We feel there’s room for more of it.”

A little over half of the Pistol Annies album sales have been digital. Does that mean that they are appealing to a very young digital-friendly demo? “It’s just the way it’s been marketed I believe,” says Overton. “If we had it on country radio you’d see digital and physical sales match more closely with the broader spread of the entire country music demo. But the music has been very active online which explains why digital sales have also been proportionally high. (According to Nielsen SoundScan 20% of this year’s country album sales have been digital.) Everything is going so well and it is such a special, fun project we don’t want to lock and load with respect to singles and normal marketing plans. We have every intention of keeping this about the music. The girls have been great to work with and Miranda has been able to compartmentalize her solo and band roles nicely. This is the dream thing, why we all got into the music business… to find some great music and let it get out there.”

Fact File: Through week of 12-4-11 Four The Record has sold 258k units; Hell On Heels has sold 175k. Miranda has 2.8 million Facebook likes and 535k Twitter followers. Pistol Annies has 132k Facebook likes and 43k Twitter followers.

 

Charlie Cook On Air

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Format Explosion

I was talking to my friend Lon Helton the other day about the state of the Country format and whether we are on the precipice of another explosion like the early ‘90s when Garth was the most important performer on the radio.

I won’t speak for Lon—he has the vehicle to do that—but we agreed that we are there again and this time it is because of that lovely young lady who apparently owns the musical world. Taylor Swift is a phenomenon. I am not going to say anything new here. Every one already knows how important she has been the music business and to Country radio.

Ken Kragen used to talk about the rule of three. It is important to make three impressions if you expect to make a lasting impression the consumer.

Taylor is the champion of three. In less than a week’s time she wins the Entertainer of the Year Award at the CMA show, appears on 60 Minutes (more on that in a minute) and then cleans up at the American Music Awards show.

Taylor’s 60 Minutes bit may have gotten lost on east coast and Central time zone viewers because football games on CBS went 30 minutes late. Her appearance was at about 8:15, already into the AMA (where she, Lady A and Blake Shelton won awards) on ABC and Sunday Night Football on NBC (where Faith Hill sings the game on). But I watched it. And I was blown away.

It often appears that Taylor is the only person in the room that is surprised when good things happen to her, or when she wins something and the 60 Minutes reporter asked her about that. I believed Taylor when she said that she is surprised and feels fortunate every time she wins something. She might work on a genuine smile in place of her shocked response, but that’s just me.

I was absolutely taken by how grown up she is today. Like many of you, I met Taylor early in her career. She was always confident in her ability and she was attractively gangly at the start. Today she is a real CEO of a REAL big company and she is running it like one of Scott Borchetta’s race cars. On all cylinders.

The turning point, if the format is going to explode again is when it is everywhere. When every time you turn around you see Country Music and Country Music performers. Then the sky is the limit.

Taylor is there every time we turn around. She dominates the charts. I have not seen one reviewer give her anything less than glowing accolades for her show. She wins something on every music awards show.

I believe that Taylor has opened the door for the next wave of crossover Country artists. The Band Perry had a number one AC song. Sure, it was a special song and jumped out of the radio but something had to grease the skids for AC and CHR programmers to give it a listen. Lady Antebellum continues to chart on AC stations.

Is it possible that these three are the next wave of crossover Country artists? Is it possible that they are going to nudge out Keith Urban, Faith, and Tim McGraw who were staples on many AC stations for years?

These additions would be a great move for the format because these acts have stayed true to their Country Radio roots, as did Keith, Faith and Tim. Come on, would any of us be surprised if Taylor spent more time with contemporary radio and less with Country? Not really. But she is a bigger person than I. She came to the dance with Nashville and she has stayed with us.

We can be pretty safe in knowing that the Perry Kids and Lady A are going to stay fixed in the format.

With Country acts on non-country TV and the CMA show doing so great in the ratings (and by the way kudos to the CMA and ABC for spending a LOT of money marketing the show) we stand on the edge of another explosion in the format.

Hopefully the general public brings their wallets with them.

ZBB At Red Rocks On CMT

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ZBB at Red Rocks. Photo: Bryan Allen

Zac Brown Band’s sold-out concerts at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado are featured in a new special on CMT. The two-night stand in September drew 20,000 fans.

The special premieres Sat., Dec. 10 at 9:30 a.m. ET/PT. Zac Brown Band – Live at Red Rocks includes the debut of unreleased song “Sweet Annie,” the Colorado-themed hit “Colder Weather,” new single “Keep Me In Mind” and hits “Knee Deep” and “Chicken Fried.” The 30-minute special will re-air Dec. 13 at 10:30 a.m. CT and Dec. 15 at 9:30 a.m. CT. Fans can also catch it on CMT.com and the network’s digital all-music channel, CMT Pure.

Brown, along with co-writers Wyatt Durette, Drew Pearson, and Anne Preven, recently received a GRAMMY nomination for Best Song Written for Visual Media, for “Where the River Goes” from the 2011 film Footloose.

Springsteen to Keynote SXSW

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Bruce Springsteen playing Hyde Park

Bruce Springsteen will serve as keynote speaker on March 15 for the 2012 South By Southwest conference in the Austin, TX.

Springsteen is known for his rock albums that honor folk and acoustic musical traditions with live shows that celebrate the communal power of music.

This keynote will further SXSW’s aim to foster connection and communication in the music community.

The event will be open to Music and Platinum registrants and registered showcasing artists. Conference registrations are now being accepted.

Springsteen joins notable SXSW keynote alumni including Johnny Cash, Carl Perkins, Lucinda Williams, Robert Plant, Pete Townshend, Smokey Robinson and Neil Young.

Industry Ink: Chesney Goes Platinum

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Kenny Chesney’s latest album, Hemingway’s Whiskey, is now his tenth Platinum project. The release has yielded hits “Boys Of Fall,” “Somewhere With You,” “Live A Little,” “You And Tequila” and “Reality.” Pictured (L-R): Clint Higham (Pres. Morris Management Group), Chesney, Gary Overton (Chairman & CEO Sony Music Nashville), Dale Morris (CEO Morris Management Group).

• Anthony Allen is taking on APD, MD and afternoon drive duties at WSIX/Nashville. He fills the afternoon vacancy left by the departure of Big D & Bubba last month. Allen makes the move from KZSN/Wichita. At WSIX, Jon Anthony continues as PD.

• Sony/ATV CEO Marty Bandier gives some insight into his plans for EMI Music Publishing in a new interview with UK publication Music Week. He says EMI will keep its name and will operate mostly as a separate entity. He explains Sony/ATV will control 38% of EMI Publishing as “a separate company owned by a group of investors that Sony Corp is a minority shareholder in.” Bandier spent 17 years at EMI before joining Sony/ATV in 2007. More here.

• MusicRow Founder David Ross has launched a blog at SecretsOfTheList.com to chronicle the progress of his upcoming book by the same name. The site is also a platform for the exchange of ideas, including a new hot-button editorial by Jaron Lowenstein (aka Jaron And The Long Road To Love) titled “Nashville’s Beautiful Prison Makes Artists Expendable.”

• The new installment of “CMA Industry InSite” is entitled “Country Goes Global.” It includes interviews with artist/songwriter Jace Everett; Mark Hagen, Executive Director, BBC Radio; Rob Potts, CEO Managing Director, Rob Potts Entertainment Edge; Brad Turcotte, International Director of Marketing, Big Machine Label Group; and Jeff Walker, CEO, The AristoMedia Group.

• The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum is celebrating the holiday season with a special spotlight exhibit of festive dresses from Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire and Taylor Swift.

• Tickets to the Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA) Awards go on sale to the public  Sat., Dec. 10 at 10 a.m. Members can purchase tickets through tomorrow (12/10) at 10 p.m. CST with a special pre-sale code. Tickets here. The 30th annual CCMA Awards will take place in Saskatoon, SK on Sept. 9. Nominees will be announced July 18, 2012. Details at www.ccma.org.

• Former Little Texas frontman Tim Rushlow has released a solo Christian EP, Unfinished Symphony, on Liquid Spins Records. The project was produced by award winner Ian Eskelin and includes single “Rain Down on Me.” It is available for digital download with a full length CD to follow in 2012.

• Publicist Joseph Conner has left his gig at Lotos Nile and joined the Minnie Pearl Cancer Foundation as Marketing & PR Coordinator. His previous stops include Kaleidoscope Media. Contact him at (615) 467-1936, x114 or [email protected].

• Songwriter Dennis Morgan’s “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)” is included in a European T-Mobile ad which recently won TV Commercial of the Year in the UK. The song was originally a hit duet for Aretha Franklin & George Michael.

• MD Records is open under the direction of President Kelli McGarraugh. The label is working a single from flagship artist Jason Thomas titled “I’m Your Radio.” The video has been added to GACTV.com. MD Records can be reached at (615) 283-7479 and [email protected].

• KCA Artists has signed Boston-based bluegrass girl band Della Mae.