"Esquire's" Music Issue Highlights Dierks Bentley

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Photo by Danny Clinch for "Esquire"


Dierks Bentley appears in the latest issue of men’s magazine Esquire, in the publication’s annual Music Issue.
For the second year in a row Bentley joined other artists from all different genres on location for a photo shoot and songwriting challenge. This year took the group to the gritty streets of Detroit for a two-day fashion shoot with world-renowned photographer Danny Clinch.
At the end of the trip, each songwriter was challenged to write, perform and record an original song inspired by the phrase “Last Night in Detroit.” Bentley’s song “Line No. 7” grapples with the town’s struggling auto industry. The track is available on iTunes with proceeds benefiting Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Detroit. Click here to see a behind-the-scenes clip of the shoot and recording session.

Photo by Danny Clinch for "Esquire"


Bentley talks to Esquire about life on the road away from his family, and his acclaimed release Up on the Ridge. “That record really spread things out a little wider…To have people from outside the country-music world—folks like the Kings of Leon and the Black Keys—say they enjoyed it was amazing. And to have the bluegrass guys, the pickers that I idolize, embrace it too was more than I ever dreamt of.”
Bentley also contributed a guest column for the issue. In his article, “How to Write a Song (for a Woman),” he offers sage advice: “Specificity and originality beats cliché every time.” Read more.

Industry Ink Thursday (4/28)

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Nashville executives turned out at The Rutledge last night (4/27) despite the inclement weather to see DJ Miller’s industry showcase. The Evergreen Records artist unveiled a handful of new songs from his upcoming debut album, scheduled for release this summer. Miller performed his 2010 debut single, “A Little Naughty Is Nice,” as well as his current single, “Whatever It Takes,” which is No. 32 and climbing on the MusicRow Country Breakout chart.

(L-R): Marco Promotions’ Rick Kelly and Sarah Matlock, Miller, Nine North Records’ Larry Pareigis, Jack Pride Promotion’s Jack Pride and Evergreen Records’ Johnny Morris. Photo: Bev Moser

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Tawn Albright


Rockhouse Partners’ Tawn Albright offers an opinion piece in today’s Tennessean about the new partnership between the Nashville Music Council and Entrepreneur Center. In the article, Albright encourages anyone with a business idea to reach out to the EC at connect@entrepreneurcenter.com, so they can receive feedback, and possibly training, a mentor, or funding.

He says, “Having moved here three years ago from Los Angeles, I have to say how impressed I’ve been with the spirit, camaraderie and talent buzzing around Nashville…However, unlike Silicon Valley, we don’t have overfunded venture capital firms willing to open their wallets to new ideas…Nashville still needs friendly capital to support new music and entertainment ideas. Traveling 2,000 miles away to raise capital needs to be a distant memory.” Read the whole article here.

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Reservations for the Leadership Music Dale Franklin Award dinner and ceremony are due May 1. The evening honoring the Country Music Association will include a musical tribute with host Martina McBride, Brad Paisley, Keith Urban, Ronnie Milsap, Little Big Town and others soon to be announced. The event is set for Tues., May 17 at the Renaissance Hotel. Net proceeds benefit Leadership Music. For more information contact lm@leadershipmusic.org or 615-770-7090.

Jeremy Parsons and Jett Williams

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Artist Jeremy Parsons recently signed with Jett Williams and her husband F. Keith Adkinson for management representation through their company Adjett Productions.

Pictured at left when Parsons took the stage alongside Jett to perform a selection of her father Hank Williams’ greatest hits during the taping of RFD-TV’s TruCountry Music in Hamilton, Texas. Parsons will open for Jett on several upcoming dates.

"BMI Live" Debuts Mobile Version

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BMI has debuted a mobile version of its BMI Live service, which allows artists to submit live performance information to be considered for royalty payments. The new mobile service enables songwriters to upload venue and set-list data from their smartphones into BMI’s systems. This helps the musicians submit info in a timely manner while they are on the road, which could generate additional royalties for BMI writers and publishers.
BMI Live launched three months ago and has since registered thousands of songwriters and logged hundreds of thousands of performances from venues of all sizes.
BMI Live is available to users of iPhones and Android devices. For Apple iPhone and iPod Touch users, the BMI Mobile App may be downloaded for free from the iTunes App Store (keyword: bmi mobile).
In addition, a special mobile version of the BMI.com website has been created. Songwriters must have an active BMI Live account and must have signed up for direct deposit to utilize the new mobile-access opportunities.

RCA Signs Kristen Kelly

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Texas native Kristen Kelly has signed with RCA Records Nashville. She recently inked her record deal at the Sony Music Nashville offices. Kelly will soon be going into the studio with famed singer-songwriter Paul Overstreet and Grammy award-winning producer Tony Brown.

(L-R) Front row: Paul Overstreet, Gary Overton (Chairman & CEO, Sony Music Nashville), Kristen Kelly, John Grady (artist manager). Back row: Skip Bishop (Sr. VP, Promotion), Jordan S. Keller (Lassiter, Tidwell, Davis, Keller & Hogan, PLLC), Paul Barnabee (Sr. VP, Marketing), Kerri Fox-Metoyer (VP, Sales)

Musicians Corner Returns With Packed Line-up

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Musicians Corner, the free outdoor concert series at Centennial Park, will kick off its second season on Saturday, May 7, 3-6 p.m., with performances by Sarah Buxton, Andrew Ripp, The Westbound Rangers, Dara Tucker and Marie Hines.
Musicians Corner will be held every Saturday 3-6 p.m. from May 7 through July 2, then take a short break for the hot summer months of July and August. The fall season will resume Sept. 3 and run every Saturday through Nov. 5.
Others on this year’s line-up include Angel Snow, The Wooten Brothers, Matthew Perryman Jones, Anna Wilson, Sandra McCracken & Derek Webb, Greg Bryant’s Expansion, Amy Stroup, The Delta Saints, Nathan Angelo, Darnell Levine, The Young International, Sara Jean Kelley, and Brooke Waggoner. Performers will continue to be announced throughout the spring.
“Musicians Corner is continuing its growth this season,” reports Executive Director John Tumminello. “You can expect great music in the best outdoor setting in Nashville. There will also be more on-site community, charitable and food partners, plus lots of fun activities for the kids. There’s no better way to spend your Saturday afternoon in Nashville.”
The setting is family friendly, and each week local charitable initiatives will be on-site, including an appearance by Emmylou Harris for her dog shelter charity Bonaparte’s Retreat (date TBA).
Activities for the May 7 kick-off include Mix 92.9 Kidsville hosting the Nashville Sounds’ mascot Ozzie, and providing free Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. The 40th Annual TACA Spring Craft Fair will also be taking place in Centennial Park that day from 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Country Music Marathon Draws Music Industry Support

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The Country Music Marathon and Half Marathon presented by Nissan runs through Nashville the morning of Saturday, April 30 and the music industry is pitching in to make it even more memorable.
RCA’s Danny Gokey has signed on to sing the national anthem before the start gun at 7 am. He will also be helping raise awareness for Sophia’s Heart, a non-profit organization started in honor of his late wife. While Gokey was on American Idol viewers learned the tragic story of his wife Sophia, who had passed away only four weeks before he appeared on the show.
Numerous celebrities and industry people will participate, including the members of Diamond Rio (running for their Team Rio charity), TobyMac, and GAC’s Suzanne Alexander. Sanctuary Management’s Zac Koffler is running the race to benefit ABLE Youth, a Nashville-based wheelchair sports and independence group. His race will include pushing three children in three shifts through the entire marathon.
Once all the participants have napped and recovered, Montgomery Gentry will provide the post-race concert later Saturday evening at Bridgestone Arena. See information about the race, including road closures, at nashville.competitor.com.

 

Sanctuary Management's Zac Koffler poses with friends from ABLE Youth after a recent training run. (L-R): Braden Teague, Fiona Murphey, J-rod Denning, and Koffler

Americana—Early Bird Festival Rate; Hayes Carll Honored

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SESAC Awards Hayes Carll
SESAC presented singer-songwriter Hayes Carll with a plaque in honor of his No. 1 Americana album, KMAG YOYO. Carll took time to receive the award and visit with SESAC executives in Nashville before his packed show at Mercy Lounge.

(L-R): SESAC’s Shannan Hatch, Hayes Carll and SESAC’s Tim Fink. Photo: Bev Moser


 
Americana Music Festival: Last Chance for Early Bird Rate
The early bird registration rate for the Americana Music Festival and Conference ends Sat., April 30, offering the discounted price of $250 for AMA members and $350 for non-members. This is $200 off the walk-up price. Showcase submissions also close April 30. Details on all this and more at www.americanamusic.org.
The festival and conference will run October 12-15, 2011. Registration includes access to all daytime music, panels and workshops; priority admission to nightly showcases; and a ticket to the critically acclaimed Americana Honors & Awards show at the Ryman Auditorium. The 12th annual conference will be based at the Sheraton Nashville Downtown Hotel, which is offering a special rate of $169 per night for attendees, online or by calling 615-259-2000.

Reba & Blake Plan Tornado Relief Concert

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(L-R): Reba, Blake Shelton





Oklahoma natives Reba and Blake Shelton will host the Tornado Relief Concert on May 26 at the Choctaw Casino Resort, in partnership with the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma. Tickets will be available beginning May 6 at 10:00 AM and may be purchased by phone at 1-800-585-3737 or online at www.choctawcasinos.com.
The news of Atoka County’s recent tornado disaster prompted the stars to reach out to the affected area. Reba was born just outside of Kiowa, which is approximately 30 miles away from the greatest devastation. Shelton was born in Ada and currently resides in Tishomingo, less than 50 miles from the Atoka County border.
In addition to the proceeds raised from the concert, a special mobile fundraising campaign has been set up with The mGive Foundation. Fans can text “OKGIVE” to 27722 to make a one-time $10 donation, which will be added to their monthly cell phone bill. All proceeds will go to the Tushka Disaster Relief Fund. Donation checks can also be made out to the Tushka Disaster Relief Fund and mailed to: 101 SE 1st Street, Tushka, OK 74525.

Photo Spread: EMI Signs Channing Wilson

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Songwriter Channing Wilson inked with EMI Music Publishing recently. The LaFayette, Georgia native has been writing songs and performing for over ten years, and is the former frontman of popular southeast touring band The Rounders.

Back row (L-R): EMI's creative team Tom Luteran, Laura Wright, Ben Vaughn, Missy Wilson, Josh Van Valkenburg, Front seated: Channing Wilson

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The Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum recently (4/26) hosted its annual Words & Music Night with special guest singer-songwriter Laura Bell Bundy. The evening was a culmination of the year-long Words & Music program, a school initiative that teaches students the art of songwriting. Students write or co-write lyrics which are given to professional songwriters to refine and add melodies. Finally, students visit the Museum for a tour and a performance of their songs by their participating songwriter.

(L-R): Words & Music Outreach Coordinator David Bogart, VP of Museum Programs Jay Orr, host Laura Bell Bundy and School Programs Coordinator Nathalie Lavine. Photo: Donn Jones

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The ASCAP Music Lounge at The Nashville Film Festival featured performances by Katie Herzig, Jeremy Lister, Mikky Ekko and Alyssa Bonagura.

(L-R): Kyle Ryan, Jesse Willoughby (ASCAP), Jeremy Lister, Alyssa Bonagura, Katie Herzig, Mikky Ekko, Dan Burns and Jordan Hamlin.

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BMI concluded the 2011 Road to Bonnaroo contest at Mercy Lounge on Monday, April 18, with eight bands in a dead heat for the final Bonnaroo spot. Uncle Skeleton emerged victorious, winning over the crowd and judges. Other competitors included PUJOL, The Clutters, ACTION!, Tallest Trees, The Kingston Springs, Sarah Silva, and Cherub.

(L-R): Uncle Skeleton’s Cody Uhler, Road to Bonnaroo alum Jedd Hughes, Uncle Skeleton’s Ross Wariner, Road to Bonnaroo alum Jon Burr of How I Became the Bomb, BMI’s Clay Bradley, and Mercy Lounge’s Drew Mischke.

"The Voice" Sings Its Way To Strong Ratings

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(L-R): Jeff Jenkins, Elenowen, and Patrick Thomas


Last night’s (4/26) premiere of The Voice scored strong television ratings for NBC. The singing competition featuring celeb coaches Blake Shelton, Christina Aguilera, Cee Lo Green and Adam Levine helped the network win the night in the coveted 18-49 demographic, according to Zap2It.com.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, the strong showing of 11.8 million viewers improved NBC’s season average in the time period by 89 percent. For the whole night, NBC drew 10.3 million viewers and came in behind ABC’s 14.3 million average (Zap2It).
Several Nashvillians are among the contestants on The Voice. Patrick Thomas sang “Live Like You Were Dying” and was recruited for Shelton’s team, which also snagged local husband-and-wife team Elenowen (Josh and Nicole Johnson). Belmont student Jeff Jenkins performed “Bless The Broken Road” and ended up on Levine’s team.