Songwriter and producer Luke Dick is set to release his new eight-track album, Lockeland, on March 15 via Virgin Music.

The project is filled with rich snapshots of Dick’s colorful life and journey as an artist, storyteller and human being. The album-opener “Shirt Off My Back,” co-written with Chris DuBois, weaves elements of Dick’s life into a reminder to find contentment even if life doesn’t go according to plan. “Shirt Off My Back” sets the stage for several songs on Lockeland, co-produced by Dick and Jason Lehning, that ruminate on the haphazard nature of how life, love and luck play out.

“The Feather” ruminates on the uncertainty of a new relationship, while “Carrot” funkily surfs life’s highs and lows with an even temperament. “Some Things Happen”  is a less lighthearted, more introspective take on the same topic.

“I don’t want to call anything in my life a failure, and I hope that’s not rationalization, but these relational doors or creative doors shut and other ones open. Trying to see transitions as positive movement in life and trying to make transitions be positive movement for growth and happiness, that is what ‘Some Things Happen,’ to me, represents,” Dick says. “It’s easy to feel the end of something as being a failure, but if you’re evaluating it and evaluating yourself and being intentional about the end of something as being an opening for something that’s more authentic to you, this is just a process of life and a process of being human.”

“True Companion” finds Dick marveling at the incredibility of finding the person you’re meant to walk through life with. Dick, Miranda Lambert and Natalie Hemby wrote “True Companion” during sessions for Lambert’s Palomino album.

A self-described Swiss Army knife, Dick sings and plays almost every instrument on Lockeland, including electric guitar, acoustic guitar, bass, pedal steel, percussion, keyboards, drum programming, mandolin and banjo.

As a songwriter Dick regularly works with Dierks Bentley, Eric Church and Jackson Dean, and has had cuts by Brothers Osborne, Kacey Musgraves, Kip Moore and more. He’s been nominated for Academy of Country Music, Country Music Association and Grammy awards for his work, and songs written or co-written by Dick amassed 265.2 million streams on Spotify in 2023.

 

Luke Bryan, Hardy and Old Dominion are set to headline this year’s Watershed Festival and take the Gorge Amphitheatre stage in George, Washington Aug. 2-4.

The Main Stage will feature performances from Maddie & Tae, The Cadillac Three, Terri Clark, Ashland Craft, Riley Green, Brian Kelley, Pecos & The Rooftops, Dee Jay Silver, Josh Ross, Dylan Scott, Cole Swindell, Zach Top and Koe Wetzel.

Now in its 12th year, the festival continues to showcase exciting new acts on the Next From Nashville Stage. “Shedders” will get a glimpse of up-and-comers such as Kassi Ashton, Graham Barham, Sadie Bass, Annie Bosko, Aidan Canfield, Jade Eagleson, Mae Estes, Zandi Holup, Greylan James, Meg McRee, Madeline Merlo, Meghan Patrick, Matt Schuster, Austin Williams and Jake Worthington.

Ticket will go on sale next Friday, Jan. 26. For more information, click here.

Deluge Music has launched two new record labels, East Music Row Records and Deluge Records Nashville.

East Music Row Records emerged from the minds of Deluge Music Founder David Robkin and singer-songwriters and producers Johnny Gates and Austin Luther with a goal of blending the hip, innovative sides of Nashville’s new indie rock and alternative-country music with the musicianship, professionalism and ingenuity of Music Row classists. East Music Row has already signed its first artist Felicity, an Australian alternative-pop creator based in Music City.

Under the umbrella of his “By Artists, For Artists” collective, Robkin has continued to grow Deluge Music since the company’s inception in 2015. His team includes artists, writers and producers such as Gates, Luther and Sam Grow as well as radio veteran Brad Austin.

Deluge Records Nashville is modeled in the tradition of the legendary FAME Studio in Muscle Shoals or the spirit of places like Sun Records in Memphis and Motown in Detroit. A single from country-pop artist Alexandria Corn marked the label’s first release. The next will be a song by country artist Blake Wood, set for early February. Both artists are produced by Grow.

Creative Artists Agency (CAA) has promoted several employees across its offices and departments, including Jenna Powell in Nashville. She has been elevated to Executive in Corporate Communications.

After graduating from Pepperdine University with a degree in Public Relations, Powell joined CAA in 2018 as an Assistant to Chief Communications Officer Michael Mand. She was named Coordinator in 2019, before being promoted to Communications Manager in 2020.

In her new role, Powell will continue to focus on building out communications initiatives and media relations for CAA’s Music Touring, Digital Media, Theatre and Gaming divisions.

Additional promotions include Sebastian Brogan, Olivia Brooks, Kaitlin Gascoyne, Ross Lee and Jeff Lynds.

As the curtain closed on the comedic musical Shucked’s last Broadway performance on Jan. 14, Producer Mike Bosner announced that the play will become a feature film. “We don’t have to say goodbye just yet. Because I’m happy to announce that we will be making a feature film of Shucked‘” said Bosner during the final curtain call.

According to Variety, Mandalay Pictures will be spearheading the production. Executive Producers of the film are set to be Robert Horn, Jack O’Brien, Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally. Horn will also be writing the screenplay adaptation. The producers for the film will be Jason Michael Berman, Jordan Moldo and Alan Fox. No casting plans have been announced yet.

Shucked, which ran at the Nederlander Theatre from April 4, 2023 through Jan. 14, 2024, is a musical about tearing down walls and preserving our way through life. The musical had already previously announced plans to embark on tour starting in the fall, with stops in North America, London and Australia.

The cast is also currently up for a Grammy nomination for Best Musical Theater Album at next month’s Grammy Awards. Alex Newell also has nabbed a Tony for Featured Male Performer In A Musical.