Art Courtesy of BMLG Records

Blanco Brown, Canaan Smith and Payton Smith are the latest artists announced who will be performing at FGL Fest on Sept. 7 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. They join headliners Florida Georgia Line and previously announced special guests Dan + Shay, Nelly and Mitchell Tenpenny.

The star-studded concert amplifies the Big Machine 400 at the Brickyard Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race, which courses through the legendary 2.5-mile oval. Tickets for the concert event are on sale now.

FGL will headline their multi-year namesake event as it moves to Fourth of July weekend in 2020. FGL Fest and the Big Machine 400 at the Brickyard Powered by Florida Georgia Line will shift to a summer highlight in Indianapolis and the national sporting calendar next year.

Songwriter Kendell Marvel announced today his new record, Solid Gold Sounds, set for release on Oct. 11.

Due during a month-long run opening for Chris Stapleton, Solid Gold Sounds finds Marvel rekindling his love for artistry and traditional country music. C0-produced by Grammy winners Dan Auerbach (The Black Keys) and Dave “Fergie” Ferguson (John Prine, Mac Wiseman, Del McCoury, and more), the new full-length album was an easy-going, collaborative effort for Marvel—who has written songs with and for Gary Allan, Brothers Osborne, Jamey Johnson, Jake Owen, Lee Ann Womack, George Strait, Chris Stapleton and more.

“He’s not craving the stage or craving the spotlight,” says Auerbach, who co-wrote nine of the 10 songs on Solid Gold Sounds. “This record comes from a humble place, which I really love.”

“As a professional songwriter, you have to get on the radio. That’s your job,” Marvel explains. “There came a time when the stuff you had to write to get on the radio, I wasn’t willing to do anymore. I’d done pretty well as a songwriter up until that point, and made a few decisions where I didn’t have to put myself in that position. So I said, ‘I think I’ll make a record.’ They brought the singer back out of me,” he says. “I’ll always be a songwriter, but I want people to see the artistic side of me.”

Solid Gold Sounds Track Listing:
“Hard Time with the Truth”
“Let It Go”
“When It’s Good”
“Blood in the Water”
“I’ve Gotta Get a Message to You”
“Cadillac’n”
“If You Know What’s Good”
“Musta Kept It for Himself”
“Easy Rider”
“Roots of My Raisin’”

Pictured: Melissa Moldovan, Mary Pambukyan, Bridget Cirone, Jenny Dunn, Libby Gardner

The Academy of Country Music has announced a round of hirings and promotions. Melissa Moldovan has been promoted to Senior Manager, Marketing; Mary Pambukyan has been promoted to Manager, Finance & Operations; Bridget Cirone has been promoted to Coordinator, Marketing; Jenny Dunn has joined the staff as Coordinator, Strategic Partnerships and Libby Gardner has joined the staff as Coordinator, Creative & Content. All positions are based out of the Academy’s headquarters in Encino, California.

Moldovan joined the Academy in 2015, following a four-year stint at the nationally syndicated radio show The Big Time with Whitney Allen, where she worked as an assistant producer and fill-in co-host while simultaneously developing the show’s social media marketing strategy. Her work there led to the creation of a social media staff position, which Moldovan undertook in addition to her other roles. In her expanded role at the Academy, Moldovan will execute all ACM radio promotions and lead on Academy and ACM Lifting Lives press materials and marketing initiatives, to oversee ACM Lifting Lives Music Camp publicity, ACM Honors credentialing, and more. She reports to Brooke Primero, Senior Vice President, Marketing.

Pambukyan joined the Academy in 2018, following turns at both Chase and Wells Fargo, in addition to accounting and administrative experience in the health care and automotive industries. A Los Angeles native, Pambukyan graduated with a master’s degree in Business and Accounting from the University of Phoenix, with an emphasis on Finance and Risk Management. Pambukyan served as President of Birmingham Community Charter Business and Technology Senate. In her new role as Manager, Finance & Operations, Pambukyan will continue to support all ACM financial initiatives and oversee office operations. She reports to Alexa Fasheh, Vice President of Finance & Operations.

Cirone has been promoted to the newly-created position of Coordinator, Marketing. Cirone joined the Academy of Country Music’s Los Angeles team in 2018, as Assistant for both the Marketing and Creative & Content departments. Cirone graduated from Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wisconsin where she studied public relations and digital media and worked for both the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and WISN 12 News. After graduating, Cirone moved back to Las Vegas where she worked at Wicked Creative, an entertainment, hospitality and lifestyle public relations firm. Cirone was a volunteer for the ACM Awards and ACM Party for a Cause® events in 2017. In her new role, she will support all publicity and marketing initiatives for the Academy and ACM Lifting Lives. She reports to Brooke Primero, Senior Vice President, Marketing.

Dunn joins the Academy of Country Music as Coordinator, Strategic Partnerships, also a new Academy staff position. Dunn recently graduated from the University of Southern California where she majored in Communications and minored in Organizational Leadership and Management. During most of her time at USC, Dunn worked for USC Football in the Recruiting department where she was responsible for recruiting the top prospective athletes for the football team. She also interned at the LA Chargers in the Community Relations and Corporate Partnerships departments, following her internship at Fox Sports in the Talent Relations and Production department. In her role, she will assist the Strategic Partnerships department and report to Jen Heaton, Senior Director, Strategic Partnerships.

Gardner joins the Academy of Country Music Creative & Content department full-time as a coordinator. Gardner attended Syracuse University where she received a bachelor’s degree in Television, Radio, and Film. During her time at Syracuse, Gardner interned at the Academy in the creative department and following her graduation in 2018, continued working for the Academy as a freelance field producer. Gardner has also worked as a production assistant on numerous television shows ranging from an Investigation Discovery true crime series to the talk show, The Doctors. Gardner reports to Lisa Lee, Senior Vice President, Creative & Content.