Eric Church wrapped a two-night stand as the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum’s 2023 artist-in-residence Aug. 30.

Accompanied by his nine-piece band with a trio of backing vocalists, Church performed sold-out shows on Aug. 29 and 30 in the museum’s CMA Theater offering a chronological, retrospective journey through his life and career.

The shows featured many of Church’s biggest hits as well as unreleased new music in a setlist representing his career milestones and life events, from the earliest days of carving his own path and chart-topping success, to personal trials including his brother’s death and his own medical emergency in 2017. Song performances chronicling the two-decade journey were interspersed with video and audio commentary, including news headlines, album and concert reviews, personal voicemails and even Church’s own words.

Journalist and country music historian Robert K. Oermann welcomed Church to the stage each night to complete a “full circle” moment, harkening back to 2006 when Oermann introduced Church at his debut album showcase at the museum. Church was also joined by a special guest for both performances, with Country Music Hall of Fame member and past museum artist-in-residence Vince Gill taking the stage to perform a stirring, solo rendition of his song “Go Rest High on that Mountain” in honor of Church’s late brother, Brandon.

The show will air in its entirety during a special on Church’s Outsiders Radio channel on the SXM App. The special, “Eric Church LIVE! From the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum,” will premiere on Monday, Sept. 4, at 8 p.m. ET. Replays will air Wednesday, Sept. 13, at 5 p.m. ET; Friday, Sept. 22, at 8 p.m. ET; and Tuesday, Sept. 26 at 7 p.m. ET.

The artist-in-residence shows were produced by Church’s longtime manager, John Peets, with proceeds benefiting the nonprofit museum’s educational mission.

Kelsea Ballerini will celebrate her 30th birthday by taking the MTV/Video Music Awards (VMA) stage for the first time on Tuesday, Sept. 12. The multi-Platinum country star plans to treat fans to a world premiere performance of the expanded version of her latest critically-acclaimed EP Rolling Up The Welcome Mat (For Good).

This has been a record-breaking year so far for Ballerini, who just wrapped three sold-out legs of her headlining “Heartfirst Tour” as well as a successful trio of coast-to-coast fan screenings for the EPs short film, which she wrote and co-directed.

Other acts slated to perform at the event include Anitta, Doja Cat, Tomorrow x Together and Lil Wayne, who will return to the VMA stage for the first time in over a decade.

Gibson has promoted Mat Koehler to the role of Vice President of Product at Gibson Brands, reporting to President & CEO Cesar Gueikian.

In his new role, Koehler will continue leading the Product Development team, expanding his responsibility across Instruments and Sound, two key pillars of Gibson’s global brand strategy and business organization.

“Mat has been instrumental in the evolution of Gibson’s portfolio architecture and is successfully leading the way across research, design and development for all Gibson Brands,” says Gueikian. “He is an extraordinary custodian of our iconic past, and he will continue to innovate, empowering musicians and music lovers with new and exciting products as a steward of our future.”

“I am truly honored and grateful for the opportunity to serve as the Vice President of Product at Gibson Brands,” says Koehler. “I am excited to lead our exceptional team as we embark on this new chapter, shaping the future of our industry. Together, we will continue to inspire and deliver unparalleled value with instruments and sound.”

Wisconsin-born Koehler has been leading research, design and development creating new product introductions for Gibson, Custom Shop, Acoustics, the Murphy Lab, Epiphone and Kramer. This new position adds the responsibility of leading research, design and product development for amplifiers, effects and pro-audio, across all brands including Mesa Boogie, Maestro and KRK.

Koehler started as a product specialist for Gibson Custom Shop and Gibson Memphis, and became the Custom Shop Product Manager in 2018 as well as Head of Product Development the following year. His passion for guitar history has led him to be considered one of the top vintage guitar experts in the world, and also enables his work maintaining and recovering Gibson archive assets.

Jim Lauderdale and The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys are set to release The Long And Lonesome Letting Go, a new 12-song bluegrass LP on Sept. 15.

The project includes all-new Lauderdale co-writes, with half of the tracks penned with the band’s guitarist Josh Rinkel. Other co-writers contributing to the collection include Becky Buller, Joe Newberry, Jimmy Ritchey, Logan Ledger and Alex Leach.

Lauderdale and The Po Ramblin’ Boys have shared the album’s lead-off track, “Long And Lonesome Letting Go,” a co-write with multi-instrumentalist, Bob Minner. Also joining the already-stacked lineup is Bluegrass Hall of Famer Del McCoury.

“I felt like that song ought to kick off the record, and somebody in Po’ Ramblin’ Boys said, ‘You know, Del would sound great on this,'” says Lauderdale. “Of course! So we reached out and luckily he was available. It didn’t feel right to just have him on the chorus, so he and I switch off a few lines in the verses. I’d never gotten to record with Del before, so that was a real treat.”

Lauderdale and The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys will head to this year’s IBMA World Of Bluegrass conference in Raleigh, North Carolina in late September, performing The Long And Lonesome Letting Go tunes as well as separate sets of their own original songs.

The Long And Lonesome Letting Go Track Listing:
1. “Long And Lonesome Letting Go”
2. “She’s On A Different Train”
3. “I’m Only So Good At Being Good”
4. “You Fell Off The Face Of The Earth”
5. “Last Resort”
6. “Ghost Of A Rose”
7. “Darkness Is The Other Side of Light”
8. “If I Could Only Get My Heart To See”
9. “That Was When We Were Together”
10. “A Better Place”
11. “She’s The Light”
12. “Drop The Hammer Down”

Patty Loveless Touts ‘The Truth’ In Country Music Hall Of Fame Event

The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum hosted a sold-out performance and conversation with Patty Loveless on Saturday (Aug. 26) in support of its newest exhibit Patty Loveless: No Trouble with the Truth.

During the program, Loveless reflected on her career, touring with the Wilburn Brothers and her decades-long award-winning career. She performed several songs, including “Blame It On Your Heart,” “You Don’t Even Know Who I Am” and “Don’t Toss Us Away.” The program was hosted by the museum’s Senior Writer-Editor Michael McCall and was filmed and will premiere on Oct. 19, as part of the museum’s Live at the Hall digital programs series — available to stream on the museum’s website.

 

Nashville Briefing Hails Artists To Watch At Inaugural Showcase

The Nashville Briefing held its first-ever Artists To Watch showcase Aug. 29 in partnership with SET.Live. The event coincided with the release of Nashville Briefing’s 25 Artists To Watch list. The showcase highlighted artists SHAYLEN, Tigirlily Gold, RVSVHD and Noah Thompson, who were all featured in this year’s list.

“It’s wild to think about how much of a platform Nashville Briefing has become. The fact that we can put on a showcase in a massive venue like The Skydeck and pack it out, is a testament to how passionate our readers are about great live music!” says Zak Kuhn, Founder of Nashville Briefing. “It’s also a testament to the amazing acts we had on the bill last night and the massive fan bases that SHAYLEN, Tigirlily Gold, RVSVHD and Noah Thompson are building.”

 

Jeanette Porcello Named Sr. Manager A&R At Downtown Artists and Label Services

Jeanette Porcello has joined Downtown Music as Senior Manager, A&R. Porcello began her industry career in A&R at Atlantic Records. In 2020, she secured her first major signing Sara Kays, whose single “Remember That Night” went on to be certified Platinum. Porcello also serves on the leadership team for The Other Nashville Society.

“Jeanette’s deep relationships within and beyond Nashville coupled with her passion for developing independent artists make her an incredible addition to our team,” says Bryan Mooney, Global Vice President of A&R. “I’m excited to work with Jeanette to build out our roster of artists and labels in Nashville.”

 

Ryan Stevenson Makes Opry Debut

Gotee recording artist Ryan Stevenson marked another milestone in his career with his recent debut on the Grand Ole Opry. The singer-songwriter performed his Gold-selling No. 1 hit “Eye of the Storm,” along with “Speak Life,” the Grammy-nominated TobyMac chart-topper co-written by Stevenson.

The Oregon native and former paramedic shared with the Opry audience how the creation of “Speak Life” was a pivotal moment in his journey, leading to his longstanding relationship with Gotee Records and a string of hit singles. Stevenson also appeared on WSM Radio/Circle Network’s “Coffee, Country and Cody” morning show, where he world-premiered “Rich,” a moving ballad he recently co-wrote.

 

Tricia Williams Rises To President/CEO Of Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation

Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation has named current Program Director Tricia Williams as its Incoming President and CEO. The appointment is in anticipation of the close to the 25-year tenure of Felice Mancini (daughter of renowned composer, Henry Mancini), who guided the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation to national prominence with her tenacious approach to furthering music education in schools.

In her previous role as Program Director, which she’s held since 1999, Williams has supervised and implemented all aspects of the non-profit’s programming with a special concentration in school district support services. Replacing Williams in her previous role as Program Director will be Todd Shipley, now former Director of Arts Education for the Tennessee Department of Education.

 

Justin Love Inks With SB21 Music

Singer-songwriter Justin Love has signed an exclusive publishing deal with SB21 Music. Originally from Waco, Texas, Love’s journey as a songwriter has been defined by his unwavering passion for music. In Nashville, he honed his craft through numerous writers’ rounds and networking events, gaining a reputation for his emotive lyrics and soulful melodies.

“We are really thrilled to welcome Justin Love to the SB21 Music Publishing family,” says Teresa Ammon of SB21 Music Publishing. “His exceptional talent and dedication to his craft align perfectly with our vision of nurturing and supporting extraordinary songwriters. We firmly believe that Justin has the potential to make a significant impact in the industry.”