Aaron Watson. Photo: Scott Delony

After being sidelined by a vocal cord injury for three months, independent country artist Aaron Watson put on a high-energy, fan-engaging show at Nashville’s Brooklyn Bowl on Friday night (Aug. 26).

“I took a little three month vacation and had vocal cord surgery,” Watson said early on in the show. “So I’m happy to be here. I can’t wipe the smile from my face.”

Watson hadn’t performed in Nashville in over two years and was welcomed to a packed and lively crowd. Though needing to take a few breaks in between songs to rest his voice, Watson delivered an array of fan-favorites, including “Freight Train,” “July in Cheyenne,” and “Outta Style,” along with a handful of covers.

The night kicked off with opening act and up-and-coming Texas artist Erin Kinsey who wowed fans with her impressive guitar skills and performances of her popular songs “Just Drive” and “Vegas.” She played a handful of unreleased tunes for the Nashville crowd, which received warm reactions.

Watson later praised Kinsey for her talent and her TikTok rendition of “Outta Style.” “I’ll probably be opening up for you one day,” Watson noted. “Just remember us, girl. Y’all check her out, she’s awesome. I’m excited to have shared the stage with her tonight.”

Watson hit the stage, opening with his single and current blue collar anthem “Cheap Seats” from his 2022 record Unwanted Man. The song emphasizes his journey as an independent artist, having always been a fan-first entertainer.

Erin Kinsey. Photo: Robert Chavers

Despite his recent surgery, Watson sounded great with his band of many years backing his huge repertoire of songs.

He got the Nashville crowd into the show immediately by playing fan-favorites “Boots,” “Wild Fire,” and “Silverado Saturday Night.” In between breaks to rest his voice, Watson acknowledged that his doctor, who performed surgery on his vocal cords, was at the show.

“If you’ve been to my shows, you know I’m usually one song after the other, but I have to take time to hydrate my vocal cords,” he explained. “I got the doc here tonight watching me and I’m [telling myself], ‘You better stop in between these songs and take a drink of water or he’s going to get pissed.'”

Watson made the show even more intimate, talking to fans on the floor, especially those hailing from the Lone Star state. He even took some deep cut requests such as “Shut Up And Dance” from his 2003 record of the same name, and thanked Friday night’s audience for being a real ‘honky tonk’ crowd.

“A lot of times playing in Nashville isn’t my favorite because it’s stressful. [When you’re here], you have meetings and a lot people show up in suits,” Watson said. “A true honky tonk crowd showed up tonight and that makes me so happy.”

Later in the night, he slowed things down to honor the veterans with his song “Dog Tags,” which he wrote for his father who is a wounded war veteran. He asked every fan to shine their phone lights to show the veterans in the crowd support and bring attention to the mental illness struggle in the veteran community.

“My dad is my hero. This was a song that was easy for me to write because it was something that came from the heart,” he shared. “I spent a lot of time at the VA hospital in Amarillo where I grew up, so at a very early age I developed a great amount of love and respect for the men and women that serve this great nation.”

Watson continued the theme of honoring those he loved and looked up to with “Amazing Grace” followed by “Barbed Wire Halo.”

He finished with his song about legendary bull rider Lane Frost on “July in Cheyenne.” He wrote the song about Frost while he and his wife were struggling with the loss of their newborn daughter. He emphasized his Christian faith leading him through this dark time as it had for Frost’s mother.

“Lane’s mom said something that hit me right here,” Watson said while pointing to his heart. “It got me refocused on the bigger picture… I wrote this song as a thank you, but I think God inspired me to write this song and share my story with y’all.”

After his tribute to the late rodeo cowboy, Watson let his band go off and play a medley of country, pop and rock songs, which included Alan Jackson’s “Chattahoochee,” Alabama’s “Dixie Land Delight,” George Strait’s “Amarillo By Morning,” AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck,” The White Stripe’s “Seven Nation Army” and Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk.”

He ended his show with his monster top 10 hit “Outta Style,” where he thanked his fans for making it a country radio hit without the help of a major label. Watson capped off the night by staying late and giving out hugs and selfies at his merch table.

Watson hits the road again on Sept. 2 when he plays Bellvue, Colorado and will be back on track to finish his 2022 tour throughout the south and west.

Kendell Marvel. Photo: Laura E. Partain

Kendell Marvel has announced his “Don’t Tell Me How To Drink” headlining tour this fall beginning Oct. 7.

Newly-confirmed shows include Joe’s on Weed St. in Chicago, Nashville’s Exit/In, Memphis’ Growlers, The Basement in Columbus, St. Louis’ The Golden Record, Chattanooga’s Songbirds, and Pittsburgh’s Spirit Hall, among others. Tickets for the tour go on-sale this Friday (Sept. 2) , and details can be found at kendellmarvel.com.

The upcoming performances celebrate Marvel’s new album, Come On Sunshine, due out Sept. 23 via CmdShft. Ahead of the release, Marvel has unveiled three tracks: “Put It In The Plate,” “Hell Bent On Hard Times,” and “Don’t Tell Me How To Drink” featuring Marvel’s longtime friend and collaborator, Chris Stapleton.

Produced by Beau Bedford, Come On Sunshine features tracks penned by Stapleton, Dean Alexander, Al Anderson, Dan Auerbach, Kolby Cooper, Devon Gilfillian, Waylon Payne and more.

“I’m 51 years old, which means I’m long past the point of catering to anybody,” Marvel explains. “I’m just telling the stories I want to tell. I like to work with people who are different than me. Working with Beau Bedford in Dallas meant that I was playing with guys I’d never met before. Guys who had different ideas, different tones, and different ways of playing than my friends back home. We recorded the album live, finishing the whole thing in four days. That’s how you capture magic.”

Kendell Marvel Confirmed Tour Dates:
September 2—Dove Valley, CO—Seven Peaks Festival 2022
September 16—Pyror, OK—Born & Raised 2022
September 23—Nashville, TN—Grand Ole Opry
October 7—Chicago, IL—Joe’s on Weed St.
October 8—Columbus, OH—The Basement
October 9—Grand Rapids, MI—The Stache
October 18—Nashville, TN—Exit/In
November 3—Chattanooga, TN—Songbirds
November 4—Greenville, SC—The Radio Room
November 5—Maryville, TN—The Shed
November 10—Memphis, TN—Growlers*
November 11—Fort Smith, AR—The Majestic*
November 13—St. Louis, MO—The Golden Record
November 17—Vienna, VA—Jammin Java
November 18—Cleveland, OH—The Winchester Tavern & Music Hall
November 19—Pittsburgh, PA—Spirit Hall
*with 49 Winchester

Jon Pardi has reached the top of the country airplay charts this week with his latest hit, “Last Night Lonely.” Penned by Jimi Bell, Joe Fox and Dylan Marlowe, “Last Night Lonely” marks each of the writers first No. 1s, as well as Pardi’s fifth career chart-topper to date.

The track is the leadoff single from Pardi’s fourth studio project, Mr. Saturday Night, set for release this Friday (Sept. 2). Mr. Saturday Night reunites producers Bart Butler, Ryan Gore and Pardi, the same team behind the boards of his third studio album, Heartache Medication, which nabbed Album of the Year nominations by both the CMA and ACM.

Pardi is currently headlining arenas across the country with his “Ain’t Always The Cowboy Tour,” which extends through his Oct. 1 headlining date at Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheater.

The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) has announced its 44th Annual ASCAP Christian Music Awards will take place Wednesday, Sept. 21 across all ASCAP social media platforms. The awards recognize and celebrate the writers and publishers of some of the most performed Christian songs of the past year.

Programming will include performances and other surprises from some of Christian music’s top stars and songwriters. Friends, fans, and peers can join the one-day celebration via @ASCAP on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, using the hashtag #ASCAPAwards.

A complete list of winners will be available on the ASCAP website the morning of Sept. 21.

Last year’s winners include Matthew West, marking his fourth time as ASCAP Christian Songwriter of the Year, and Cory Asbury, who was recognized as ASCAP Christian Songwriter-Artist of the Year. ASCAP’s Christian Song of the Year went to the Tauren Wells and Jenn Johnson hit, “Famous For (I Believe),”c o-written by ASCAP member Alexis Slifer.

Greg Frey

Cumulus Media has tapped VP of Programming Operations Greg Frey to lead its new Music Partnerships division.

Frey, a 12- year Cumulus veteran, will serve as VP, Music Partnerships where he will be the company’s creative liaison with artists, labels, booking agencies, and promoters. He will report to Chief Content Officer Brian Philips, and will be supported by a coalition that includes local and national advertising sales; music format VPs; digital leaders; and programming, promotion, and marketing executives.

In his new position, Frey will front the team which will develop music marketing partnerships for Cumulus’s over 300 music stations, Westwood One network franchises, and related social/digital platforms. The team’s focus will be on enhancing partnerships, creating value for the music industry, as well as new content and revenue opportunities for Cumulus.

“Greg will advance Cumulus’s music industry collaboration with his trademark credibility and tastemaker’s integrity,” Philips notes. “Greg enjoys the longstanding respect of the industry and from all at Cumulus, and I’m confident we will see success with his leadership right out of the gate.”

Frey adds, “We’ve spent the recent months laying the groundwork for this critical function so that we can best support collaboration between Cumulus and our esteemed music partners. I’m eager to get out there and show the music world what more we can do together.”