Hometown favorites The Cadillac Three rang in last call at Nashville’s Mercy Lounge last night (May 18) with a sold out crowd. Only two days before the famed venue closes down, the trio delivered a stacked set of nearly two dozen of their biggest songs and fan favorites.

After an opening set from indie pop band Jive Talk, TC3 hit the ground running with their aptly-titled “Tennessee,” displaying the first taste of what would be an electric guitar-filled night. They followed with “Blue El Camino,” the funky title track from their 2020 record Tabasco & Sweet Tea, and fired off into “Hard Out Here For A Country Boy,” which had the entire room screaming the lyrics back.

“We’re gonna try not to talk too much,” Grammy-nominated frontman Jaren Johnston shared from the stage. “I’m gonna take my glasses off and look every one of you in the eye and say that this room right here means a lot to us. This is where we all started. Ever since we played this room, we’ve been all across the world many times. It’s amazing where you get your start and a lot of people forget that shit.”

He continued, “Tonight is the second night before this thing closes down and I just want to say thank you for having us, Mercy Lounge. Thank you for helping us start our career. Thank you Music City for being with us this whole time representing whatever the f**k we’ve been doing for the last 20 years… We are The Cadillac Three and this is Mercy Lounge.”

Johnston, along with drummer Neil Mason and lapsteel/bassist Kelby Ray, brought the heat and the noise as they dove deep into a steady mix of tracks form the last decade, including the slow-rolling “Whiskey & Smoke;” the redneck anthem “Bury In My Boots,” which begged a booming choir from the audience; their signature “Tennessee Mojo;” and more, all fit with plenty of jam sessions and guitar solos.

The three Nashville natives reminisced on the first time they played Mercy Lounge, as well as the way Nashville used to be when they were growing up. “It’s a shame that this happened… It’s getting a little weird,” Johnston quipped. “I might start buying some buildings and try to help out, I guess,” which earned a big cheer from the crowd.

“We’re gonna take it way back to the beginning. The first song we ever played in this room, as The Cadillac Black, we came on and it sounded just like this… and everybody in the room was scared to death.”

The band broke out into their rocking “I’m Southern,” from their 2012, self-titled record, setting the tone for the remainder of the show. After a buzzing version of “I’m Rocking,” Johnston showed off his vocal dexterity on “Whiskey Soaked Redemption” before rolling through the last few songs of the night, including the striking love letter in “White Lightning.”

“Thank you Nashville, Tennessee for giving us a great night. We are The Cadillac 3 from Nashville, born and raised. And I’m very proud of that,” Johnson stated simply before ending out the electric night.

The audience fully erupted during TC3’s encore performance of their smash hit “The South,” which provided the perfect high-energy ending to one of the venue’s final shows.

TC3’s “Hillbilly Hypnotized Tour” rolls along this summer with an August run in the UK. For a full list of upcoming dates, click here.

Chad Kudelka has joined Creative Artists Agency as an Agent in the Music Touring department. He will split time between Austin, Texas, and the agency’s Nashville office.   

Kudelka comes to CAA from Red 11 Music, the Nashville and Austin-based agency he co-founded. His client roster includes Cody Johnson, Koe Wetzel, Kolby Cooper, Pecos & The Rooftops, Randall King, Roger Creager, and Ray Wylie Hubbard, among others.

He began his career at AUE in 2002 and formed Red 11 Music in 2009. Kudelka has been involved with organizations including the Texas Chapter of the Recording Academy within their Grammy U Program, The Texas Songwriter U Program, as well as serving a member of the Inaugural Class for ATX Leadership in 2018. 

“Chad’s stellar reputation in the industry goes without saying, and we’ve long admired his talent in signing and developing a roster of remarkable clients,” notes Marc Dennis, Co-Head of Nashville Music at CAA.

“Chad is a respected leader in the Nashville and Austin communities and we’re absolutely thrilled to have him join our incredible country team here at CAA,” adds CAA’s Co-Head of North American Music Rick Roskin.

Music industry members gathered at the SESAC office this week to celebrate two hit songs from Stoney Creek recording artist Jimmie Allen.

Allen’s second No. 1 single, “Make Me Want To,” reached the top of the Billboard Country Airplay chart on March 7, 2020. Jennifer Denmark and Paul Sikes are co-writers on the tune, which was co-produced by Eric Torres and Ash Bowers. Bowers also co-produced and co-wrote “Freedom Was A Highway” along with Allen, and co-writer Matt Rogers. The song, recorded as a duet with Brad Paisley, reached the top of the chart on Feb. 19, 2022.

The party felt like a Jimmie Allen fan club gathering, as everyone in the room dotted on the charismatic star. SESAC and BMI hosted the party, and SESAC’s Shannan Hatch served as emcee.

“Jimmie has been in Nashville for a while now and I had the pleasure of meeting him early on, before he had a publishing deal and before he had a record deal,” Hatch said of the SESAC writer. “The thing about Jimmie that has always been true from the very beginning is what a hard worker he is. When he sets his mind to something, he accomplishes it.”

Hatch introduced the publisher presentations, starting with Endurance’s Michael Martin.

Martin echoed Hatch’s sentiments about Allen. “His work ethic is a whole other level,” he said. “He always brings such great energy which is contagious to everyone around him.”

Martin also spoke about writer Paul Sikes. “It’s been an honor for me and our team to work with Paul. His passion, his work ethic, and his talent separate him from the average writer.”

When speaking to Ash Bowers, Martin said, “It’s been amazing to be a partner in everything you’ve created at Wide Open and the team you’ve put together. Working with you has been such a catalyst for everything that we’re doing.”

Curb’s Colt Murski was on hand to speak about Jennifer Denmark, who was celebrating her first No. 1. “You’re one of my favorite people and one of my favorite writers I’ve gotten to work with. You show up with a big smile and big laughs every day,” Murski shared.

Josh Van Valkenburg represented Sony Music Publishing and spoke about Matt Rogers. “He’s not a songwriter, he’s a craftsman,” Van Valkenburg said. “I’ll put this guy up against anybody in town. He’s one of the best songwriters I’ve ever worked with.”

BMI’s MaryAnn Keen got up to speak about Bowers. “He is the ultimate business man,” she said of the hit songwriter, producer, manager, publisher and more. “Ash is the definition of hard work and continuing to show up for his people day after day. It’s such an honor to celebrate with Ash.”

BBR’s Jon Loba gushed about Allen, pointing out his important role in country music.

“You’re writing history,” he said, getting choked up. “There are few things that I’m going to be more proud of when I’m done than getting to work with you. Thank you.”

Next it was time to hear from the songwriters and producers.

Sikes was up first. “I’ve been doing this a long time. It’s humbling to be up here,” he said. “You’ve got to love this when you’re on a mountain top and you’ve got to love it in the valley. You never know when these opportunities are going to come for you.”

“The only thing cooler than having a No. 1 is having one with one of my best friends in the world, Paul Sikes,” said Denmark. “Writing with Jimmie before he had a record deal and then seeing him rise to this level has been a blessing for me.”

Bowers was emotional when he spoke. “It’s crazy to think about me being here. I came here as an artist. I thought I was failing but God has given me more opportunity to learn and grow in a different space.

“Jimmie, nobody works harder than him,” Bowers added. “These things don’t just happen. He outworks not just everybody here, but everyone in town.”

Rogers spoke about his supportive village. “I moved to Nashville about 17 years ago. To make it in this town, you have to have people to believe in you,” he said. “I really do appreciate people who have believed in me.”

Producer Torres kept his remarks short and sweet. “Thank you guys for an amazing song,” he said, telling the story about how he entered the Jimmie Allen team.

When it came time for the man of the hour to speak, he didn’t leave anyone out, individually recognizing his co-writers, publishers, label team, managers, band and crew, and his family.

Allen was candid about the pressure he felt in his role, thanking his support system for helping him through it. “It’s hard, but my family has been great,” he said. “Even though I have issues, we all have them, what I’m doing does matter. It helps people and inspires people.”

He pointed out that he didn’t want to change country music, he wanted to add to it.

“You’ve got to come into this business and have respect for the business. Have respect for radio, publishing, and record labels, and figure out how to not change it—but add to it,” he said. “That’s what I want to do in this business. I don’t want to change country music, I want to add to it. When you add to things, it grows. If you change it, it disregards and is disrespectful to the history. It takes away from what people love about it, so let’s add to it.”

Zachary Manno has signed a publishing deal with Reservoir. The deal is the first-ever signing through the talent discovery and mentorship platform Protégé, and is the result of a campaign led by Reservoir singer-songwriter Breland.

Last year, Breland launched the campaign which called for applicants to showcase an original song or beat to receive personalized feedback from him. Manno’s submission was chosen as the winner, earning him a publishing deal with Reservoir and making him the first act to be officially signed via the Protégé platform.

“I’m thrilled to be able to give Zach this chance to work with Reservoir, especially to access so many resources that can take his hard work to the next level,” shares Breland. “I can’t wait to see what we cook up to release into the world.”

Hailing from New Jersey, Manno is a skilled songwriter, producer, guitarist, and engineer. He has produced several tracks for country singer-songwriter Haley Mae Campbell and has already begun collaborating with Breland on upcoming music for acts including country supergroup Lady A.

“The Reservoir team is looking forward to supporting Zach in his burgeoning career and exposing him to an even broader talent ecosystem that will provide new creative opportunities,” notes Executive Vice President of Creative John Ozier.

“I couldn’t have hoped to find a better home for my work than what I’ve found with Breland and Reservoir,” adds Manno. “I’ve been working hard to establish myself in Nashville as a producer, and now I’m ready for that next step in my career. I’m tremendously proud to join this impressive team. I plan to make the most of this incredible opportunity, and I think we just might have more than a few hits up our sleeve.”

“Our team could not be more thrilled that Breland and Reservoir were able to provide this life changing opportunity for Zach by way of the Protégé platform,” says Alexys Feaster, Managing Partner & Global Head of Talent at Protégé. “Our company is trying to change the fact that right now talent can be found anywhere but opportunity cannot. It’s been awesome to see Breland helping live out these ideals and expand access for all the undiscovered talent out there.”