Willie Nelson. Photo: Pamela Springsteen

Luck Presents has announced the lineup for their first annual cannabis convention, Luck Summit: Planting the Seed, which benefits HeadCount’s Cannabis Voter Project. During the summit, which runs virtually April 26-29, Luck and fellow cannabis-advocate partners will showcase the cannabis plant through the lenses of history, science, entertainment, and culture.

Music icon, cannabis advocate, and Founder of Willie’s Reserve, Willie Nelson, has been announced as a keynote speaker for the summit.

“In the first year of the event, it is important to us that we create a bi-partisan, stigma free conversation around cannabis in its many forms,” stated Matt Bizer, co-founder of Luck Presents. “We truly believe that Willie Nelson has been a unifier for so many in his years as both a cannabis activist and humanitarian. With Willie as our landlord we are able to set a stage and a platform for this unique conversation here in Texas and throughout the country.”

Other announced programing includes a keynote with Steven Hawkins (United States Cannabis Council), and conversations with former Congressman Beto O’Rourke, actor/comedian Tommy Chong, Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, and more. Musical performances during the summit will include Marcus King, Devon Gilfilian, and more. View the full summit schedule here.

Hosted by Nathaniel Rateliff and presented by Rocket Seeds, the multi-day virtual summit seeks to destigmatize, educate, and promote cannabis culture in an informative and entertaining way. Planting the Seed will feature something for everyone on all aspects of the cannabis plant: economics, logistics, agriculture, legalities, legislative approaches, culture, and revenue streams.

H.O.M.E.(Helping Our Music Evolve), in partnership with Nashville Is Not Just Country Music, will put a spotlight on rising Nashville-based hip-hop artists in their The Best of Nashville Hip-Hop virtual showcase on April 30, sponsored by BMI and BMG.

The free livestream event, professionally produced with the help of Underground Music Collective, will feature performances by 11 of Nashville’s top emerging hip-hop artists including Nate Rose, Byron Juane, Daisha McBride, Chuck Indigo and 2’Live Bre. Derek Minor, the owner of Reflection Music Group and an established hip-hop artist himself, will serve as host and emcee.

H.O.M.E. is a creative incubator for artists, producers, and music industry professionals, as well as a music and media production community.

“We’re ecstatic to bring more visibility to the diverse music scene that is being cultivated here in Nashville,” says Founder & President of H.O.M.E, Logan Crowell. “Our hope is that this event will provide an opportunity for music fans to discover their favorite new hip-hop artist as well as support the underground scene that’s already generating so much buzz in Nashville and beyond.”

Nashville Is Not Just Country Music (NINJCM), co-founded by Jamila “Mimi” McCarley and Thalia “Muziqueen” Ewing, provides support to the Nashville based creative through music business education, networking, community & professional relationships and career advancing opportunities.

“It is exciting to see music companies on Music Row, like BMG and BMI, investing in Nashville’s hip-hop community,” says NINJCM’s McCarley. “NINJCM is honored to partner with these like-minded organizations to continue to amplify the message to the world that, ‘Nashville is not just country music.’”

RSVP and tune in to The Best of Nashville Hip-Hop Livestream Event on Friday, April 30t at 6:15pm CT here: bestofnashville.live.

Brock Gonyea is reaching back into the vaults and into country’s rich history a bit on his new five-song collection, Where My Heart Is, due out this Friday (April 23) via Big Machine Records. The first single from the project, “All Night Long,” is an unearthed, never-recorded Mel Tillis/Webb Pierce song.

The new project offers a unique synthesis of old and new country throughout, and provides a glimpse into the heart of the 25-year-old with an old soul. Whether the bittersweet “Pretending It’s Me,” the Hank Williams-inspired “Lovin’ You,” his whisper of Roy Orbison vocal on “My World Turns To Silver,” or the rockabilly style of “Where My Heart Is,” there’s a freshness to Gonyea’s music.

Gonyea was raised in a family of musicians in bands that reach back generations. He was raised in a small town where logging was the chief occupation, listening to musicians that influenced him including Hank Sr., Ray Price, and Ferlin Huskey. Gonyea emerged with a tone uniquely his own and extends to the songs he writes.

Producer Julian Raymond assembled a studio band of Time Jumpers steel master Paul Franklin, acclaimed upright bassist Glenn Worf, Academy of Country Music Guitarist of the Year Tom Bukovac, and Emmy-nominated arranger/keyboardist Tim Lauer to create a cohesion of Gonyea’s influences that also captured the immediacy of today.

“As much as I want to be reminiscent of those old records of my grandparents, I want to get to that sound without sounding like a novelty,” Gonyea says. “With my voice, I come by the vibrato honestly. That’s what I was exposed to when I was younger, so that’s what I soaked up as a kid. This music comes from the inside out, and all of the players I recorded with for this project understood that. I didn’t even know there were unreleased catalogues,” Gonyea adds. “But the idea I could perform a song by one of my heroes? My father used to sing ‘There Stands The Glass,’ and say, ‘Your grandfather used to sing that song.’ Now I’m getting to sing a song by that artist? I couldn’t ask for anything more than that.”

Pictured (clockwise): Cassie Wells, Jentry Davis, Erin Fligel, Zach Farnum. Photo (credits clockwise): Jessica Adynelle, Cassie Wells, Jason Myers (2)

117 Entertainment announced today (April 21) it’s rebranding as an innovative publicity and artist development company.

Last year the company announced a partnership with The Orchard on 117 Music, bringing an international leading distributor onboard and building a catalog that has racked up nearly 10 million streams. Most notably, 117 Music independently released Randy Travis’ 2020 single “Fool’s Love Affair” and the team has built the Country Music Hall of Fame member’s official TikTok channel to over 1.2 million followers and over 37 million views.

Subsidiary 117 Publicity executed the roll-out of Jerry Lee Lewis’ 85 Birthday Celebration (produced by Farnum) with artists like Elton John, Keith Richards and Ringo Starr paying tribute to the icon. Scooter Brown Band has also had recent success with 117 Management.

Owner & President Zach Farnum saw the need for development within the companies’ strategies and initiatives. Some of the changes include a new logo, website, and structural transitions to a multi-faceted entertainment firm specializing in publicity, development and marketing campaigns for musicians, events and brands. Additionally, 117 has opened a new collaborative and creative space in Germantown’s 100 Taylor Arts Collective.

Farnum also announced the addition of Cassie Wells as Label & Content Manager and Jentry Davis as Publicity Manager, joining existing Publicity Manager Erin Fligel who has been with the company since 2019.

“A motivated and driven team is instrumental to our success in this era of ever-evolving strategies,” says Farnum, “Cassie and Jentry add a new energy to our team and bring innovative ideas, unique experience and excitement. We are thrilled to have them as a part of the 117 family and helping us stay on the cutting edge of the industry. Our company is more collaborative than we’ve ever been!”

Davis grew up around the music industry and moved to Music City to dive into the business side of music. She interned at 117 Entertainment early in her journey before going into B2B marketing. Meanwhile, Wells was brought onto the team after time as the morning host on YoCo Nashville and program director of WDKN in Dickson, Tennessee. She is in the Army Reserves and hosts her own podcast, The Cassie Wells Podcast, while also narrowing her focus on developing strategic content with clients and translating that to opportunities with partners.

Reach Davis and Wells at jentry@117group.com and cassie@117group.com, respectively.