Jeremy Ivey. Photo: Courtesy of ANTI- Records

Singer-songwriter Jeremy Ivey will release Invisible Pictures, his third album for ANTI- Records, on March 11.

The record’s first track, the bittersweet “Orphan Child,” channels ’60s pop as it addresses the sense of lostness and also reflects on Ivey’s personal experience of being raised by foster parents.

“I try to put a little bit of hope into everything I do,” says Ivey. “No matter how heavy, no matter how dark things may get, there’s always a little bit of light shining through.” He continues, ““I’ve always felt like l was born at the wrong place at the wrong time in the wrong body to the wrong people. Maybe it’s because I was adopted, but I think it’s more than that. As soon as you’re born you are automatically judged by someone because of your sex or race or the culture you are raised in. Hated for something that you had no part in choosing. That’s what this song is about.”

When he began work on Invisible Pictures, Ivey shifted his gaze inward to reflect on his own journey. With touring off the table for more than a year, he decided to stretch compositionally, returning to the harmonically sophisticated music that had fascinated him in his youth but had taken a backseat since his move to Nashville and marriage to Margo Price.

“I started listening to a lot of Paco de Lucía and playing more nylon string guitar at home,” Ivey recalls. “I started using more passing tones in my writing, too, and then I’d make up chords to go along with those melodies, even if I didn’t know what it was that I was playing.”

On the new project, Ivey embraces creative freedom and sonic exploration, drawing on flamenco, classical music, vintage indie rock, and British Invasion tunes to craft the album.

Ivey released his critically acclaimed solo debut The Dream and The Dreamer in 2019, followed by Waiting Out The Storm in 2020. He will embark on a tour with Mike Campbell and the Dirty Knobs this spring, beginning March 9 in Tampa.

Invisible Pictures Track List:
1. Orphan Child
2. Trial By Fire
3. Keep Me High
4. Downhill (Upside Down Optimist)
5. Grey Machine
6. Phantom Limb
7. Empty Game
8. Invisible Pictures
9. Black Mood
10. Silence And Sorrow

Dustin Lynch & MacKenzie Porter Celebrate Six Weeks At No. 1

Dustin Lynch has tallied a new personal best with his current single, “Thinking ‘Bout You.” The track, a duet with MacKenzie Porter, has notched its sixth consecutive week as country radio’s No. 1 song.

The track once again sits atop the Billboard Country Airplay chart this week for its sixth week, a feat that only a handful of country singles have achieved, including “It’s Your Love” by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill, “How Forever Feels” by Kenny Chesney, and Lonestar’s “I’m Already There.” The BBR recording artist also breaks his personal record of four weeks at No. 1, which he earned with 2017’s “Small Town Boy.”

“‘Thinking ‘Bout You’ is a six-week No. 1 single at country radio–that’s WILD y’all,” shares Lynch. “What a way to enter 2022! I’m excited to keep this momentum going, and to celebrate all year long. Thank you to all my friends and supporters at country radio. I’m beyond thankful for everyone that’s worked so hard to make sure this song has the life it deserves.”

Co-written by Lynch, Andy Albert, Hunter Phelps and Will Weatherly, the song marks Lynch’s eighth No. 1 at country radio overall, as well as his third career chart-topper as a songwriter. It also gives Porter her first U.S. No. 1 after four Canadian hits.

Ole Smoky Distillery Announces Music Partnership With The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys

The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys. Photo: Amy Richmond

Ole Smoky Distillery has partnered with Grammy-nominated east Tennessee bluegrass band, The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys. Founded by CJ Lewandowski, The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys was formed while Lewandowski was working at Ole Smoky Distillery in Gatlinburg in 2014.

“Music has always been a part of the Ole Smoky experience,” says Robert Hall, CEO, Ole Smoky Distillery. “By featuring quality entertainment at our locations, we have created family-friendly destinations that salute the hospitality of east Tennessee and the Great Smoky Mountains.” He continues, “We are proud of The Po’ Ramblin’ Boys and their passion for bluegrass music. We like to think of them as family, as they started playing together at our Holler Distillery. What started as one of our house bands, is now a national bluegrass favorite. We look forward to supporting their national tour this year.”

“We are so grateful to Ole Smoky Distillery for not only helping us get our start in bluegrass music, but now, supporting our music, our tour and our brand,” adds Lewandowski.

IBMA Foundation Launches Katy Daley Broadcast Media/Sound Engineering Scholarship

Katy Daley

The IBMA Foundation has launched the Katy Daley Broadcast Media/Sound Engineering Scholarship. Daley and her husband, Bill Brown, have made a $10,000 donation to the IBMA Foundation to endow the scholarship.

Daley, co-host of the Bluegrass Stories podcast series along with Howard Parker, has spent over 30 years in bluegrass (WAMU-FM and Bluegrass Country) and country (WMZQ) radio in the Washington, DC area. She’s a member of the IBMA and a 2008 graduate of IBMA’s Leadership Bluegrass class. She was named IBMA Bluegrass Broadcaster of the year in 2009 and 2011; has received the DC Bluegrass Union’s 2017 Washington Monument Award, the 2019 and 2020 IBMA Liner Notes Awards for her portion of the liner notes for Epilogue: A Tribute to John Duffey on Smithsonian Folkways Records, and as the sole writer for the reissued Seldom Scene Recorded Live at the Cellar Door from Rebel Records; and was honored with the IBMA’s Distinguished Achievement Award in September 2019.

The Katy Daley Broadcast Media/Sound Engineering Scholarship will be awarded annually to individuals planning to study broadcasting or sound engineering at college or in a continuing education program with a bluegrass music focus, including radio, television, digital media, recorded sound engineering and mastering, live sound engineering, and related disciplines.

IBMA Foundation board chair and former bluegrass broadcaster Fred Bartenstein says, “The professional presentation of bluegrass music has a direct effect on how new fans and musicians are attracted to the genre. The Foundation supports the effort to present the best music on the planet in the best way possible for the benefit of new listeners and new generations, as well as for loyal fans. We thank Katy Daley and Bill Brown for their generous donation to found the scholarship, and it is our hope that others in the bluegrass community interested in broadcasting and engineering will also support this scholarship. Our goal is to raise at least $20,000, which would generate at least one annual scholarship in the amount of $1,000.”

The first scholarship will be awarded in August 2022. The deadline for applications for all IBMA Foundation scholarships is June 1. For more information, click here.

A2IM is kicking off 2022 by launching the second year of BIMA, its Black Independent Music Accelerator.

The fellowship initiative is designed to amplify Black voices in the independent music community, and provides a platform for Black-owned businesses in the music industry for greater visibility, networking, and mentorship opportunities for burgeoning business owners.

Because financial barriers often pose significant obstacles for minority-owned, independent music businesses, BIMA offers subsidized yearly dues to A2IM, as well as complimentary tickets to annual events such as Indie Week, a four-day international conference and networking event aimed at maximizing the global impact of independent music.

“Black entrepreneurs have been the backbone of the music industry since the beginning of time. Allowing us to access the resources of counterparts, now opens doors to innumerable possibilities for creators that look, think, and dream like us,” says Erinn Knight, President of Build Your Own Dreams and 2021 BIMA Fellow.

BIMA’s Advisory Council offers guidance, oversight, and support to these businesses and includes Fotemah Mba, Head of A&R, General Market, Cinq Music Group; Courtnay Moriarty, Sr. Digital Rights Manager, Pex; and Kristine Mbadugha,  Manager, Independent Music Partnerships, YouTube Music; with more names to be announced soon.

Applications for A2IM’s 2022 BIMA Program are open now and close on Jan. 24. To apply or learn more, please visit a2im.org/bima. 

Reviver Publishing has employed the services of Reversion Music, LLC to represent the Reviver Publishing catalog. Working directly with Reviver’s President & CEO, David Ross, and Clay Myers of Nashville Music Consultants, Reversion Music’s Matt Lindsey and Jeff Gordon will work collectively to secure syncs placements and pitch music to various artists and commercial opportunities.

Lindsey, partner and co-owner of Reversion Music, brings a wealth of experience in songwriter, artist and catalog development. He is also the founder of MLM, an independent Nashville-based song plugging company. Lindsey previously held executive positions at Big Yellow Dog Music, Forerunner Music, Little Shop of Morgan Songs, and The Mel Tillis Companies.

Gordon, also a partner and co-owner of Reversion Music, previously served as GM of Carlin Nashville. He began his career at MCA Records as an A&R representative for the Nashville division.

“The Reviver Publishing catalog has grown exponentially over the past 2+ years,” says Ross. “Having Matt and Jeff be a part of our creative team will help us with our continued growth.”

Reversion Music is the exclusive music licensor for the Glad Music Company, which boasts titles by Willie Nelson, George Jones, The Big Bopper, Lightning Hopkins and many others. It also represents Hall of Fame songwriters Allen Reynolds and Roger Cook.

Reviver Publishing’s roster currently includes Aaron Goodvin, Ian Flanigan, David Adam Byrnes, Reid Brody, and catalogs of Alex Kline, LoCash, Black Jack Billy, David Devaul, as well as representation for Reviver artists Brooke Moriber and Brian Callihan.