The second annual Hometown To Hometown event hosted by Save The Music and SongFarm.org is set for May 11 at 5 p.m. CT. Brandy Clark and songwriter/publisher Jimmy Robbins will be virtually honored as 2021 Champions of The Year at this year’s event for their dedication to music education.

Hosted by Leslie Fram, Senior Vice President of Music Strategy for CMT, the evening will feature performances by Maddie & Tae, Lori McKenna, Jon Nite, and more. Special guest appearances include last year’s honorees, Ross Copperman and Nicolle Galyon, as well Mark Brown and Jessie Jo Dillon.

Attendees and viewers will have the opportunity to hear directly from teachers and students who have benefited from Save The Music and SongFarm.org’s programs. Funds raised will help jumpstart music technology programs in underserved high schools in Clark’s and Robbins’ hometowns in Washington, North Carolina, and Nashville. Hometown To Hometown sponsors include CMT, Gibson Gives, Victrola, and Warner Music Group.

Visit savethemusic.org for tickets and more information.

Pictured (L-R): Curb|Word Music Publishing VP Christian A&R, Publishing Jonathan Mason; Kenna Turner West; Curb| Word Music Publishing Senior Director Publishing, A&R Trevor Mathiesen

Kenna Turner West is extending her publishing agreement with Curb|Word Music.

Over the last two decades, West has cowritten songs such as “Say Amen,” “Revival,” and “Even Me,” and has over 100 Song Of The Year nominations, 25 Song Of The Year wins, and eight BMI Awards to her credit. The multi Dove award-winning songwriter has also penned songs on projects by Jason Crabb and Lady A’s Hillary Scott. West also recently released her debut single as a Crossroads Label Group recording artist, “Calling All Prodigals,” which is currently rising on the charts. The full project, A Reason For Hope, is slated for release this summer.

“When I look back over the years and see what God has done with the songs He’s given us, it’s truly humbling. All I have wanted to do since I committed my life to Christ is to find creative ways to communicate the gospel—and He continues to allow me to do just that. Sometimes it’s through singing or teaching, and sometimes it’s through writing,” says West. “Since everything I am comes together around music, it’s a total joy for me to partner with the amazing team at Curb|Word Music Publishing. It really is a great place to call home as a songwriter.”

Curb | Word Music Publishing VP of Christian A&R and Publishing, Jonathan Mason, says, “We are thrilled to continue our relationship with Kenna here at Curb | Word Music Publishing. To work with someone who has such a deep musical heritage alongside her own personal track record of success across multiple genres inspires us all.”

Dan + Shay. Photo: Catherine Powell.

Three-time consecutive Grammy Award-winning duo Dan + Shay are gearing up to get back on the road with Dan + Shay The (Arena) Tour kicking off September 9 in Greenville, SC.

The trek will continue to over thirty stops before concluding on December 7 in Boston, MA and includes a show at the famed Madison Square Garden in New York, NY on September 16. Additionally, two new shows were announced – October 15 in Los Angeles, CA at Staples Center and October 16 in San Diego, CA at Pechanga Arena.

Alternative pop rockers The Band Camino and 3x Grammy nominee and multi-Platinum singer-songwriter Ingrid Andress will join The (Arena) Tour as special guests for all dates. Pre-sales for those shows begin today, May 10 at 12 p.m. CST, with general on sale for all tickets beginning Friday, May 14 at 12 p.m. CST.

The tour, presented by AEG Presents, marks the duo’s first ever headlining arena trek which officially kicked off in March of 2020 with three consecutive sold-out shows at more than 40,000 tickets sold – two back-to-back in Nashville and another in Columbus, OH.

The tour was rescheduled due to COVID-19. All previously purchased tickets will be honored for new, rescheduled dates. Tickets for all other dates and more information is available at http://www.danandshay.com.

Pictured (L-R): RED Creative Group VP of Publishing Taylor Lamb; RED Creative Group Owner Jeremy Stover; Noah Hicks; Red Creative Records General Manager John Cantu. Photo: Courtesy of RED Creative Group

Noah Hicks has signed an exclusive publishing, label, and development deal with RED Creative Group. The 22 year-old’s debut single for the label, “No More of ‘Em,” a duet with songwriter Rhett Akins, is set for release this Friday, May 14.

A Carrollton, Georgia native, Hicks quickly made a name for himself in Nashville as a promising writer and performer, and his musical talent and high-energy live shows initially caught the attention of RED Creative Group’s Taylor Lamb, who was recently promoted to Vice President of Publishing. “No More of ‘Em” (produced by Will Bundy and Jeremy Stover) kicks off a series of releases that Hicks has coined ‘Shot & Chaser’ – two back-to-back songs released simultaneously. (The follow-up single “Miss You Back,” produced by Paul DiGiovanni and Jeremy Stover, is due out May 28).

“Noah’s the real deal,” says Jeremy Stover, owner of RED Creative Group. “The energy and raw talent he brings to every writer’s room and every stage is next level. We’re proud to have him at RED Creative. We’re not knocking on doors, we’re about to kick some down.”

“RED Creative felt like home the second I walked in for my first meeting,” says Hicks of signing with RED. “Working with Jeremy and the team is a dream come true. I love their creativity, work ethic, and ability to move mountains. It’s going to be a fun year and we’re just getting started.”