Singer-songwriter and former Nashville star Chris Carmack has teamed with Erin Slaver to form the alt-pop duo, Life On Eris. The married couple will release their first EP, Stonewall, on Oct. 23. The first single from the project, “Damaged Good,” is out now at all streaming platforms and digital retailers.
They drew inspiration from the complications and complexities of marriage for the new album, whose title is a nod to both the combination of their first names and to the dwarf planet Eris – named for the Greek goddess of strife and discord. Challenging genre norms, the two boldly fuse influences from Pop, Americana, Classical, and even Hip-Hop, to tell stories of romance, regret, and reconciliation. Writing all five songs together, Carmack and Slaver self-produced the EP, and played nearly every instrument including guitar, keyboard, and violin – with the exception of Shawn Pelton on drums.
“We are a husband-and-wife duo, and we bring all of the drama into our songwriting,” Carmack said. “‘Damaged Good’ is a song that we wrote to explore what we, as human beings, bring to a relationship – which is our past.”
The accomplished musicians met while filming on the hit TV drama, Nashville, and wed in 2018. Carmack’s had an instrument in-hand since he was a child, starting with the sax and then picking up the guitar. He began writing songs and performing in high school, later studying at NYU’s esteemed Tisch Adler Conservatory. He shopped his own material around L.A. while pursuing acting projects and landed notable roles in Grey’s Anatomy, Nashville, and The O.C. With Nashville, he joined fellow castmates on sold-out stages worldwide during multi-year tours across the U.S., UK, and Ireland, plus was a part of Nashville compilation albums spanning all six seasons. In 2015, he released his solo EP, Pieces of You. Slaver was enrolled in classical violin training at the age of three, and eventually attended a music conservatory to further hone her craft. She’s co-written and performed on several studio albums with JD & The Straight Shot, and has opened for acts like Eagles, The Doobie Brothers, Chicago, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Don Henley, and Jewel.
Life On Eris’ STONEWALL EP Track Listing:
1. “Damaged Good”
2. “Stonewall”
3. “Skipping Church”
4 .“‘Script on a Bottle”
5. “Superhero”
Country Music Association Honors Claire Horton With International Media Achievement Award
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured (L-R, top row): CMA Director, International Relations Bobbi Boyce; U.K. publicist Claire Horton; (bottom row): CMA Vice President, International Relations & Development Milly Olykan
The Country Music Association honored U.K. publicist Claire Horton with the 2020 CMA Wesley Rose International Media Achievement Award on Monday, Sept. 28. This award recognizes outstanding achievements in the media, which contribute to the development of country music outside the United States.
Artist Ashley McBryde surprised Horton via a video message during a virtual CMA U.K. Task Force meeting.
“We are delighted to be presenting Claire Horton with the 2020 CMA Wesley Rose International Media Achievement Award,” says Milly Olykan, CMA Vice President, International Relations & Development. “She’s been an important contributor to the story of country music’s growth in the U.K., working incredibly hard to help build artists’ profiles in mainstream media, as well as country media. We’re thrilled to see that her efforts have been recognized by the industry.”
Horton began working for Richard Wootton Publicity in the early ’90s. In 2016, she launched Claire Horton PR, focusing on executing publicity campaigns for international artists and U.S.-based country artists in both specialist and mainstream media in the U.K., Horton has worked with artists including Garth Brooks, Johnny Cash, Rosanne Cash, Luke Combs, Waylon Jennings, Lady A, Little Big Town, Kacey Musgraves, Willie Nelson, Brad Paisley and more. Horton has also executed publicity campaigns for international events including Country to Country festival, Country Music Week U.K., the U.K. Americana Awards, as well as CMA’s international CMA Songwriters Series and Introducing Nashville tours.
The CMA International Awards honor industry executives and artists in five categories, recognizing those who have supported and made a difference towards the growth and promotion of country music in the international marketplace.
Earlier this year, CMA awarded Ben Earle of U.K. country duo The Shires with the 2020 CMA International Country Broadcaster Award, Ilse DeLange with the 2020 CMA Jeff Walker Global Country Artist Award, and John Esposito with the 2020 CMA Jo Walker-Meador International Award. The CMA International Artist Achievement Award will be presented later this year.
HARDY, Osborne, Mitchell Take Top Three On MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart
/by LB CantrellHARDY remains at No. 1 this week on the MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart, with co-writer credit on Morgan Wallen’s “More Than My Hometown,” Cole Swindell’s “Single Saturday Night,” Jameson Rodgers’ “Some Girls,” and Robert Counts’ “What Do I Know,” as well as his own “One Beer” and “Give Heaven Some Hell.”
Josh Osborne moves up to No. 2 with “7 Summers” (Morgan Wallen), “Beers And Sunshine” (Darius Rucker), “Happy Anywhere” (Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani) and “How They Remember You” (Rascal Flatts). Jake Mitchell takes No. 2 with “One Beer” (HARDY Feat. Lauren Alaina and Devin Dawson), “Some Girls” (Jameson Rodgers), and “What Do I Know” (Robert Counts).
The weekly MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart uses algorithms based upon song activity according to airplay, digital downloaded track sales and streams. This unique and exclusive addition to the MusicRow portfolio is the only songwriter chart of its kind.
Click here to view the full MusicRow Top Songwriter Chart.
Parker McCollum To Release ‘Hollywood Gold’ EP In October
/by Jessica NicholsonMCA Nashville artist Parker McCollum is set to release his new EP, Hollywood Gold, on Oct. 16. The singer-songwriter penned five of the EP’s six tracks.
“To say I’m excited for my fans to listen to this new project, Hollywood Gold, is an understatement,” shares Parker. “I’m always striving to become a better songwriter and I feel like my songwriting on this EP is some of my best to date.”
The EP takes its title from the name of a horse McCollum’s grandfather owned decades ago. The Jon Randall Stewart-produced project includes his current Top 15 track “Pretty Heart,” as well as “Young Man’s Blues.” Hollywood Gold is the latest in a string of albums and EPs, following 2013’s EP A Red Town View, 2015’s The Limestone Kid (which included the regional Texas radio hit “Meet You in the Middle”), as well as 2017’s full-length album Probably Wrong, and a set of two EPs released the same year.
Hollywood Gold Track Listing:
Chris Carmack, Erin Slaver Partner As Alt-Pop Duo Life On Eris
/by Lorie HollabaughSinger-songwriter and former Nashville star Chris Carmack has teamed with Erin Slaver to form the alt-pop duo, Life On Eris. The married couple will release their first EP, Stonewall, on Oct. 23. The first single from the project, “Damaged Good,” is out now at all streaming platforms and digital retailers.
They drew inspiration from the complications and complexities of marriage for the new album, whose title is a nod to both the combination of their first names and to the dwarf planet Eris – named for the Greek goddess of strife and discord. Challenging genre norms, the two boldly fuse influences from Pop, Americana, Classical, and even Hip-Hop, to tell stories of romance, regret, and reconciliation. Writing all five songs together, Carmack and Slaver self-produced the EP, and played nearly every instrument including guitar, keyboard, and violin – with the exception of Shawn Pelton on drums.
“We are a husband-and-wife duo, and we bring all of the drama into our songwriting,” Carmack said. “‘Damaged Good’ is a song that we wrote to explore what we, as human beings, bring to a relationship – which is our past.”
The accomplished musicians met while filming on the hit TV drama, Nashville, and wed in 2018. Carmack’s had an instrument in-hand since he was a child, starting with the sax and then picking up the guitar. He began writing songs and performing in high school, later studying at NYU’s esteemed Tisch Adler Conservatory. He shopped his own material around L.A. while pursuing acting projects and landed notable roles in Grey’s Anatomy, Nashville, and The O.C. With Nashville, he joined fellow castmates on sold-out stages worldwide during multi-year tours across the U.S., UK, and Ireland, plus was a part of Nashville compilation albums spanning all six seasons. In 2015, he released his solo EP, Pieces of You. Slaver was enrolled in classical violin training at the age of three, and eventually attended a music conservatory to further hone her craft. She’s co-written and performed on several studio albums with JD & The Straight Shot, and has opened for acts like Eagles, The Doobie Brothers, Chicago, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Don Henley, and Jewel.
Life On Eris’ STONEWALL EP Track Listing:
1. “Damaged Good”
2. “Stonewall”
3. “Skipping Church”
4 .“‘Script on a Bottle”
5. “Superhero”
Brandy Clark Sets Livestream Concert Benefitting MusiCares
/by Jessica NicholsonBrandy Clark will offer a free livestream concert on Thursday, Oct. 1, from Nashville’s 3rd & Lindsley, with all donations benefitting the Recording Academy’s MusiCares program.
The concert will begin at 6:30 p.m. CT and can be viewed on Clark’s Facebook, Twitch and YouTube pages.
Clark recently teamed with Brandi Carlile for a new song “Same Devil,” featuring vocal and production work from Carlile. The collaboration follows Clark’s Your Life is a Record project, which released via Warner Records earlier this year, spearheaded by producer Jay Joyce. She launched the online series “You Can’t Come Over (But You Can Come In),” to stay connected with fans during the COVID-19 pandemic. The show, which is held each Wednesday at 6 p.m. CT via Clark’s YouTube page, has welcomed guests including Reba McEntire, Martina McBride, Ashley McBryde, Cam, Shane McAnally, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Tenille Townes, Lori McKenna, Maddie & Tae, Leslie Fram and more.
Natalie Grant Celebrates Release Of First New Album In Five Years With ‘No Stranger’
/by Lorie HollabaughNatalie Grant released her 10th studio album, No Stranger, last week. The album is Grant’s first full-length project in five years, following her 2015 chart-topping release, Be One.
In celebration of the release of No Stranger, Grant went live on her Facebook page last week as part of a special album release event and performed a free in-studio concert with her husband/producer Bernie Herms on piano and a live string ensemble.
In addition to introducing new music, Grant, along with Dare To Be partner Charlotte Gambill, will host “Dare To Be Live,” a first-of-its-kind livestream event, on Oct. 4 at 7 p.m. CT. Fans can purchase tickets and get more information at daretobe.com.
With strings recorded live at London’s famed Air Studios, No Stranger is a labor of love between Grant and her husband, writer/producer Bernie Herms, who produced the record, helmed all the orchestral arrangements, and co-wrote half of the album’s tracks. The lush, timely collection includes Grant’s new radio single, “Face To Face,” as well as her Dove-nominated collaboration with Steven Malcolm, “Even Louder,” and worship anthem “My Weapon.” Moreover, for No Stranger, Grant chose to put her powerful vocal stamp on Casting Crowns’ hit, “Praise You In This Storm,” which Herms originally penned with Casting Crowns front man Mark Hall. Last week, the five-time GMA Female Vocalist of the Year released a cinematic music video—also featuring her husband—for her version of the track.
No Stranger Track Listing:
Everette To Release New Project Oct. 2
/by Lorie HollabaughEverette (Brent Rupard and Anthony Olympia) have announced that part one of their two-part album produced by Luke Laird, Kings of the Dairy Queen Parking Lot – Side A, is set for release this Friday, Oct. 2.
“We don’t care where you come from,” Rupard said. “Whether you’re a city person or a country person or from Mars, you’re always welcome at the Everette party.”
Rooted in country, rock & roll, southern storytelling, and heartland hooks, Everette features two Kentucky natives who write their own songs, play their own instruments, and proudly blur the boundaries between themselves and their audience. For them, music is all about community and connection. Named after George Clooney’s philosophy-spouting, folk-singing character in O Brother, Where Art Thou, the two co-wrote all 14 songs on Side A and Side B, teaming up with writers like Bryan Simpson, the Warren Brothers, Brent Cobb, Matt Jenkins, and Bobby Pinson for the fun.
To celebrate the announce of Kings of the Dairy Queen Parking Lot tonight, Everette will be hosting a charitable livestream show sponsored by Country Fuzz at Nashville venue The Basement with proceeds from the show going to Second Harvest Food Bank. The guys will also host their “Seven Songs in Seven Days” series beginning Oct. 5, where the duo will acoustically perform a different song from the album each night at 7 p.m. CT on Instagram Live. Following the performance, they will chat with co-writers about the songs, the process, etc. Upon album release, Everette will be announcing details of their “Love Your Neighbor” series – a series of backyard shows where they (safely) perform for friends, family, fans, and neighbors.
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band Producer Bill McEuen Dies At 79
/by Robert K OermannRecord, film and TV producer Bill McEuen died on Sept. 24 in Kona, Hawaii at age 79.
He is best known as the producer and mastermind behind The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s landmark 1971 album Will the Circle Be Unbroken. The record featured the group collaborating with legends of old-time country music. It is now in the Grammy Hall of Fame and is considered to be a foundational work of what became known as Americana Music.
McEuen also produced the Dirt Band’s 1970 hit “Mr. Bojangles,” which is in the Grammy Hall of Fame as well. He managed the group for a time and arranged for it to become the first American band to tour the Soviet Union (1977).
Among his other clients were Pee Wee Herman, Steve Martin, LeRoux, Robert Shimmel, The Sunshine Company, John McEuen and the pre-Allman Brothers rock group Hourglass.
Bill McEuen produced four comedy albums for Steve Martin, which sold an estimated 10 million units. He also produced the comedian’s million-selling 1978 hit single “King Tut,” as well as Martin’s movie The Jerk.
McEuen’s Aspen Film Society company also produced the films Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, Big Top Pee Wee, The Man with Two Brains, Dead Men Don’t Wear Plaid, The Lonely Guy, Cold Dog Soup and The Big Picture, as well as a number of television specials.
He owned the Aspen Recording Society studio. He is the older brother of recording artist John McEuen, formerly a member of the Dirt Band.
William Eugene “Bill” McEuen is survived by his wife Alice and his brother John McEuen.
Marv Green Signs Publishing Deal With Sony/ATV
/by Jessica NicholsonMarv Green
Songwriter Marv Green, who has penned hits including George Strait’s “It Just Comes Natural,” Carrie Underwood’s “Wasted,” and Lonestar’s “Amazed,” has inked a global publishing deal with Sony/ATV Music Publishing Nashville.
Sony/ATV Nashville CEO Rusty Gaston said, “Championing the songs of Marv Green is a true honor— he has crafted timeless hits that capture the heart and soul of country music. The way he weaves his West Coast cool into every one of his songs makes each single a notch above the rest. We couldn’t be more thrilled to welcome Marv to our Sony/ATV Nashville family.”
Green said, “I’m beyond excited to start a new catalog of songs with Sony/ATV and their inspiring creative team.”
Green moved from Southern California to Nashville in 1993 and built a song catalog that includes Tim McGraw’s “Shotgun Rider,” Rodney Atkins’s “Farmer’s Daughter,” Brooks & Dunn’s “Proud of the House We Built,” Eric Church’s “Creepin’,” the Merle Haggard/Willie Nelson collaboration “Live This Long,” Chris Young’s “Who I Am With You,” and the eight-week No. 1 hit “Amazed,” recorded by Lonestar.
Green currently has a Top 10 hit with Tim McGraw’s “I Called Mama.”
Along the way, Green has earned BMI’s Song Of The Year in 2000, BMI’s Songwriter Of The Year in 2001, as well as an ACM Song Of The Year and Grammy nomination for “Amazed.”
Cumulus Media Appoints Andy Winford As KSKS-FM Program Director
/by Jessica NicholsonWinford has 17 years of radio broadcasting experience and has programmed at KAT Country 103 since 2016.
Patty Hixon, Vice President/Market Manager, Cumulus Fresno, said, “I am thrilled to have Andy join our team in Fresno. KISS is a formidable brand in Central California and having Andy take on this new challenge along with programming KAT Country in Modesto will provide a wonderful synergy never before seen in Central California. Two very historical brands will be super-serving our listeners during this most critical time in our lives. Andy has great knowledge of both markets and platforms…He’ll be a great asset to KISS!”
Winford added, “I couldn’t be more excited to lead Central California’s most powerful country brand. The cupboard is full of excellent talent and a sales and marketing team second to none. Time to go to work!”