Pictured (L-R): Kelby Ray, Jaren Johnston, Neil Mason. Photo: Dylan Rucker
The Cadillac Three have been using the term ‘country fuzz’ to describe their unique southern rock sound for some time. Their COUNTRY FUZZ album, out today (Feb. 7), personifies the music the Big Machine Records trio makes perfectly.
Singer-guitarist Jaren Johnston, drummer Neil Mason, and lap-steel player Kelby Ray have been playing together for over a decade. The versatile band makes music that transcends genre, allowing them to fit perfectly alongside the live shows of modern country stars Eric Church, Dierks Bentley and Luke Bryan, country veterans Travis Tritt and Charlie Daniels, plus iconic rockers Metallica and Slayer.
COUNTRY FUZZ deepens the band’s country-rock hybrid with songs like “Labels,” “Heat” and “Slow Rollin’,” while also exploring new sounds like funk on tracks like the super-charged “Blue El Camino” and “The Jam.” They produced the album themselves, with the exception of “Crackin’ Cold Ones With The Boys,” which Dann Huff co-produced.
MusicRow sat down with Johnston, Mason and Ray recently to talk about the sonic kaleidoscope of a fourth record.
MusicRow: What does ‘country fuzz’ mean?
Ray: ‘Country Fuzz’ is us. It’s something we’ve been saying for years. We just decided to jus go all in with it on this album.
Johnston: We were in an interview in Europe somewhere and the guy said, ‘It’s like [Black] Sabbath on cornbread, right?’ I was like that’s fucking genius, but you can’t really coin that. We wanted to come out with something that was similar because, basically, it’s country songwriting at the heart of it—like story songwriting where you come down to that end hook where you wrap it up in a cool way that only country music does—with just the right amount of things that influenced us when we were 13, 14 years old, like Nirvana and stuff like that. When you’re 13 and that kind of movement [like Nirvana] happens, you get pretty into it no matter where you’re from or what you’re really into. I grew up listening to a lot of like that stuff, but being raised in country music, Nashville, Tennessee, and my dad being the business, that’s just kind of what we came up with, the Country Fuzz type.
Talk about “The Jam.” The message is interesting that when you hear something, if you like it, then it’s the jam. And then the song itself has like elements of funk, country and rock.
Johnston: It was two years ago, I wrote it with BK [Brian Kelley] from Florida Georgia Line, Corey Crowder and James McNair. We were all super hungover because we were at the 30A Songwriter Festival. Corey had that little track and I was under the impression we were writing it for Florida Georgia Line. FGL cut it and it didn’t make the record, so I took it in the back lounge of the bus and just like took it more of a Jerry Reed meets some sort of P-Funk slash Cadillac somewhere where it would make sense around what we were doing on this new record.
Ray: It’s ‘Country Fuzz.’
Johnston: We really had never cut anything like that, so I played it for the guys and they were like, “Man, that’s a jam!” Also, a lot of these things you record, you’re looking for something that’s going to be fun for the live show that really like is a jam in every sense of the word. Tempo is hard to write these days for some reason; I have a really good niche of like 85 BPM, whatever that is. This thing was tough, but we’ve won a couple of times with sounds like that, like “Days of Gold” was a big song for us and I just feel like it would be cool for this record so we went for it and I think it came out great.
You guys produced COUNTRY FUZZ on your own, other than “Crackin’ Cold Ones With The Boys,” and there’s definitely some surprising sounds there. What were you inspired by sonically?
Mason: Stretching it as far as we can.
Johnston: You’re trying to experiment with things. You might end up on something really cool that nobody’s doing, and then we try to take that every time to the next level. I say this every time we do record prep, but every record you’re trying to show growth because we’re not 19 anymore. So you’re trying to show people we’re a little smarter and better at what we do than the last record, or different at least.
You’re known for your high-energy live shows. How would you say these songs are going to feel live?
Ray: [“Slow Rollin'” and “Whiskey and Smoke”] we’ve been playing live already and they’re fun. It’s fun for us to work on new stuff and play stuff like ‘The Jam” and figure out how we’re going to do that live.
Johnston: You’re looking at three dudes with no tracks. You gotta really know it. I’m having a lot of fun playing “Blue El Camino” live because in my mind during that one song in the set, I’m like, “We’re ZZ Top.”
Tell me about working with Travis Tritt and Chris Janson on “Hard Out Here For A Country Boy.”
Mason: We were on tour with Travis this past spring and he would come on the bus after the shows pretty much every night. He’d blow on there about 20, 30 minutes after his set with his acoustic guitar and he would pour a big ole drink and kind of take over the front lounge of the bus until bus call, which was usually three or four in the morning.
Johnston: Which is a lot of fun, him telling stories and singing songs.
Mason: One of those nights in between him playing us a bunch of old Waylon covers, he was like, “Let me hear some of y’all’s shit.” So Jaren was playing him some of the new record and he played “Hard Out Here.” I guess he just really liked it.
Johnston: He was just singing it the next day at soundcheck and I heard him and I was like, “Man, that sounded good.” He goes, “Yeah, I like that.” I said, “Did you want to sing on it? Because I’ve got a little studio set up in the back lounge of the bus.” He’s like, “Yeah! When?” I’m like, “Well, what are you doing now?” So he came over and sang that. Jansen and I had been playing phone tag because we were talking about maybe trying to do some shows in 2020 together, and he called me and said, “What are you doing?” I said, “Man, you’re not going to believe this, I’m recording Travis Tritt’s vocal on a new Cadillac thing.” And he goes, “What’s it called?” I said “Hard Out Here,” and he said “Send it to me, I want to sing on it!” I sent it to him and he, he sang on it and put harmonica on it, and gave it to me back in like two days. It was really quick.
Did you record most of COUNTRY FUZZ on the bus?
Johnston: All the vocals are sang on the back of the bus. All the overdubs and shit, for the most part, was done on the bus.
Ray: We go in the studio mainly for drums.
Johnston: You get out there and it’s hurry up and wait. We have all day so if we’re not writing, I’m usually back there working on something that’s record related. It’s pretty convenient to have that little space. I wish we could do drums on the bus.
Mason: We need another bus for drums. That’d be cheaper, right?
“Back Home” is the first outside song you guys have ever cut. Why did you cut it?
Johnston: I thought it was cool and I could relate to the story of it. The first time I heard it, James McNair played it for us on the bus and it was late night and we were drinking pretty good. I was just like, “Man, this is really good,” and I didn’t think about it again at all. Then he sent it to me or something like that and I listened to it and my bunk before I went to bed one night and I was like, “This is really good.” I didn’t like the demo vocal, like Chris Tompkins was singing one part and Craig Wiseman was singing the bridge and I was just like…it’s confusing. So I sent a message to Craig and said, “Man, you should put a vocal on this. I think somebody would cut it,” not even thinking about us. He sends it back to me two weeks later and I was like, “Great, he did it,” because that was because I was drunk, but he sent me the same damn demo that I had. But I was already in love with the song, I guess. It’s cool to get to play something extremely Allman Brothers, but with modern country songwriting. The key was taking it out of that vein and making it sound like us, because otherwise it would just sound like the Black Crows or something. We had to be careful with that, but I think it’s really cool. It reminds me of “Angels” a little bit from an American Bang record.
“Heat” and “Long After Last Call” sound like an instant classic Cadillac Three songs.
Mason: We wrote “Heat” on the back of the bus with Jimmy Robbins. I just know that happened really quickly, it kind of wrote itself in an hour or something.
Johnston: We didn’t even think about cutting it for the longest time.
Mason: No, it was sitting around. We’ve been working on this record for two years and we tried a lot of different kinds of songs and, recording wise, I think it’s one of the coolest ones. It’s got a lot of great layers to it.
Mason: “Long After Last Call” has been around for a while. Jaren wrote that by himself and it was one that I always really liked. I had a little work tape demo that he had done on it. We had looked at it for the Legacy record and then it didn’t end up fitting. It came back up for this record and when we decided that we were going to do call the record COUNTRY FUZZ, we wanted to have all the sounds that we’ve done over the last few records and do some new things, so that we kind of encapsulate everything.
Johnston: And that’s pretty country.
Mason: Yeah, it felt like a cool way to kind of close out the record.
Premier Productions Announces Promotions, Expansions
/by Lorie HollabaughPremier Productions has announced several company promotions. CEO Michael Pugh has been elevated to partner, Dan Rauter has been promoted from Strategic Partners Director to Vice President of Strategy and Partnership, Jonathan Roberts has been promoted from Touring Director to Sr Talent Buyer; Rann Russell has been promoted from Touring Coordinator to Talent Buyer; and Mallory Willingham has been promoted from Touring Coordinator to Talent Buyer.
“We are thrilled to welcome Michael Pugh as a partner,” said Shane Quick, co-owner of Premier Productions, the fourth largest promoter in the U.S. “Michael, Jonathan Roberts and Dan Rauter embody the leadership action and influence of a dream team. We sold 1.7 million tickets in 2019 and they are keys to that success and our future.”
“I am grateful to become a Partner with Roy, Gary and Shane in Premier and am equally excited for the changes we have made in our talent buying department,” said Partner and CEO Pugh. “Industry veteran Dan Rauter’s expertise combined with Jonathan Robert’s pace-setting passion plus Mallory Willingham’s and Rann Russell’s strengths in event development provide an even stronger foundation for our faith and family platform.”
“Premier has created a work environment that encourages partnership, personal growth, and professionalism (while still having a whole lot of fun),” said Dan Rauter. “We’re encouraged to think outside the box, try new things, and dream big. I’m so fortunate to be at Premier and be a part of this exciting time of growth and opportunity.”
“Thank you to Shane, Gary, Roy, and Michael for the foundation they’ve built at Premier and this amazing opportunity,” said Jonathan Roberts. “I love fostering innovation and new business. Our team collaboration gives way to success stories like Dude Perfect, growth for Hillsong United, and cross-genre tours like Hillsong Worship, Casting Crowns, and Elevation Worship.”
Premier has also announced the acquisition of two entities that provide the company with a full suite of end-to-end services to better serve its artists and event partners. Premier has acquired Loop, a company that operates VIP fan experiences and connects volunteers with both non-profits and artists in need of a team to help run their events. Helmed by Allyson Nelson, Loop launched in 2015 and has since recruited more than 90,000 volunteers who have staffed over 2500 events for leading artists and non-profits.
Premier has also developed Platform, a ticketing and conference registration service. The primary target market for Platform is churches, an underserved market with a defined need for a robust ticketing solution.
Bandsintown Partners With Google’s Waze
/by Jessica NicholsonConcert discovery and live music marketing platform Bandsintown has teamed with Google’s Waze, to aid concertgoers in finding the easiest routes to shows.
The partnership will allows users of the Bandsintown platform, which publishes more than 2.5 million events each year, to purchase tickets to the concert of their choice, and then click a “Plan Trip in Waze” button directly on the event page, to find real-time navigation that helps drivers find shortcuts and faster routes to their destination.
“We want to bring people together via live music,” explains Bandsintown Managing Partner Fabrice Sergent. “Bandsintown sends millions of fans to concerts and adding Waze to the Bandsintown experience adds another technology layer to make such experience smoother.”
“We always want to make sure drivers reach their destination in the quickest and safest way possible,” said Adam Fried, Head of Global Partnerships at Waze. “Partnering with Bandsintown through our Transport SDK will make it easy for concert-goers to arrive at their destination on time – spending more time enjoying their favorite band and less time worrying about issues on the road.”
Gene Watson Becomes Member Of Grand Ole Opry
/by Lorie HollabaughSteve Wariner, Gene Watson. Photo By: Chris Hollo
Gene Watson was welcomed into the Grand Ole Opry family Friday night (Feb. 7) by Opry member Steve Wariner.
“I remember my induction night as humbling and overwhelming,” said Wariner. “But tonight, it’s about Gene who is a great ambassador for country music and one of the best interpreters of a country song that ever lived.”
After an introduction by Opry announcer Eddie Stubbs, who claimed Watson as one of the most respected voices in country music history, Watson came center stage for his induction. “It’s hard to find the words to say, so I guess better than talking I ought to sing,” said Watson. “So many people contributed to this wonderful night, and I make a promise to everyone to keep up the tradition of country music.”
The legend celebrated the moment by performing his hits “Got No Reason Now For Goin’ Home,” “Fourteen Carat Mind,” and his classic “Farewell Party.”
Jenny Hall Named Creative Director Of Sheltered Music
/by Lorie HollabaughJenny Hall.
Jenny Hall has joined Sheltered Music as the newly appointed Creative Director. Previously the Creative Director at Given Entertainment, Hall brings experience in catalog and talent acquisition to the Nashville-based publishing house.
“We are really excited to have Jenny join the team at Sheltered Music. Her work ethic, experience and passion for music and songwriters is top-notch. She is going to be a great fit for our songwriters and a wonderful addition to the new publishing company in Nashville,” says Darrell Franklin, SVP of Sheltered Music.
“I am thrilled to be starting the next chapter of my career with Darrell and Blackbird Music Publishing Group President Lance Freed,” said Hall. “I look forward to this new journey and am excited to be a part of building this great company.”
Sheltered Music, a division of Blackbird Music Publishing Group, was founded by The Raine Group, Keith Wortman and Blackbird Presents and formed in July 2019.
The Cadillac Three Brings A ‘Country Fuzz’ Of Sounds To Their Fourth Album
/by LB CantrellPictured (L-R): Kelby Ray, Jaren Johnston, Neil Mason. Photo: Dylan Rucker
The Cadillac Three have been using the term ‘country fuzz’ to describe their unique southern rock sound for some time. Their COUNTRY FUZZ album, out today (Feb. 7), personifies the music the Big Machine Records trio makes perfectly.
Singer-guitarist Jaren Johnston, drummer Neil Mason, and lap-steel player Kelby Ray have been playing together for over a decade. The versatile band makes music that transcends genre, allowing them to fit perfectly alongside the live shows of modern country stars Eric Church, Dierks Bentley and Luke Bryan, country veterans Travis Tritt and Charlie Daniels, plus iconic rockers Metallica and Slayer.
COUNTRY FUZZ deepens the band’s country-rock hybrid with songs like “Labels,” “Heat” and “Slow Rollin’,” while also exploring new sounds like funk on tracks like the super-charged “Blue El Camino” and “The Jam.” They produced the album themselves, with the exception of “Crackin’ Cold Ones With The Boys,” which Dann Huff co-produced.
MusicRow sat down with Johnston, Mason and Ray recently to talk about the sonic kaleidoscope of a fourth record.
MusicRow: What does ‘country fuzz’ mean?
Ray: ‘Country Fuzz’ is us. It’s something we’ve been saying for years. We just decided to jus go all in with it on this album.
Johnston: We were in an interview in Europe somewhere and the guy said, ‘It’s like [Black] Sabbath on cornbread, right?’ I was like that’s fucking genius, but you can’t really coin that. We wanted to come out with something that was similar because, basically, it’s country songwriting at the heart of it—like story songwriting where you come down to that end hook where you wrap it up in a cool way that only country music does—with just the right amount of things that influenced us when we were 13, 14 years old, like Nirvana and stuff like that. When you’re 13 and that kind of movement [like Nirvana] happens, you get pretty into it no matter where you’re from or what you’re really into. I grew up listening to a lot of like that stuff, but being raised in country music, Nashville, Tennessee, and my dad being the business, that’s just kind of what we came up with, the Country Fuzz type.
Talk about “The Jam.” The message is interesting that when you hear something, if you like it, then it’s the jam. And then the song itself has like elements of funk, country and rock.
Johnston: It was two years ago, I wrote it with BK [Brian Kelley] from Florida Georgia Line, Corey Crowder and James McNair. We were all super hungover because we were at the 30A Songwriter Festival. Corey had that little track and I was under the impression we were writing it for Florida Georgia Line. FGL cut it and it didn’t make the record, so I took it in the back lounge of the bus and just like took it more of a Jerry Reed meets some sort of P-Funk slash Cadillac somewhere where it would make sense around what we were doing on this new record.
Ray: It’s ‘Country Fuzz.’
Johnston: We really had never cut anything like that, so I played it for the guys and they were like, “Man, that’s a jam!” Also, a lot of these things you record, you’re looking for something that’s going to be fun for the live show that really like is a jam in every sense of the word. Tempo is hard to write these days for some reason; I have a really good niche of like 85 BPM, whatever that is. This thing was tough, but we’ve won a couple of times with sounds like that, like “Days of Gold” was a big song for us and I just feel like it would be cool for this record so we went for it and I think it came out great.
You guys produced COUNTRY FUZZ on your own, other than “Crackin’ Cold Ones With The Boys,” and there’s definitely some surprising sounds there. What were you inspired by sonically?
Mason: Stretching it as far as we can.
Johnston: You’re trying to experiment with things. You might end up on something really cool that nobody’s doing, and then we try to take that every time to the next level. I say this every time we do record prep, but every record you’re trying to show growth because we’re not 19 anymore. So you’re trying to show people we’re a little smarter and better at what we do than the last record, or different at least.
You’re known for your high-energy live shows. How would you say these songs are going to feel live?
Ray: [“Slow Rollin'” and “Whiskey and Smoke”] we’ve been playing live already and they’re fun. It’s fun for us to work on new stuff and play stuff like ‘The Jam” and figure out how we’re going to do that live.
Johnston: You’re looking at three dudes with no tracks. You gotta really know it. I’m having a lot of fun playing “Blue El Camino” live because in my mind during that one song in the set, I’m like, “We’re ZZ Top.”
Tell me about working with Travis Tritt and Chris Janson on “Hard Out Here For A Country Boy.”
Mason: We were on tour with Travis this past spring and he would come on the bus after the shows pretty much every night. He’d blow on there about 20, 30 minutes after his set with his acoustic guitar and he would pour a big ole drink and kind of take over the front lounge of the bus until bus call, which was usually three or four in the morning.
Johnston: Which is a lot of fun, him telling stories and singing songs.
Mason: One of those nights in between him playing us a bunch of old Waylon covers, he was like, “Let me hear some of y’all’s shit.” So Jaren was playing him some of the new record and he played “Hard Out Here.” I guess he just really liked it.
Johnston: He was just singing it the next day at soundcheck and I heard him and I was like, “Man, that sounded good.” He goes, “Yeah, I like that.” I said, “Did you want to sing on it? Because I’ve got a little studio set up in the back lounge of the bus.” He’s like, “Yeah! When?” I’m like, “Well, what are you doing now?” So he came over and sang that. Jansen and I had been playing phone tag because we were talking about maybe trying to do some shows in 2020 together, and he called me and said, “What are you doing?” I said, “Man, you’re not going to believe this, I’m recording Travis Tritt’s vocal on a new Cadillac thing.” And he goes, “What’s it called?” I said “Hard Out Here,” and he said “Send it to me, I want to sing on it!” I sent it to him and he, he sang on it and put harmonica on it, and gave it to me back in like two days. It was really quick.
Did you record most of COUNTRY FUZZ on the bus?
Johnston: All the vocals are sang on the back of the bus. All the overdubs and shit, for the most part, was done on the bus.
Ray: We go in the studio mainly for drums.
Johnston: You get out there and it’s hurry up and wait. We have all day so if we’re not writing, I’m usually back there working on something that’s record related. It’s pretty convenient to have that little space. I wish we could do drums on the bus.
Mason: We need another bus for drums. That’d be cheaper, right?
“Back Home” is the first outside song you guys have ever cut. Why did you cut it?
Johnston: I thought it was cool and I could relate to the story of it. The first time I heard it, James McNair played it for us on the bus and it was late night and we were drinking pretty good. I was just like, “Man, this is really good,” and I didn’t think about it again at all. Then he sent it to me or something like that and I listened to it and my bunk before I went to bed one night and I was like, “This is really good.” I didn’t like the demo vocal, like Chris Tompkins was singing one part and Craig Wiseman was singing the bridge and I was just like…it’s confusing. So I sent a message to Craig and said, “Man, you should put a vocal on this. I think somebody would cut it,” not even thinking about us. He sends it back to me two weeks later and I was like, “Great, he did it,” because that was because I was drunk, but he sent me the same damn demo that I had. But I was already in love with the song, I guess. It’s cool to get to play something extremely Allman Brothers, but with modern country songwriting. The key was taking it out of that vein and making it sound like us, because otherwise it would just sound like the Black Crows or something. We had to be careful with that, but I think it’s really cool. It reminds me of “Angels” a little bit from an American Bang record.
“Heat” and “Long After Last Call” sound like an instant classic Cadillac Three songs.
Mason: We wrote “Heat” on the back of the bus with Jimmy Robbins. I just know that happened really quickly, it kind of wrote itself in an hour or something.
Johnston: We didn’t even think about cutting it for the longest time.
Mason: No, it was sitting around. We’ve been working on this record for two years and we tried a lot of different kinds of songs and, recording wise, I think it’s one of the coolest ones. It’s got a lot of great layers to it.
Mason: “Long After Last Call” has been around for a while. Jaren wrote that by himself and it was one that I always really liked. I had a little work tape demo that he had done on it. We had looked at it for the Legacy record and then it didn’t end up fitting. It came back up for this record and when we decided that we were going to do call the record COUNTRY FUZZ, we wanted to have all the sounds that we’ve done over the last few records and do some new things, so that we kind of encapsulate everything.
Johnston: And that’s pretty country.
Mason: Yeah, it felt like a cool way to kind of close out the record.
Hope Darst Signs With Fair Trade Services, Releases New Single “Peace Be Still”
/by Lorie HollabaughPictured: Fair Trade Records with Hope Darst.
Hope Darst has signed with Fair Trade Services and is releasing her debut song, “Peace Be Still,” available everywhere today. The song was co-written with Mia Fieldes and Andrew Holt.
“I’m blown away thinking about this right now,” said Darst. “I’m turning 40 this year, and to think that at 40 I’m signing my first recording contract makes me cry knowing the story God has written for me—and the beautiful stories He writes for all of us that we can’t even imagine. I dreamed of being an artist for 25 years, and then laid that dream aside to pursue what God had called me to do—raise a family and serve local church. I never imagined that 15 years later, God would lead me back to my first dream of writing and releasing music as an artist. What I’ve learned is that when we stay surrendered and keep saying ‘Yes’ to the season God puts in front of you, He writes an amazing story over our lives. So whatever you have in your life that might look finished or over, you have no idea what God could bring to life again.”
In 2013, Darst found herself in a moment of crisis and realized she needed ministry more than she needed to minister. Darst transitioned to being a full-time mom and committed herself to a season of healing. During that time of seeking wholeness, a friend invited their family to a grassroots Bible study that eventually grew into The Belonging Co. in Nashville. She eventually started leading worship again and soon found herself co-writing with her worship team. While on a worship team retreat, Darst, along with seasoned songwriters, Fieldes and Holt, penned “Peace Be Still.” Over the next two years, Darst saw the song become an anthem of hope for their congregation and soar to new heights as churches around the globe embraced its truth as their own.
Darst will be releasing a full-length debut on Fair Trade Records in the Summer of 2020.
Curb Publishing Adds Michael Farren To Roster
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured (L-R): Trevor Mathiesen (Publishing and A&R Director), Michael Farren, Jonathan Mason (VP, Christian A&R and Publishing), John Nemoy (VP, Legal Affairs)
Curb Publishing has signed songwriter Michael Farren. The deal represents a reunion for Farren and Curb | Word, as Farren previously signed to Word in 2005 as an artist-songwriter with the band Pocket Full of Rocks.
“Michael Farren is one of Christian music’s most gifted writers and producers, and valued mentors, and we are honored he’ll be joining our family of writers,” said Jonathan Mason, VP Curb | Word Christian A&R and Publishing. “His addition to our roster is just one piece of the greater puzzle God is building here. With Mike Curb’s involvement, building on the rich legacy of Word Records, our team is more excited than ever about the future of Christian music.”
As a songwriter, Farren’s recent cuts include Lauren Daigle’s Grammy-nominated, Platinum-selling single “Trust In You,” as well as the title track on Reba McEntire’s Grammy-winning album Sing It Now, as well as Michael W. Smith’s worship classic “Let It Rain.” Farren also produced Christine D’Clario’s 2015 Dove Award-winning Eterno (Live).
Farren’s songs have also been recorded by Natalie Grant, Mandisa, Karen Peck & New River, Darlene Zschech, Blind Boys of Alabama, Big Daddy Weave, Brian Free & Assurance, Unspoken, and more.
The Curb publishing roster also includes Tedd T, Jason Walker, Sarah Reeves, Tony Wood, Benji Cowart, Joel Lindsey, Rebekah White, Kenna West, Wayne Haun, Molly Reed, Josh Bronleewe, Ben Backus, Mark Campbell, Joseph Prielozny, and Chris Mackey, among others.
Tin Pan South Expands With Daytime Events
/by Lorie HollabaughThe 28th annual Tin Pan South Songwriters Festival has announced some details for this year’s festival, taking place March 24-28. This year, Tin Pan South week will not only include five nights of back-to-back shows in 10 venues, but daytime programming at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum Thursday – Saturday, an NSAI open house, a Whiskey Jam takeover, the first annual Member Awards presented by Regions Bank, and one of NSAI’s premier educational events, the Tin Pan South Songwriting Seminar.
This year’s full lineup and schedule will be revealed on tinpansouth.com Tuesday, Feb. 25 when Fast Access Passes go on sale. For a sneak peek at the line-up, download the festival app to see the performer list on Friday, Feb. 21.
March 23 – Tin Pan South will kick off the 2020 festival with a Whiskey Jam takeover, giving attendees a taste of what to expect for the upcoming week.
March 23-24 – Tin Pan South Songwriting Seminar offering an opportunity to learn from over a dozen industry professionals (including several songwriters who will be performing later in the week during the festival)
March 25 -NSAI will host an Open House at its location on Music Row from 2 PM to 5 PM
March 26 – In an invitation-only event, NSAI will hold its first Member Awards (presented by Regions Bank). First-year honors include awards voted by NSAI’s global membership and select honorees recognized by NSAI staff members.
March 26-28 – Afternoon programming at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum beginning at 2 PM each day.
Prescription Songs Signs Tim Gent
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured (L-R): Christian Conant (Prescription Songs), Rachel Wein (Prescription Songs), Farrah Usmani (Loeb & Loeb LLP), Tim Gent, Katie Fagan (Prescription Songs), Eric Holt (SYZGY Management), Zack Cobb (SYZGY Management)
Prescription Songs has signed hip-hop artist, writer and rapper Tim Gent to its publishing roster. Gent is managed by SYZYGY Management’s Eric Holt and Zack Cobb.
“Just feels good to be a part of the actual underground culture here in Nashville and have the opportunity to bring that to the forefront by partnering with a company like RX,” Gent says.
Gent has become a mainstay on the local Nashville music scene, thanks in part to songs such as 2016’s “Lady America,” which featured Drisana DeSpain. In 2018, Gent released the full-length project Life Away From Home, which features collaborations with Jamiah Hudson, Bryant Taylorr, Case Arnold, Kyro $wanks and more. Two tracks from the album are slated to be featured in the upcoming film The Violent Heart.
“We couldn’t be more happy for Tim! His talent, work ethic and personality proves that he is on his way to an amazing career. We are excited he joined the RX team and look forward to continuing our work together,” added SYZYGY Management’s Holt and Cobb.
“Tim Gent and his managers have worked tirelessly to elevate homegrown hip-hop in Nashville, and Katie Fagan has played an important role in nurturing the city’s non-country songwriting community for many years,” says Usmani. “As such, Tim’s partnership with RX is a natural fit, and I look forward to seeing what they can accomplish together,” said Farrah Usmani of Loeb & Loeb.
CD Baby To Receive Music Biz 2020 Independent Spirit Award
/by Lorie HollabaughIndependent music distributor CD Baby will receive Music Biz’s 2020 Independent Spirit Award during the Music Biz 2020 Annual Conference, taking place May 11-14 at the JW Marriott Nashville. The award will be presented during the annual Music Biz Awards Dinner.
CD Baby was founded in 1998 as a way to easily sell independent music on the internet. As more and more artists learned of the platform and asked for their music to be included, the CD Baby storefront was created. Over time, the company expanded the slate of services it offered, from digital distribution to sync licensing to marketing and, most recently, publishing. Now representing more than 750,000 artists from around the globe and a catalog of more than 9 million tracks, CD Baby is the largest distributor of independent music in the world.
“Coming from the indie sector myself, I’ve always admired that CD Baby were early to the DIY party, spending the last 22 years putting flesh on the spirit of independent music,” said Music Biz President Portia Sabin. “Through the years, CD Baby has helped more and more indie artists realize their dream of releasing their own music, truly embodying the independent spirit through their service to the indie musician community in the digital age.”
“Over many years, we’ve learned that what independent artists often need most is a partner that listens,” said CD Baby CEO Tracy Maddux. “That’s why we’ve expanded our artist services in groundbreaking ways that unlock more opportunities, from royalty administration to sync placements, and why we provide the best customer support, not only in the US but now internationally. We’re proud to enable powerful connections between artists with a distinct vision, and major tech platforms and music services, while always remembering that the artist comes first.”
Music Biz’s Independent Spirit Award honors those who embody the spirit of new thinking, entrepreneurship, and success in their business models, those who help grow and enhance the business of independent music for retailers and content providers. Previous Independent Spirit Award winners include Richard Storms and Alayna Alderman of Record Archive; the Radakovitz family and Dimple Records; Terry Currier of Music Millennium; Glenn Dicker and Tor Hansen of Redeye USA; John Kunz of Waterloo Records & Video; Jonathan Poneman of Sub Pop Records; the organizers of Record Store Day; and Brett Gurewitz of Epitaph Records.