Hayley Williams and Kacey Musgraves. Photo: Catherine Powell/Ryman Instagram
On Wednesday evening (Feb. 27), Kacey Musgraves brought her Oh, What A World Tour to Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium (the first of four consecutive sold-out Ryman concerts for her this week). The concert served as a triumphant homecoming for the UMG Nashville-signed singer, who recently took home the coveted all-genre Album of the Year Grammy award for her sterling Golden Hour project.
The show marked Musgraves’ first show in Nashville following her Grammy trophy gatherings, where she also took home three additional awards including Best Country Album (also Golden Hour), while two tracks from that project also earned awards—“Space Cowboy” for Best Country Song, and “Butterflies” for Best Country Solo Performance.
Musgraves came prepared to celebrate that sterling project at the Ryman, with the majority of the set list drawn from Golden Hour. She opened the show, resplendent in a bubblegum-pink pantsuit, with “Slow Burn,” before turning to the lush, ‘70s country-pop of “Wonder Woman.” She would revisit those sultry accents in her rendition of “Velvet Elvis.”
“I’ve missed home a lot,” Musgraves said. “I know this place can be fancy. You are sitting in church pews, but that don’t matter tonight.” She said, and later spurred the audience members to give each other high fives and throw their middle fingers in the air all around the historic venue.
Though she dubbed herself “Spacey Kacey,” Musgraves held court that evening, as her warm and transcendent voice, paired with her engrossing musical repertoire and her whimsical attire, evoked the flair of essence of country’s revered performers and song crafters like Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn. In a nod to Golden Hour’s album cover, large fans provided an larger-than-life, yet understated backdrop.
All perfectly fitting, given that it was at the Ryman Auditorium when Musgraves first introduced radio programmers to her debut single, “Merry Go ‘Round” back in 2012. During this evening’s show, Musgraves scarcely needed to even sing her sharp-witted criticism of small-town short-comings, as the audience gleefully—and, this being Nashville, in perfect unison—sang the lyrics back to her.
“Are y’all a bunch of singers?” she quipped.
Musgraves peppered her performance with such canny quips.
“Is weed not legal here yet?” she said, following a performance of “High Time.”
Her silky voice consistently brings a sense of contentment and even destiny in equal measure to both life’s wonders (“Oh, What A World,” which earned her a standing ovation) and disappointments (the zen romantic farewell of “Space Cowboy”).
Pictured (L-R): Ryman Director of Concerts Chrissy Hall, Sandbox Entertainment’s Leslie Cohea, Senior Vice President of Programming and Artist Relations for Grand Ole Opry & Ryman Auditorium General Manager Sally Williams, Kacey Musgraves, Sandbox Entertainment President/CEO Jason Owen, Sandbox Entertainment’s Samantha Borenstein
The Texas native reflected on a couple additional high-profile appearances, including presenting an award at the Oscars, and a performance at RodeoHouston. Her spin at the revered Texas venue included both a cover of the late Selena Quintanilla’s “Como La Flor,” and a fitting conclusion to the show, riding off from the stage on a horse when ending the show with “High Horse.”
“I’ve never seen such Texan shit in my life, and I’m from Texas,” she told the Ryman crowd.
She thanked the Music City audience, which included several music industry execs. “Nashville has had a lot to do with that,” she said.
She welcomed husband and fellow musician Ruston Kelly to the stage, telling the crowd how they met.
“It’s sickeningly Nashville,” she said. “We met at the Bluebird [Café]. I went by myself and sat at the bar and I heard him sing.”
The pair performed “To June This Morning,” a track from the album Johnny Cash: Forever Words, setting their own musical arrangements to words Cash penned as a poem to his wife June Carter Cash in early 1970, while she was pregnant with their son John Carter Cash.
The tempo lifted as Musgraves welcomed Paramore’s Hayley Williams to the stage for a fun harmony-filled frolic on Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want To Have Fun.”
She neared the close of her set with a couplet of uplifting, comforting tracks.
“Country music hasn’t always been the most inclusive of environments, but not anymore,” she remarked, to the cheers of the audience.
She emphasized that statement with her 2013 hit, “Follow Your Arrow,” which earned a CMA Award for Song of the Year from Nashville’s music industry voters, and “Rainbow,” the calm, soul-reviving piece she offered during the recent Grammy awards. The peacefulness of “Rainbow” stirred into freedom and merriment as the show closed on her disco and western music-infusion “High Horse,” where she swayed along with the audience while her band members threw plastic balls into the audience, turning the revered, historic Ryman Auditorium into a shimmering, golden dance party.
Michael Knox Promoted To Sr. VP, peermusic Nashville
/by Jessica NicholsonMichael Knox
peermusic has promoted Michael Knox to Senior Vice President, peermusic Nashville, as announced today by Kathy Spanberger, President & Chief Operating Officer, peermusic. Knox, who previously served as Vice President of peermusic Nashville before his promotion, will continue to oversee all aspects of the company’s Nashville operation. In addition to his work with peermusic, Knox is also an accomplished producer who has produced 23 No. 1 songs and is well known for his work with superstar Jason Aldean.
“Michael’s creative and business leadership has been the reason peermusic has had such incredible success and growth in the country music space over the past few years. This promotion is a well-deserved acknowledgement of all of his contributions to the company. Personally, I am in awe of his abilities, especially his wicked sense of humor (!), and feel very fortunate to be able to work with him every day,” said Spanberger.
“I want to thank Kathy and the rest of the peermusic team not only for this promotion, but for the privilege to work with our amazing staff and the incredibly talented roster of artists and writers we have at peermusic Nashville. We’re all working together to build something really special here and I’m very proud to be part of it,” said Knox.
During his time leading peermusic’s Nashville office, the company has built itself into one of country music’s top independent publishers. It published the 2013 ASCAP Song of the Year with Randy Houser’s “How Country Feels” (co-written by Neil Thrasher and Vicky McGehee) and the 2016 SESAC Country Song of the Year with Dierks Bentley’s “Somewhere on a Beach” (co-written by Michael Tyler and Jaron Boyer).
peermusic currently has the number one most-added song at radio with Jason Aldean’s “Rearview Town” (produced by Knox and co-written by Neil Thrasher). The company’s writers also celebrate four songs on the country charts this week, including two songs in the Top 10, with Jason Aldean’s “Girl Like You” at No. 4 (produced by Knox and co-written by Jaron Boyer and Michael Tyler), Riley Green’s “There Was This Girl” at No. 8 (co-written by Erik Dylan), and Cole Swindell’s “Love You Too Late” (co-written by Brandon Kinney) and Jason Aldean’s “Rearview Town.”
Knox is on the ACM Board of Directors and has previously served on the CMA Board of Directors.
Thomas Rhett Reveals Upcoming Album ‘Center Point Road’ With New Single
/by LB CantrellThomas Rhett announced his fourth studio album, Center Point Road, is due out May 31 on The Valory Music Co., and released the project’s leading single “Look What God Gave Her” today (March 1).
Center Point Road is named after the street in his Tennessee hometown that shaped and influenced much of his life experiences. More details about the project will be revealed later.
“Look What God Gave Her” was written by Rhett, Rhett Akins, Julian Bunetta, John Ryan and J Cash. It’s available for purchase and streaming now.
“I think I played this song 2,000 times in a month after we first wrote it,” said Thomas Rhett. “It makes me want to dance. It makes me want to move. And to me, the song really is a celebration of how awesome my wife is. I know I’ve done that in the past, but I’ve never really done it in an uptempo way.”
Center Point Road is available for pre-order here.
Nashville Band The Prescriptions Sign With Single Lock Records
/by Jessica NicholsonNashville-based rock band The Prescriptions have signed with Florence, Alabama-based Single Lock Records, and will release their debut album for the label, titled Hollywood Gold, on April 5. Previously-released singles off the record include “She Is Waiting,” “Cuts Like A Knife,” “Broken Wing,” and the title track.
Single Lock Records was founded in 2013 by John Paul White (formerly of the Civil Wars), alongside Ben Tanner and Will Trapp. The label’s artists include White, St. Paul and the Broken Bones, and Steelism, among others.
The Prescriptions’ Hays Ragsdale moved to Nashville in 2014, after family friend Chas Williams convinced him to try creating his sound in Music City. Ragsdale later teamed with bassist Parker McAnnally, and later guitarist Jack Thomason and drummer John Wood. The band has been recording their latest project in Nashville’s Sound Emporium Studios.
Hollywood Gold Tracklist:
1) Setting Sun
2) Hollywood Gold
3) She Is Waiting
4) Broken Wing
5) I’m Out
6) Can’t Ask For More
7) Cuts Like A Knife
8) Loose Ends
9) Night Before I Lost My Mind
10) All Your Life
11) Days Go By
Mark Your Calendar—March 2019
/by Eric T. ParkerSingle Add Dates
March 4
Chris Janson/Good Vibes/Warner Bros. Records
Kip Moore/The Bull/MCA Nashville
Thomas Rhett/Look What God Gave Her/Valory
HARDY/Rednecker/Big Loud Records
David Lee Murphy/No Zip Code/Reviver Records
Michael Zaib/Broken Hearts Should Be A Crime/Trestle Ridge
Bailey James/Devil Won’t Take Me Down/KA4 Productions
Kelsie May/Fool For You/MC1 Nashville
Linde LeChance/Green Eyes/SMG
March 11
King Calaway/World For Two/Stoney Creek Records
March 18
Michael Corin/Little Bit Reckless/SMG
Lady Redneck/Duct Tape My Broken Heart/LR Records
March 21
Liz Moriondo/You Made Me (Momma’s Song)/Gone Fishin’ Records
Jason Benoit/I Won’t Go/Vicktory Music Group
March 25
Randy Rogers Band/Crazy People/Thirty Tigers
Cash Creek/My One and Only Weakness/Heartland Records Nashville
Arlene Quinn/Jackpot/Willow Sound
Album Release Dates
March 1
Lonnie Spiker/Five/Megalith Nashville
March 8
Maren Morris/GIRL/Columbia Records Nashville
Elijah Woods x Jamie Fine/8:47/Big Machine Records
March 22
Steven Curtis Chapman/Deeper Roots: Where The Bluegrass Grows
March 29
George Strait/Honky Tonk Time Machine/MCA Nashville
Jake Owen/GREETINGS FROM…JAKE/Big Loud Records
LOCASH/Brothers/Wheelhouse Records-BBR Music Group
Steve Earle/GUY/New West Records
Michael Johnathon/Dazed and Confuzed/PoetMan Records
Industry Events
March 8-17
SXSW
March 14
Sixth annual iHeartRadio Music Awards airing live from the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on FOX
March 19
Final round voting closes for 2019 ACM Awards
March 26
MusicRow‘s Rising Women On The Row celebration at the Omni Nashville Hotel [tickets required]
March 26 – 30
NSAI’s Tin Pan South
Weekly Chart Report (3/1/19)
/by Alex ParryClick here or above to access MusicRow’s weekly CountryBreakout Report.
Kacey Musgraves Welcomes Ruston Kelly, Paramore’s Hayley Williams For Triumphant Nashville Homecoming
/by Jessica NicholsonHayley Williams and Kacey Musgraves. Photo: Catherine Powell/Ryman Instagram
On Wednesday evening (Feb. 27), Kacey Musgraves brought her Oh, What A World Tour to Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium (the first of four consecutive sold-out Ryman concerts for her this week). The concert served as a triumphant homecoming for the UMG Nashville-signed singer, who recently took home the coveted all-genre Album of the Year Grammy award for her sterling Golden Hour project.
The show marked Musgraves’ first show in Nashville following her Grammy trophy gatherings, where she also took home three additional awards including Best Country Album (also Golden Hour), while two tracks from that project also earned awards—“Space Cowboy” for Best Country Song, and “Butterflies” for Best Country Solo Performance.
Musgraves came prepared to celebrate that sterling project at the Ryman, with the majority of the set list drawn from Golden Hour. She opened the show, resplendent in a bubblegum-pink pantsuit, with “Slow Burn,” before turning to the lush, ‘70s country-pop of “Wonder Woman.” She would revisit those sultry accents in her rendition of “Velvet Elvis.”
“I’ve missed home a lot,” Musgraves said. “I know this place can be fancy. You are sitting in church pews, but that don’t matter tonight.” She said, and later spurred the audience members to give each other high fives and throw their middle fingers in the air all around the historic venue.
Though she dubbed herself “Spacey Kacey,” Musgraves held court that evening, as her warm and transcendent voice, paired with her engrossing musical repertoire and her whimsical attire, evoked the flair of essence of country’s revered performers and song crafters like Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn. In a nod to Golden Hour’s album cover, large fans provided an larger-than-life, yet understated backdrop.
All perfectly fitting, given that it was at the Ryman Auditorium when Musgraves first introduced radio programmers to her debut single, “Merry Go ‘Round” back in 2012. During this evening’s show, Musgraves scarcely needed to even sing her sharp-witted criticism of small-town short-comings, as the audience gleefully—and, this being Nashville, in perfect unison—sang the lyrics back to her.
“Are y’all a bunch of singers?” she quipped.
Musgraves peppered her performance with such canny quips.
“Is weed not legal here yet?” she said, following a performance of “High Time.”
Her silky voice consistently brings a sense of contentment and even destiny in equal measure to both life’s wonders (“Oh, What A World,” which earned her a standing ovation) and disappointments (the zen romantic farewell of “Space Cowboy”).
Pictured (L-R): Ryman Director of Concerts Chrissy Hall, Sandbox Entertainment’s Leslie Cohea, Senior Vice President of Programming and Artist Relations for Grand Ole Opry & Ryman Auditorium General Manager Sally Williams, Kacey Musgraves, Sandbox Entertainment President/CEO Jason Owen, Sandbox Entertainment’s Samantha Borenstein
The Texas native reflected on a couple additional high-profile appearances, including presenting an award at the Oscars, and a performance at RodeoHouston. Her spin at the revered Texas venue included both a cover of the late Selena Quintanilla’s “Como La Flor,” and a fitting conclusion to the show, riding off from the stage on a horse when ending the show with “High Horse.”
“I’ve never seen such Texan shit in my life, and I’m from Texas,” she told the Ryman crowd.
She thanked the Music City audience, which included several music industry execs. “Nashville has had a lot to do with that,” she said.
She welcomed husband and fellow musician Ruston Kelly to the stage, telling the crowd how they met.
“It’s sickeningly Nashville,” she said. “We met at the Bluebird [Café]. I went by myself and sat at the bar and I heard him sing.”
The pair performed “To June This Morning,” a track from the album Johnny Cash: Forever Words, setting their own musical arrangements to words Cash penned as a poem to his wife June Carter Cash in early 1970, while she was pregnant with their son John Carter Cash.
The tempo lifted as Musgraves welcomed Paramore’s Hayley Williams to the stage for a fun harmony-filled frolic on Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want To Have Fun.”
She neared the close of her set with a couplet of uplifting, comforting tracks.
“Country music hasn’t always been the most inclusive of environments, but not anymore,” she remarked, to the cheers of the audience.
She emphasized that statement with her 2013 hit, “Follow Your Arrow,” which earned a CMA Award for Song of the Year from Nashville’s music industry voters, and “Rainbow,” the calm, soul-reviving piece she offered during the recent Grammy awards. The peacefulness of “Rainbow” stirred into freedom and merriment as the show closed on her disco and western music-infusion “High Horse,” where she swayed along with the audience while her band members threw plastic balls into the audience, turning the revered, historic Ryman Auditorium into a shimmering, golden dance party.
DISClaimer: Newcomer Hits From Logan Brill, Abby Anderson, Jimmie Allen, Morgan Wallen, Zac Clifton
/by Robert K OermannToday’s listening session belongs to country’s up-and-comers.
Despite the presence of proven hit makers Thomas Rhett, Jennifer Nettles, The Randy Rogers Band and pop stars A.J. McLean and Danny Woods, the winning sounds in today’s DisClaimer column belong to artists with less marquee power.
In fact, I loved the baby acts so much that I’m dishing out three Disc of the Day prizes. The Female winner is Logan Brill. The Male winner is Morgan Wallen. The Group honoree is the duet by Jimmie Allen & Abby Anderson. Play them all.
The DisCovery Award winner is a revelation. I can’t remember the last time I was so blown away by a young talent as I am by Zac Clifton. If you love real country music, by all means lend him your ears.
A.J. MCLEAN/A Boy and a Man
Writers: Rob Crosby/Dave Fenley; Producer: Jason Massey; Publishers: none listed; InTune
– This Backstreet Boy tosses his hat into the country winner’s circle with this lilting come-on. He’s going to be her best lover because he’s gonna show her the difference between a boy and a man. A mid-tempo charmer with a lovely, wafting production.
DANNY WOOD and JESSIE CHRIS/Bodyguard
Writers: Danny Wood; Producer: Dow Brain; Publisher: none listed; JC
– New Kids on Block vet Danny teams up with new country soprano Jessie on this would-be power ballad. The anti-bullying song falls flat, and they lack chemistry as a vocal team.
JIMMIE ALLEN & ABBY ANDERSON/Shallow
Writers: Lady Gaga/Mark Ronson/Anthony Mossomando/Andrew Wyatt; Producer: Ash Bowers and Doug Johnson; Publishers: Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, House Of Gaga Publishing LLC, Concord Copyrights, Songs Of Zelig; Downtown DMP Songs, Downtown DLJ Songs, Warner-Barham Music, LLC and Warner-Olive Music, LLC; BBR
– This ballad won the Oscar as Best Movie Song and is a proven pop favorite. Jimmie and Abby’s acoustic version shimmers with the tension and finesse that only two vocalists of outstanding ability can deliver. These country kids sing their hearts out here. An undeniable winner.
LOGAN BRILL/Walk of Shame
Writers: Logan Brill/Nathan/Chapman/Chad Carlson; Producer: Jason Lehning; Publishers: WB Music Corp./Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp/Eight Nine 89 Music/Cabana Publishing; ASCAP/BMI/SESAC; LB
– I dig this. She sounds wise and bruised. Booze can lead you to regret and recrimination. The chiming production gives oomph to every line of her tale of feeling dirty after spending a night of weakness with an old flame.
LOCKWOOD BARR/I’m Not Crazy
Writers: Lockwood Barr/Ryan Youmans; Producer: Ryan Youmans; Publishers: Barr None Entertainment
– It begins with an ear-catching hesitation in her delivery and a deliberate, halting quality in the production. The tempo and the sonic complexity increase as she gets to the hook. The contrast between her rippling banjo notes and her sultry singing is oddly pleasing. Although I think this is a terrifically creative record, it’s probably a mite too meditative, atmospheric and hook-challenged to succeed on country radio.
MORGAN WALLEN/Chasin’ You
Writers: Craig Michael Wiseman/Jamie Moore/Morgan Cole Wallen; Producer: Christen Pinkston; Publishers: Kobalt/Warner-Chappell/BMG Rights Management, no performance rights listed; Big Loud
– I think this guy is a superstar in the making. I have loved everything he has issued, including this airy, open-road ode to a romance that has its taillights fading off in the distance. Great vocal, great song.
THOMAS RHETT/Look What God Gave Her
Writers: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publishers: none listed; Valory Music
– This thumpy toe tapper has a light-hearted innocence that’s infectious. Highly listenable.
RANDY ROGERS BAND/Crazy People
Writers: Brad Clawson/Jamie Paulin/Will Weatherly; Producer: Dave Cobb; Publisher:© 2019 Mandy’s Favorite Songs/Five Miles West/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp (BMI), Songs of Universal, Inc./Songsfortatum Publishing (BMI), Mandy’s Favorite Songs/Track House Worldwide Entertainment/Warner-Tamerlane Publishing Corp (BMI); Thirty Tigers
– I’d have mixed the lead vocal a little hotter. But the band remains a total groove governor. And you have to give props to an outfit that has retained the same membership for 20 years. This is an endearing and enduring country treasure.
JENNIFER NETTLES/I Can Do Hard Things
Writers: none listed; Producer: none listed; Publisher: none listed; Big Machine
– Sung from the point of view of a woman who has endured much, but who perseveres through it all with joy, gratitude and wisdom. Sung with force and believability, this ballad has the power to become an anthem.
ZAC CLIFTON/Honky Tonk Heaven
Writer: Zac Clifton; Producer: Bobby Flores; Publishers: Rain In Spain, BMI; RD
– This 17-year-old Texan is a breath of fresh air. He’s a hard-country, honky-tonk throwback with a penetrating vocal delivery and a delightful, fiddle-and-steel production. The title tune of his album salutes Lefty, Paycheck, Merle, Patsy, Waylon, Hank, Johnny & June, Mel, Jones, Tammy, Kitty and your other gone-away country favorites in a place where “heroes spread their wings and fly.” Yee-Haw! from this corner. Not only does he sing like a bird, he wrote every song on the collection.
RIAA Releases Year-End 2018 Report, Sees Third Year Of Double-Digit Growth
/by Eric T. ParkerThe U.S. music industry experienced its third consecutive year of double-digit growth in 2018 with retail revenues up 12 percent to $9.8 billion.
Streaming now comprises 75 percent of total industry revenues, as more than 50 million paid subscriptions have been realized. Vinyl continues to be a bright spot for the physical market, up 8 percent to $419 million, the highest revenue level since 1988.
See the full report here.
RIAA Chairman & CEO Mitch Glazier commented in Medium:
Jake Owen Announces New Album, ‘Greetings From…Jake’
/by LB CantrellJake Owen announced today (Feb. 28) that he will release his next full-length album, Greetings From…Jake, on March 29 on Big Loud Records. The ACM-nominated single, “Down To The Honkytonk,” and Owen’s seventh career No. 1 “I Was Jack (You Were Diane)” will be featured on the album. Owen’s first full-length project with Big Loud is produced by Joey Moi.
The album’s cover art was inspired by postcards from Owen’s childhood and his Floridian roots, with a nod to Owen’s new label home and a welcome invitation for fans to join him on this next chapter musically and in all areas of his life.
Daniella Rasho Named Creative Director, A&R At Home Team Publishing
/by Lorie HollabaughDaniella Rasho has joined Home Team Publishing as Creative Director, A&R. In partnership with her new role at the Thomas Rhett/Rhett Akins/Virginia Bunetta co-venture, she will also liaison at G Major Management and continue to serve in Roc Nation A&R where she oversees the catalogues, discovery and development of a wide roster of producers and songwriters.
Rasho was raised in Los Angeles as a multilingual, first-generation American. She graduated from the Bandier Program at Syracuse University and in school served as Music Director of the college radio station WERW and venue manager for on-campus theater facilities. She began her career with Roc Nation at 18 and has held various positions ranging from management, A&R publishing and record label related projects.
“Daniella has a natural talent for connection and an understanding of the innerworkings of the creative community that is essential for nurturing and developing talent. I’m very excited to see her career expand into Nashville with Home Team and G Major,” says Bunetta.
“The talent and energy coming out of Nashville has always been inspiring to me and I’m especially honored to be joining the Home Team and G Major family,” shares Rasho. “Virginia has fostered an impressive group of artists with a bold vision and I look forward to contributing to the continued growth of talent and creativity. I’m eternally grateful to Virginia Bunetta and Jay Brown for their guidance and belief in me.”