Brad Paisley, PRCA Team For Rodeo Version Of “Bucked Off”

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Brad Paisley has partnered with the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA) to launch a special rodeo version video of his current single, “Bucked Off.” The video premiered during Wrangler National Finals Rodeo Kickoff at World Champion Bull Riders’ Gary Leffew’s Bucking Ball at The Tropicana Las Vegas.

“This is the 45th year of my Bucking Ball and it just keeps getting better and better.  We could not have been more excited and honored to host Brad Paisley’s World Premiere Video (rodeo version) to a sell-out crowd at this years Bucking Ball,” says Leffew.

The Bucking Ball is co-hosted by World Champion Bull Rider Leffew and Nashville’s Sharla McCoy (former Miss Rodeo and country radio veteran producer and host). The video premiered before a sold-out crowd including multiple PRCA riders/contestants, BFO (Bull Fighter’s Only), Miss Rodeo America Contestants, the Pendleton Posse and others from around the country and Australia and Canada. A grand prize giveaway was held for a trip for two to attend a 2019 Brad Paisley show with meet and greet during the event as well.

 

YouTube video

Kristen Ashley Forms 11/10 Management, Signs Longtime Client Mitchell Tenpenny

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Pictured (L-R): Haley McLemore, 377/RLM, 11/10 Management’s Kristen Ashley, Mitchell Tenpenny, and RLM’s Coran Capshaw (not pictured are Enzo DeVincenzo 377/RLM and 11/10 Management’s JT Pratt)

Music manager Kristen Ashley has launched 11/10 Management, signing longtime client Mitchell Tenpenny and adding team member JT Pratt. Simultaneously, 11/10 Management has partnered with 377 Management/Red Light. Ashley previously worked at Riser House, where Tenpenny was the flagship artist.

Riser House was founded by Matt Swanson, Jennifer Johnson and Tenpenny. Tenpenny’s publishing remains with Riser House and his upcoming debut major label project, Telling All My Secrets, will be released as a joint venture on Riser House/Columbia Nashville on Dec. 14. The album features Tenpenny’s chart-topping first single “Drunk Me,” which he co-wrote with Jordan Schmidt and Justin Wilson.

“It’s a dream to work with a team like this,” shares Tenpenny. “I’m just excited about the future as the sky is the limit with this group.”

Ashley can be reached at (615) 321-0377 and kristen@redlightmanagement.com, while Pratt can be reached at (615) 321-0377 and jt@redlightmanagement.com.

Randy Travis Honored With Helping A Hero’s Lee Greenwood Award

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Pictured (L-R) top row: Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner, Chairman of the Board David Balat, PR Chair Jennifer Hammond, Tate Stevens, Nicole C. Mullen, Lee Greenwood, Scooter Brown, Secretary Karen Roan, board member Hon. Chris Daniel and Chairman Emeritus Meredith Iler; Bottom row: Audit Chair LTC E.A. “Buddy” Grantham, Randy Travis and Vice Chairman of the Board Sunil “Sunny” Sharma

Randy Travis was honored with the Lee Greenwood Award by the Helping A Hero organization on Monday (Dec. 10) at their Lee Greenwood & Friends concert in Houston. The concert, held at Houston Baptist University, celebrated Christmas and patriotism while honoring and raising money to build homes for wounded warriors.

The reception and silent auction was followed by the concert program, featuring performances by special guests. Scooter Brown Band sang songs from their album American Son while Tate Stevens performed “Ordinary Angels.” Gavin DeGraw performed many of his hits including “Soldier” and Lee Greenwood offered a rendition of “God Bless the USA.” SSG Shilo Harris, a retired military veteran, received the Pillar Award.

“Randy Travis has done so much for our troops over the years having done five USO tours and otherwise entertaining and honoring them in a variety of ways. We are thrilled to be able to recognize him for his continued efforts and salute his enormous talents,” said Meredith Iler, Chairman Emeritus of Helping A Hero.

“As a combat veteran, it means the world to me that Helping A Hero is serving veterans who have sacrificed for our freedom. Tonight was a celebration of decades of music, with various genres represented—we were glad to be a part of it,” said Brown.

Sister Hazel Returns With New EP ‘Fire’ In February

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Sister Hazel is set to release their new EP, Fire, on Feb. 8. The newest EP is Volume III of the collectible compilation series titled, “Elements,” and includes a bonus seventh track that will continue throughout the series.

The six-track EP is the follow-up to their Billboard chart-topping EP’s, Water and Wind and features tracks written by Sister Hazel with writers including Monty Powell, Jennifer Hanson, and more. Fans who pre-order the EP can get the instant grat track, “Here With You,” which is also available on all streaming services now. 

“The writing and production of ‘Here With You’ was a very cool departure from the norm for us,” said Drew Copeland, singer and guitarist for the band. “Getting a chance to write a song with Monty and Anna in Utah was a total blast and an honor. Once again Ken delivers a killer vocal and the band loves the way this song turned out.”

To celebrate the release of their new EP, Sister Hazel has announced a string of tour dates for 2019, which include the sold out Holiday Hang in Chicago and the 19th Year of their signature “Rock Boat Cruise.” For more visit sisterhazel.com.

FIRE Track List:
1. “Every Heartbreak” Lyrics & Music by: Jett Beres
2. “On and On” Lyrics & Music by: Ryan Newell, Todd Wright, Mike Meadows
3. “Life and Love” Lyrics and Music by: Ken Block, Trent Summar
4. “Fire” Lyrics and Music by: Andrew Copeland, Michael Logen, Jennifer Hansen
5. “She’s All You Need” Lyrics & Music by: Ryan Newell, Todd Wright
6. “Here With You” Lyrics & Music by: Ken Block, Drew Copeland, Monte Powell, Anna Wilson
7. Elements III (Growing Up) Lyrics & Music: Ken Block

Second Punk Rock/Alternative Music BreakFEST To Be Held June 2

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Following this year’s successful inaugural BreakFEST held in Franklin, Tennessee, the punk rock/alternative music festival will return for a second year at Liberty Hall at The Factory on June 2, 2019.

The morning fest will begin at 8 a.m. CT, with performances from New Found Glory, mae, Real Friends, The Early November, Hawthorne Heights, Jetty Bones, Dollskin, Love You Later, Microwave, and H.A.R.D.

The event will also highlight food and drinks from a variety of vendors, including Frothy Monkey, Honest Coffee Roasters, Five Daughters Bakery, High Brow Coffee and Tea, Triple Crown Bakery, Mojos Tacos, Muletown Coffee, Tiny Little Doughnuts and Juice Bar.

VIP Deluxe tickets are available for $100 (includes balcony seating, separate bathroom and bar, separate event entry line, VIP laminate, shirt and poster), while general admission tickets are $38.50. For more visit breakfest.net.

CD Baby’s DIY Musician Conference Heads To Austin In 2019

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CD Baby’s DIY Musician Conference will move from Nashville, Tennessee to Austin, Texas, for 2019 to connect with a fresh community of musicians in another city with deep music ties. The three-day conference will take place Aug. 16-18 at Austin’s downtown Hilton.

The series of presentations, workshops, mentoring sessions, and jam rooms provide musicians with intensive interaction and learning, giving them the tools they need to enhance their creative lives and careers.

 “CD Baby pays close attention to what our artists need,” said CD Baby’s Kevin Breuner. “We know they are often hungry for a real plan of action, for helpful advice and encouragement, not for another panel on abstract business issues facing major labels.”

Breuner adds the conference will focus on accessible, actionable ideas for musicians at a variety of career crossroads.

Tickets for the conference are on sale now at diymusiciancon.com.

Country Group Alabama Signs With Absolute Publicity

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Alabama

Nashville-based public relations company Absolute Publicity has added country group Alabama to its roster.

“Alabama is considered royalty in our industry and is without doubt the most iconic group in the history of country music,” says Absolute Publicity company president Don Murry Grubbs. “Words can’t describe how honored we are to announce the addition of Randy, Jeff and Teddy to our roster.”

2019 will mark five decades since the band originally formed in 1969. In that time, Alabama has earned 43 No. 1 singles (including 21 consecutive chart-toppers), as well as numerous CMA, Grammy and ACM Awards. The band members were inducted as part of the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2005 and also have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Absolute Publicity, formed in 2009, also represents Aaron Tippin, Billy Dean, Charlie Daniels, Craig Wayne Boyd, Collin Raye, John Anderson, Larry Gatlin & The Gatlin Brothers, Marshall Tucker Band, Ricky Skaggs, Pam Tillis and more.

Alt Pop/Rock Trio Kid Politics Inks Deals With Paradigm, Suit Music, peermusic, Riser House Records

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Nashville-based alt pop/rock indie trio Kid Politics has inked deals with several companies ahead of the release of their debut EP Lost In The Jungle, out Friday, Dec. 14 (Suit Music/Riser House Records).

They have aligned with Jarrod Holley‘s Suit Music for management, and most recently, added Paradigm Talent Agency to handle booking, peermusic for sync licensing, Riser House Records for distribution and Ritholtz/Levy for legal representation.

The band includes frontman Kelby Dover, Michael Mann on drums and Nick Arbuckle on bass. Kid Politics formed less than a year ago in Nashville, and has performed at Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival and earned a main stage slot at Nashville’s Fourth of July celebration.

Produced by David Spencer (Hunter Hayes/Jacob Whitesides) and Andrew Dixon (Sabrina Carpenter/Matt Wertz), Lost in the Jungle includes five tracks all co-written by Kid Politics’ frontman Dover.

“Kid Politics is one of the most exciting alt pop/rock bands to emerge out of the fast growing Nashville Music indie music scene over the past few years,” says peermusic creative executive Craig Currier. “They have the entire package to break through to the next level – stellar songwriting, an energetic and commanding live show and lead singer/front man Kelby Dover has one of the most powerful yet soulful vocals I’ve heard in a long time. We’re thrilled to be working with them and look forward to being part of their future success.”

More news on 2019 tour dates will be announced in the coming weeks.

Lost In The Jungle Tracklist:

1. Lost in the Jungle (Kelby Dover, Jonathan Sherwood, Jimi Bell, David Spencer)
2. California Vibes (Dover, Sherwood, Bell, Spencer)
3. Heartline (Dover, Bell, Spencer, Garen Geuyikian)
4. Moving On (Dover, Bell, Nicholas D’Andrea)
5. Did it Anyway (Dover, Sherwood)

Zac Brown Launches Zac Brown Collective, Expanding Portfolio Of Brands

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Zac Brown, frontman of the Zac Brown Band, is launching a new entertainment and lifestyle-branded parent company, Zac Brown Collective, to house his many brands and businesses. Formerly known as Southern Ground, the re-imagined company expands its portfolio of brands and will act as a parent company to Brown’s growing interests in music, food, fashion, film, and merchandise.

The Collective brings together the best and brightest minds in all of those areas to form a company filled with brands that are fully grounded in the “American experience.”

  • Music – In the coming months, Zac Brown Collective will begin rolling out an expansion of its artist services aimed at aiding in the business and career growth of musicians. ZBC will offer its industry knowledge to other artists through this new venture, and available services will include, fan experience and fan club management, merchandise management, and artist management.
  • Food – Brown has had stakes in the food service industry for over a decade, starting with his original Zac’s Place restaurant at the start of his career to serving fans with his famous Eat & Greet while on tour. ZBC will build on these successes with ventures ranging from the newly-opened Zac Brown’s Social Club inside the brand new State Farm Arena, to its Remedy Bakeshop line of gluten free cookies and snacks, to its Z. Alexander Brown wine brand.
  • Fashion & Apparel – Zac has been designing and creating all tour merchandise in-house since the beginning of the Zac Brown Band and now, through ZBC, is building and expanding his reach into the broader men’s fashion category through the acquisition of LA-based Sheehan and Company – a made-in-the-USA, vintage inspired, men’s fashion line.
  • Film – Zac Brown’s film production company Southern Reel, led by director Diego Pernia, has produced many videos for Zac over the years, and recently worked with Cirque de Soleil to create a unique stage and video show for Zac’s southern-pop music project, Sir Rosevelt. ZBC is now expanding further into the feature film, TV and digital video realm with plans to move further beyond its work with the band.
  • Custom Design – Zac Brown’s in-house custom design company, ZB Customs, works with wood, metal and leather to design everything from custom cars, motorcycles, and trucks to one-of-a-kind furniture pieces, and more. ZB Customs’ vehicles have been presented at auction by top vehicle auctioneer, Barrett Jackson, and most recently, the team completed a massive custom project for Mack Trucks, bringing Brown’s design to a Mack Anthem truck.
  • Gear – Zac Brown’s affinity for the outdoors has gravitated him toward brands that create products aligned with his rugged aesthetic including his premium knife company, Southern Grind, and his audio company, DemerBox – makers of the indestructible, water-proof, bluetooth speakers capable of storing valuables.

“We’ve been working towards this development for years. My team and I are more than ready to roll out our roster of unique brands that embody our latest vision of delivering consumers a genuine American experience. It’s an exciting time for us and we can’t wait to show the world what we have to offer,” said Zac Brown. “I am also so proud that our work with Zac Brown Collective will aid in building a stronger future for Camp Southern Ground and its amazing mission.”

Zac Brown Collective will remain unwavering in its commitment to Brown’s biggest passion, Camp Southern Ground, by continuing to allocate funds and resources to the camp. Founded by Brown, the camp supports military and veteran families; further serving children with autism spectrum disorder, ADHD, dyslexia, social or emotional challenges and typically developing children.

Hit Songwriter Floyd Parton Passes

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Stella Parton and Floyd Parton. Photo: Stella Parton/Twitter

On Monday (Dec. 10), his family held a private memorial service in East Tennessee for singer-songwriter Floyd Parton.

He died on Thursday, Dec. 6, of an undisclosed illness at age 61. Floyd Parton is best known as the writer of “Rockin’ Years,” recorded by his sister, Dolly Parton, as a chart-topping duet with Ricky Van Shelton in 1991. The song was also recorded by George Jones.

His other notable compositions include “Waltz Me to Heaven,” which was included on Dolly’s Rhinestone movie soundtrack in 1984.

The two co-wrote “Nickels and Dimes.” It was recorded by show business legend George Burns in 1980 and also included on Dolly’s No. 1 album Heartbreaker in 1978.

He also co-wrote songs with his sister Stella Parton, including “Smooth Talker.” Stella was with him when he passed away.

Floyd Parton’s death was announced by the Atchley Funeral Home of Pigeon Forge, TN on Monday, the date of his family’s private memorial service.

“We laid our sweet baby brother to rest,” said Dolly in a statement issued yesterday. “We all sang his lovely song ‘Rockin’ Years,’ together as a family at the service to say goodbye to him. He lived a short life of love and beautiful songs.”

Floyd Parton is survived by 10 of his 12 siblings. They are Willadeene, 78; David, 76; Denver, 75; Dolly, 72; Bobby, 70; Stella, 69; Cassie, 67; Randy, 64; his twin Freida, 61; and Rachel, 59. Dolly, Stella, Randy, Freida and Rachel have all had recording careers. Willadeene is an author and poet. Cassie is an actor.

The family has requested that donations in his name can be sent to My People Senior Activity Center, 1220 Main Street, Sevierville, TN.