Chris Lowden, founder of Stoney’s Rockin’ Country in Las Vegas
Stoney’s Rockin’ Country, the go-to country music venue in Las Vegas, has an ever-expanding presence on the west coast and is making a footprint in Nashville with a new office.
On April 13 and 14, Stoney’s hosted the ACM Tailgate as part of ACM Party For a Cause, featuring more than 30 artists including Kip Moore and Jon Pardi. The venue expanded the festival-style outdoor event from one day in 2017, to two days this year, with proceeds benefiting ACM Lifting Lives.
In addition, Stoney’s is celebrating it’s 11th birthday this summer, as well as its first ACM Industry Award nomination for Nightclub of the Year, set to be presented in August 22 at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.
MusicRow spoke to founder Chris Lowden about the driving forces behind the venue, which he runs with the help of marketing director Jeff “Toad” Higginbotham.
Stoney’s prides itself on embracing emerging artists. Who has played there and who would you love to see take the stage?
There’s so much great talent that typically Vegas doesn’t see, because they are rising artists who don’t fit the showroom mold or the arena mold. With a 1200 capacity, Stoney’s fills a hole [in the market] that other places don’t, by offering shows by artists like Jimmie Allen, Stephanie Quayle and The Cadillac Three. Russell Dickerson has played here about eight times in the last three years, and the last two times he sold out. I’d love to host Cody Jinks, John D. Hale Band, Brent Cobb and Mitchell Tenpenny. Brett Young, Jon Pardi and Luke Combs have all played here, and now we can’t afford them.
When did you decide to open Stoney’s?
I used to hang out at a place called Gilley’s, inside the Frontier Hotel and Casino. The General Manager was a guy named Stoney. Then in 2005 or ‘06, we found out they were going to tear down The Frontier, and there would be no more Gilley’s. So we decided to build our own place and name it after Stoney, because everybody knew who he was. We opened in 2007.
What was it like growing up in Las Vegas with family in the entertainment and gaming business?
We were in the gaming business and owned six casinos at one point. We just sold our last casino. We are transitioning from gaming to a real estate investment company that happens to have Stoney’s.
We owned the Sahara, where I saw Brooks and Dunn perform before they were famous. We had people like Tina Turner and George Carlin. The Grateful Dead used to stay at the Sahara and eat lunch in the coffee shop. My dad also helped take Siegfried & Roy from a small act inside the Lido, by working with Irvin Feld to create the show we know today.
My dad has a crazy history with Las Vegas entertainment, but also with playing music. He is a musician who left home at about age 15. He is a keyboard player and his forte is the Hammond B3. He still plays today and tours with Jack Jones.
What is the idea behind Stoney’s launch of Country AF radio?
It was born out of frustration that terrestrial radio would not play our emerging artists’ music.
So we program it with 50 percent terresetrial and 50 percent what we want to play, like Blackberry Smoke, Carlton Anderson, Travis Parker and Alex Williams. We also have a lot of content and interviews. It’s an app or you can listen online at CountryAFRadio.com.
Russell Dickerson’s sold-out show at Stoney’s Rockin’ Country on April 12, 2018.
Congratulations on your first ACM nomination. What sets Stoney’s apart from other venues?
The vibe is super cool, and it’s not just a venue. On the dance floor it’s not uncommon for half or three-fourths of the fans to be watching the show while the other half or one-fourth are line dancing or two-stepping.
The nomination is a little surreal. We’re super excited and humbled by it. Our philosoply is to be the venue that artists love to call home, love to play. We really treat them like family…as I say, “the family that you like.” We want them to know they will have a good crowd and great equipment.
Most of all the hospitality is second to none, which is what we strive for, because we really appreciate the hard work that artists put in.
Ziggy Marley, Mindy Smith, Jimmy Buffett Join Kenny Chesney’s ‘Songs For The Saints’
/by Jessica NicholsonKenny Chesney‘s upcoming 17th studio album, and his first for Warner Music Nashville, titled Songs For The Saints, will feature unique collaborations with Ziggy Marley, Mindy Smith and Jimmy Buffett.
“Each one of them has a tie to my life in the islands, but also reflect some piece of what we’re trying to do. Ziggy Marley, and his family’s legacy, holds so much truth for all of the people I know down there. Mindy Smith’s Come To Jesus was an album I lived with from morning to night when I was first going down there – and her voice sounds like an angel. And Jimmy, more than the lost shaker of salt, understands the poetry of the islands beyond what tourists see, the life in a way that made a song written decades ago so current. I’m honored they also want to help.”
Songs For The Saints was recorded in Nashville and mixed in Key West. Chesney began crafting the album in response to the destruction brought upon the Virgin Islands by Hurricane Irma. Proceeds from Songs For The Saints will benefit Chesney’s Love for Love City Fund, to benefit Virgin Island relief.
“Creating like this, you don’t have a master plan, but the music will take you and teach you,” Chesney said. “I knew I wanted this album to show the spirit of the people, but I wanted it to focus on healing, on their gift to rise above such complete chaos and devastation. They had no power, no real food, nothing; they dug in, started clearing the land and rebuilding. To me, that’s inspiring.”
Artist Growth Platform Teams With Red Light, Maverick, Vector, UMG
/by Lorie HollabaughTeam members can organize everything from events calendars, day sheets, travel, deal info, tasks, tour merchandise, sales, tickets, finances and reports on AG. The customizable, point-and-click interface works on desktop and mobile (Android and iOS), and is a cloud-based system in which anyone on a team can be logged in at the same time and give updates in real-time.
Universal Music Group and execs and managers at Red Light Management, Vector Management and Maverick have all adopted AG to keep track of tours and streamline communication. The company, which got its start in 2012, is currently tracking more than $2.5 billion in tour revenue and nearly $700 million in expenses, with total event guarantees tracked at around $1.7 billion.
The company has announced a new strategic partnership and equity investment with Pinnacle Financial Partners that will fuel growth in 2018 and help bring a new model of financial services to touring entertainers.
Kacey Musgraves Celebrates Platinum Status
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured (L-R): UMG Nashville EVP A&R Brian Wright, Sandbox Entertainment’s Sam Borenstein, UMG Nashville VP A&R Stephanie Wright, Kacey Musgraves, Sandbox Entertainment’s Jason Owen, UMG Nashville COO Mike Harris. Photo: Catherine Powell
Tuesday night (June 12), MCA Nashville’s Kacey Musgraves played Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena as part of Harry Styles: Live on Tour. Immediately following her performance, the singer-songwriter was surprised with a plaque for her debut album Same Trailer Different Park reaching Platinum certification by the RIAA.
The album won Best Country Album at the 2014 Grammy Awards, as well as 2014 ACM Awards. Musgraves recently released her fourth studio album Golden Hour.
UMPG Signs Singer-Songwriter Greylan James To Publishing Deal
/by Jessica NicholsonUniversal Music Publishing Group (UMPG) has signed singer-songwriter Greylan James to a global publishing deal.
Raised outside of Knoxville, James has been writing songs since age thirteen. At 18, he was signed to his first publishing deal by Nashville Songwriter Hall of Fame inductee Bob DiPiero. James appeared on Season Four of NBC’s The Voice. He was also featured in Guitar Center Magazine’s Brotherhood of the Guitar Top 100, which ranks the top guitarists in the world under the age of 21.
“I am incredibly honored to be a part of UMPG’s roster of talented artists and songwriters. The passion and excitement they show for the creative process lets me know I found my home. I can’t wait to see what we can stir up together!” said James. “Special thanks to Kent, Ron, Travis and the rest of my Universal crew for welcoming me to the family.”
“Our entire team is thrilled Greylan decided to make UMPG his next publishing home. The passion, hard work and freshness he brings to the writing room each day is truly infectious. We look forward to helping Greylan reach all of his goals,” said Kent Earls, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Universal Music Publishing Nashville.
The deal was led by UMPG Nashville’s Ron Stuve, VP, A&R/Special Projects and Travis Gordon, Senior Creative Director.
Jerry Salley Tapped To Lead Two New Bluegrass And Americana Labels
/by Lorie HollabaughPictured (L-R): Jerry Salley, Ed Leonard
Ed Leonard, President of Nashville-based Daywind Music Group, and Jerry Salley, award-winning songwriter, artist and producer, have launched Billy Blue Records and Billy Jam Records, Nashville’s newest bluegrass and Americana/Roots labels. Leonard has tapped Salley as A&R and Creative Director for both labels.
“With the recent increase in popularity of roots music, we feel it’s time to launch a new division providing opportunities and guidance for the talented artists and songwriters in these genres. Jerry Salley’s considerable success and sterling reputation in the Bluegrass and acoustic music worlds make him the perfect fit to lead our newest venture,” says Leonard. “His experience and creative abilities combined with Daywind’s talented staff and distribution reach allow artists at the new labels to compete from record one.”
Salley is the 2003 SESAC Country Music Songwriter of the Year and a two-time nominee for IBMA’s Songwriter of the Year. He has had over 500 songs recorded, with sales in excess of 17 million records, and has written multiple chart-topping hits in country, bluegrass and gospel.
“I am very grateful to Ed Leonard for this opportunity,” Salley says. “Daywind’s history as a leading independent label in Nashville with an intense artist and song focus is second to none. I am honored and eager to build these new labels with them.”
The new labels will announce the first signings shortly and plan to have a presence at IBMA and Americana gatherings this fall. The labels will be distributed through the Orchard, Sony’s independent music distributor.
Industry Ink: Play It Again Music, NATD, Belmont At Bonnaroo
/by Jessica NicholsonKyle Fishman Renews Contract With Play It Again
Pictured (L-R): Play It Again Music Creative Manager Cade Price, Play It Again Music President Juli Newton Griffith, Fishman and Play It Again Music Owner and CEO Dallas Davidson.
Play It Again Music has re-signed songwriter Kyle Fishman to an exclusive publishing agreement.
Kyle has been a part of the Play It Again family for three years and celebrated his first four-week No. 1 hit in 2017 with “Small Town Boy,” recorded by Dustin Lynch. Fishman has songs recorded by Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean, Cole Swindell, Florida Georgia Line and others.
NATD To Welcome Artist Manager Chris Kappy For Speaker Series
The Nashville Association of Talent Directors will feature a speaker session with Chris Kappy, manager for Luke Combs, on June 20, as part of its Breaking Artists series. The event will be held June 20 at the CMA event space (located at 35 Music Sq. E.), beginning at 6 p.m.
For tickets, visit eventbrite.com.
Belmont At Bonnaroo
Ken Springs interviews Bonnaroo’s Ashley Capps.
Belmont University students got real-world music industry experience by studying the behind-the-scenes workings of one of Tennessee’s most popular music festivals, Bonnaroo. 20 students signed up for “Belmont at Bonnaroo,” a new program led by Dr. Sarita Stewart and Dr. Ken Spring. The curriculum combines two co-curricular classes, “Research Methods and Festival Culture,” and “Sociology of Music.”
Throughout the four-day festival June 7-10, the 20-member class and two faculty members planted themselves on tour buses behind the festival’s main stage. Every day four groups of five students each would wander throughout the festival site to find attendees to interview, seeking to gain insights into four areas Stewart described, all critical to the future of festivals and the music business at large. In addition to their on-site research, students also attended classes each day in the Bonnaroo press tent with their faculty and Artists/Executives in Residence, including Bonnaroo founder Ashley Capps, Khalid manager Courtney Stewart and C3 promoter Amy Corbin, among others.
Q&A: Stoney’s Founder Chris Lowden Talks Expanding Presence And Footprint
/by Sarah SkatesChris Lowden, founder of Stoney’s Rockin’ Country in Las Vegas
Stoney’s Rockin’ Country, the go-to country music venue in Las Vegas, has an ever-expanding presence on the west coast and is making a footprint in Nashville with a new office.
On April 13 and 14, Stoney’s hosted the ACM Tailgate as part of ACM Party For a Cause, featuring more than 30 artists including Kip Moore and Jon Pardi. The venue expanded the festival-style outdoor event from one day in 2017, to two days this year, with proceeds benefiting ACM Lifting Lives.
In addition, Stoney’s is celebrating it’s 11th birthday this summer, as well as its first ACM Industry Award nomination for Nightclub of the Year, set to be presented in August 22 at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium.
MusicRow spoke to founder Chris Lowden about the driving forces behind the venue, which he runs with the help of marketing director Jeff “Toad” Higginbotham.
Stoney’s prides itself on embracing emerging artists. Who has played there and who would you love to see take the stage?
There’s so much great talent that typically Vegas doesn’t see, because they are rising artists who don’t fit the showroom mold or the arena mold. With a 1200 capacity, Stoney’s fills a hole [in the market] that other places don’t, by offering shows by artists like Jimmie Allen, Stephanie Quayle and The Cadillac Three. Russell Dickerson has played here about eight times in the last three years, and the last two times he sold out. I’d love to host Cody Jinks, John D. Hale Band, Brent Cobb and Mitchell Tenpenny. Brett Young, Jon Pardi and Luke Combs have all played here, and now we can’t afford them.
When did you decide to open Stoney’s?
I used to hang out at a place called Gilley’s, inside the Frontier Hotel and Casino. The General Manager was a guy named Stoney. Then in 2005 or ‘06, we found out they were going to tear down The Frontier, and there would be no more Gilley’s. So we decided to build our own place and name it after Stoney, because everybody knew who he was. We opened in 2007.
What was it like growing up in Las Vegas with family in the entertainment and gaming business?
We were in the gaming business and owned six casinos at one point. We just sold our last casino. We are transitioning from gaming to a real estate investment company that happens to have Stoney’s.
We owned the Sahara, where I saw Brooks and Dunn perform before they were famous. We had people like Tina Turner and George Carlin. The Grateful Dead used to stay at the Sahara and eat lunch in the coffee shop. My dad also helped take Siegfried & Roy from a small act inside the Lido, by working with Irvin Feld to create the show we know today.
My dad has a crazy history with Las Vegas entertainment, but also with playing music. He is a musician who left home at about age 15. He is a keyboard player and his forte is the Hammond B3. He still plays today and tours with Jack Jones.
What is the idea behind Stoney’s launch of Country AF radio?
It was born out of frustration that terrestrial radio would not play our emerging artists’ music.
So we program it with 50 percent terresetrial and 50 percent what we want to play, like Blackberry Smoke, Carlton Anderson, Travis Parker and Alex Williams. We also have a lot of content and interviews. It’s an app or you can listen online at CountryAFRadio.com.
Russell Dickerson’s sold-out show at Stoney’s Rockin’ Country on April 12, 2018.
Congratulations on your first ACM nomination. What sets Stoney’s apart from other venues?
The vibe is super cool, and it’s not just a venue. On the dance floor it’s not uncommon for half or three-fourths of the fans to be watching the show while the other half or one-fourth are line dancing or two-stepping.
The nomination is a little surreal. We’re super excited and humbled by it. Our philosoply is to be the venue that artists love to call home, love to play. We really treat them like family…as I say, “the family that you like.” We want them to know they will have a good crowd and great equipment.
Most of all the hospitality is second to none, which is what we strive for, because we really appreciate the hard work that artists put in.
SOUTH On Demonbreun Acquired By Rusty Nail
/by Lorie HollabaughThe Rusty Nail sports bar & grill has acquired SOUTH on Demonbreun, effective immediately. The Rusty Nail has already begun to make improvements to SOUTH, including a revamped staff and design renovations including a bigger stage, larger seating capacity and new sound system. The venue hosted an exclusive Sunday Brunch last week during CMA Music Fest for Tanya Tucker and her fans. In addition to hosting performances, SOUTH has been home to several music industry No. 1 parties in recent years.
“This is an amazing opportunity for The Rusty Nail,” says Roger Miller, the new COO and General Manager at The Rusty Nail. “Our company has stepped in with a full understanding of the challenges that are attached to the SOUTH brand and our team is committed to the revitalization of this Nashville staple.”
In addition to the brunch, The Rusty Nail hosted over 40 bands throughout the week including a special performance by Curtis Braly with Jamie O’Neal in addition to an American Idol/The Voice showcase featuring past contestants Paul Jolley, Vincent Powell, and Megan Miller among others.
Ellie Holcomb Signs With Capitol Christian Music Publishing
/by Jessica NicholsonPictured (L-R): Casey McGinty (General Manager, Capitol CMP), Peter York (Chairman and CEO Capitol Christian Music Group), Ellie Holcomb, Emmylou Holcomb, Samantha Steele (Triple 8 Management), Karrie Dawley (Senior Director, Capitol CMP), Brad O’Donnell (Chief Creative Officer Capitol Christian Music Group)
Singer-Songwriter Ellie Holcomb has recently signed a publishing deal with Capitol Christian Music Publishing (Capitol CMP). Holcomb released her independent solo debut, As Sure As The Sun, in 2014, followed by Red Sea Road, in 2017. Holcomb is the daughter of noted music producer Brown Bannister.
“We at Capitol CMP have been admirers of Ellie’s for some time now and always hoped we’d get the chance to work with her,” states Brad O’Donnell, Chief Creative Officer at Capitol Christian Music Group. “She has a stellar reputation both as a skilled, thoughtful songwriter and even more as a special person. We are excited to be partnered with her and looking forward to all of the great songs that lie ahead!”
In addition to penning her own songs, including “The Broken Beautiful,” “He Will,” and “Find You Here”), Holcomb has credits on songs recorded by Amy Grant (“Christmas For You and Me”), Sara Groves (“This Cup”), Christy Nockels (“Everything Is Mine In You”), as well as Drew Holcomb and The Neighbors (“Hung The Moon”).
“Capitol CMP is stacked with folks who are really talented at what they do, and each member of the team contributes equal measures of skill and passion to their jobs, but I think my favorite thing about this company is that it actually feels more like a family than a company,” Holcomb said. “So honored and excited to link arms with this incredible team of writers and publishers!”
Lauren Alaina, Jon Pardi To Co-Host 12th Annual ACM Honors Show
/by Lorie HollabaughSpecial Award recipients who will be celebrated at the 12th Annual ACM Honors include Dierks Bentley (ACM Merle Haggard Spirit Award), Matraca Berg (ACM Poet’s Award), Sam Hunt (ACM Gene Weed Milestone Award), Alan Jackson (ACM Cliffie Stone Icon Award), Darius Rucker (ACM Gary Haber Lifting Lives Award), Mickey & Chris Christensen and Eddie Miller (ACM Mae Boren Axton Service Award, all awarded posthumously), Rob Potts (ACM Jim Reeves International Award, awarded posthumously), and Norro Wilson (ACM Poet’s Award, awarded posthumously). The evening will also honor winners of the Industry and Studio Recording Awards, along with Songwriter of the Year Award winner, Rhett Akins.
Tickets will go on sale to the general public at Ticketmaster.com and the Ryman box office at 10 a.m. CST this Friday, June 15.