Pictured (L-R): Gary LeVox; Amy Schoch, VP Human Resources, Nashville Sounds; Joe Don Rooney, Jay DeMarcus. Photo: John Russell
Rascal Flatts gathered their team on Wednesday afternoon (July 13) to celebrate their newest No. 1 single, “I Like the Sound of That.” The trio hosted the party inside the club level of First Tennessee Park, the minor league stadium that is home to the Nashville Sounds.
“I Like the Sound of That” was written by Jesse Frasure, Shay Mooney and Meghan Trainor. Although Trainor was on tour and unable to attend, Frasure and Mooney shared the stage with the Flatts members Jay DeMarcus, Gary LeVox and Joe Don Rooney for nearly the whole afternoon.
Going with the baseball theme, Bradley Collins of BMI showed up with black streaks on his cheeks (known as eye black) to congratulate BMI songwriters Frasure and Mooney. Tina Crawford of Major Bob Music said it was her first time to present an award — in this case, to Frasure — and asked the crowd not to throw tomatoes or baseballs.
Before presenting a plaque to Mooney, BJ Hill of Warner/Chappell noted, “I think this song was really a home run,” eliciting groans from the crowd. ASCAP’s Evyn Mustoe chatted about Trainor’s achievements, and her passing reference to “All About That Bass” (or would that be “Base”?) caused the guys to break into song.
Carla Wallace of Big Yellow Dog Music pitched the song the day after it was written and beamed with joy that she had finally landed a cut with Rascal Flatts. After admitting that Trainor cried after hearing their rendition of the song, DeMarcus interjected, “Can she put me in her meet and greet line?”
Sending in a peppy video, Trainor cheered on all of her collaborators: “Jesse Frasure, I hope you’re there. Shay Mooney, I love you guys so much. I wish I was there so bad! Congrats, Rascal Flatts, this is literally a dream come true, a No. 1 country song. We are pretty awesome! Take a shot for me, have fun, and get crazy!”
Amy Schoch of the Nashville Sounds presented customized jerseys to the Flatts fellows. Avenue Bank did not make a presentation but did drop off a donation for Nashville Humane Association on behalf of the songwriters. Holly Lane of Country Radio Broadcasters was greeted with whoops and hollers when she said “I Like the Sound of That” made 1.1 billion impressions at country radio.
Big Machine Label Group executives Scott Borchetta and Jack Purcell presented enormous plaques to the musicians. Borchetta said he’d wanted to sign Dan + Shay and Jesse Frasure before they got scooped up by other companies. He also recalled the negotiations it took with the band to make sure “I Like the Sound of That” got recorded, then added, “That’s all right, we’re all on the same team.” Purcell said the radio staff sent the tune “out of the park.”
Next, Frasure and Mooney stepped to the plate. Frasure said his parents flipped out when Rascal Flatts cut the song, because it was a band they actually knew about. (They were cheering from the crowd.) Mooney told the audience that he grew up listening to Rascal Flatts and quipped, “They’ve been like grandparents to me.”
Of course, the Nashville industry knows you can’t one-up DeMarcus with one-liners.
During his speech, DeMarcus first noted, “It’s awesome to wake up every day and get to do what you do for a living — and get paid about a third of what you used to.”
After the laughter subsided, he continued, “It’s really great to be in this city. I love this town and I love collaborating. And I love my Flatts brothers. I am a sucker for talent and we knew we had to cut this song when we heard Shay’s vocal [on the demo] and all the licks he stole from Gary.”
Following another round of laughter, DeMarcus remarked, “Hey, that’s for that ‘grandparent’ comment, buddy! I love this dude so much, and he is such a talented singer. And Jesse Frasure, you are a bad, bad boy. Just when I think this town can’t handle any more talent, somebody comes along and blows you away again.”
Rooney took a more serious approach in his comments, saying, “We’re writers, we try to write, but the benchmark is that you’ve got to put your heart on a shelf when you go into a song meeting and you’ve got to go, ‘What is the best song for Rascal Flatts?’ And as a writer, that’s not always easy because you’re like, ‘My stuff over here is pretty good too, man!’ But at the end of the day, a song like ‘I Like the Sound of That’ spoke to us.”
Rooney also gave thanks to management, label, publishers, his wife and especially to DeMarcus as a producer. “He tackled the last six or seven songs we had on this project and he said, ‘Guys, let me do this, I know I can do this,’ and he literally knocked it out of the park.” Before handing off the mic, he also commended LeVox as a lead vocalist and the “safe landing” he delivered on the song.
LeVox also effusively thanked Big Machine Records, country radio, and the publishing community.
“Every time that we go into cut, like we are right now, we just appreciate you thinking enough of us to pitch your writers and their music to us,” he said. “We know each song becomes their baby and we’d be good grandparents to them! So, they’re in good hands with grandpa, grandpa, and grandpa. We’d love to have your children!”
Pictured (L-R): John Zarling, BMLG SVP Partnership Marketing and Promotion; Jay DeMarcus; Erik Powell, Big Machine Records National Director of Radio Promotion; Joe Don Rooney; Scott Borchetta, BMLG President and CEO; Jack Purcell, Big Machine Records SVP Promotion; Gary LeVox; Evyn Mustoe, BMI writer Shay Mooney; BMI writer Jesse Frasure; ASCAP Associate Creative Director; Bradley Collins, BMI Executive Director. Photo: John Russell
John Prine Gathers Classic Songs, Female Singers For New Album
/by Craig_ShelburneJohn Prine
John Prine will release For Better, Or Worse, an album of classic songs recorded with female vocalists, on Sept. 30. The project will be released on his own label, Oh Boy Records, distributed by Thirty Tigers.
The songs were originally written or popularized by artists like Hank Williams, George Jones, Buck Owens and Ernest Tubb. Prine recorded all but one of the songs as duets with female artists from country and roots music, including Iris DeMent, Alison Krauss, Miranda Lambert, Kathy Mattea, Kacey Musgraves, Amanda Shires, Susan Tedeschi, Holly Williams and Lee Ann Womack.
“I cut my teeth on Hank Williams songs,” Prine says. “When I sing these songs there is a small pipeline straight from my heart to my lips.”
To coincide with the release, Prine will perform at the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1. A 2003 inductee into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, Prine will turn 70 on Oct. 10.
The concept of For Better, Or Worse is similar to Prine’s 1999 album, In Spite of Ourselves. That album will be released on vinyl for the first time on July 29.
John Prine’s For Better, Or Worse Track List
1. “Who’s Gonna Take The Garbage Out” feat. Iris Dement
2. “Storms Never Last” feat. Lee Ann Womack
3. “Falling In Love Again” feat. Alison Krauss
4. “Color Of The Blues” feat. Susan Tedeschi
5. “I’m Telling You” feat. Holly Williams
6. “Remember Me” feat. Kathy Mattea
7. “Look At Us” feat. Morgane Stapleton
8. “Dim Lights, Thick Smoke” feat. Amanda Shires
9. “Fifteen Years Ago” feat. Lee Ann Womack
10. “Cold Cold Heart” feat. Miranda Lambert
11. “Dreaming My Dreams” feat. Kathy Mattea
12. “Mental Cruelty” feat. Kacey Musgraves
13. “Mr. & Mrs. Used To Be” feat. Iris Dement
14. “My Happiness” feat. Fiona Prine
15. “Just Waiting”
Travis Denning Signs Deal With ole, RED Creative Group
/by Craig_ShelburnePictured (L-R): Shellien Kinsey, ole, Creative Admin. Manager; Brooke Antonakos, RED Creative Group, VP of Creative; Jeremy Stover; Travis Denning; John Ozier, ole, VP of Creative; Mike Whelan, ole, Sr. Creative Director; Ben Strain, ole, Creative Director; Emily Mueller-Olson. ole, Creative Manager
ole and RED Creative Group LLC have signed a deal with songwriter Travis Denning that gives ole exclusive administration rights to his music.
Originally from Warner Robins, Georgia, Denning moved to Nashville in 2014. Within a year, he signed his first publishing deal with Jeremy Stover’s RED Creative Group. Stover is an ole songwriter and record producer.
Denning has secured two cuts on Justin Moore’s upcoming album, Kinda Don’t Care. He also co-wrote Chase Rice’s new single, “Everybody We Know Does.” His songs have been recorded by Jason Aldean and newcomer Jordan Rager.
“Travis Denning has quickly established himself as a deeply gifted songwriter, and a terrific artist in his own right,” says John Ozier, Vice President, Creative of ole. “We anticipate yet another fruitful collaboration with RED Creative Group, by way of our work with Travis.”
“Working with the best in the music business is very important to me,” says Denning. “Collaborating with ole and RED Creative Group so soon is even better than I bargained for.”
Brent Cobb Teams With Dave Cobb For ‘Shine On Rainy Day’ Album
/by Craig_ShelburneBrent Cobb. Photo: Don Van Cleve
Brent Cobb will release his major label debut album, Shine On Rainy Day, on Low Country Sound/Elektra Records on Oct. 7. The project was produced by his cousin, Dave Cobb, who launched Low Country Sound with Elektra Records in 2015.
The project was recorded over four days in Nashville. The lead track, “Solving Problems,” premiered on NPR Music’s Songs We Love series on Thursday (July 14).
Speaking about their collaboration, Brent Cobb said, “It’s not as good as it’s going to get. But if it’s the last thing that I ever do, if I died the day after it came out, then thank God I was able to record it because the songs and the production, it was everything I wanted to say. Finally.”
Dave Cobb added, “I wanted to work with Brent for very selfish reasons. When he lifts a pen and opens his mouth, it sounds like home. I did his record because he’s part of the fabric of South Georgia and the soundtrack to my family. Pure rural country soul filled music.”
Brent Cobb will tour with Anderson East (another Low Country Sound/Elektra Records signing) this fall. He will also appear on Chris Stapleton’s concert at Nashville’s Ascend Amphitheater on Oct. 15.
Born in Ellaville, Georgia (population 1,609), Brent Cobb moved to Nashville in 2008. His songs have been recorded by Luke Bryan (“Tailgate Blues”), Kenny Chesney (“Don’t It”), Miranda Lambert (“Old Shit”), David Nail (“Grandpa’s Farm”), Kellie Pickler (“Rockaway”) and others.
Track List For Brent Cobb’s Shine On Rainy Day
1. “Solving Problems”
2. “South Of Atlanta”
3. “The World”
4. “Diggin’ Holes”
5. “Country Bound”
6. “Traveling Poor Boy”
7. “Shine On Rainy Day”
8. “Let The Rain Come Down”
9. “Down In The Gulley”
10. “Black Crow”
Weekly Chart Report (7/15/16)
/by Troy_StephensonClick here or above to access MusicRow‘s weekly CountryBreakout Report.
Scott Borchetta Joins Nashville Film Festival Board of Directors
/by Jessica NicholsonFormer 2015-2016 President, Taryn Anderson of Flood, Bumstead, McCready & McCarthy, is being succeeded by former 2015-2016 Vice President, Courtney Ross of Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce. Anastasia Brown of Format Entertainment is announced as Vice President for the 2016-2017 year.
Full List: 2016-2017 Nashville Film Festival Board
President: Courtney Ross
Vice President: Anastasia Brown
New Members:
Scott Borchetta
Marcella Gomez
Carey Nelson-Burch
John Schuck
Stacy Widelitz
Returning Members:
Taryn Anderson
Anastasia Brown
Shannon Casey
Natasha Corrieri
Steven Gaydos
Bonnie Horton
Ken Levitan
Tyler Middleton
Stephanie Mundy Self
Brandyn Payne
Bob Raines
Courtney Ross
Jim Scherer
Dawn Soler
Spencer Wiggins
Julia Bonner – Board Intern
Alan Jackson Lends Guitar To Rock Hall Exhibit On Music And Politics
/by Craig_ShelburneAlan Jackson at the 2001 CMA Awards. Photo: John Russell/CMA
The guitar played by Alan Jackson during his first performance of “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)” is now on display at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.
Jackson’s guitar, a model by Jim Triggs, is featured alongside artifacts and items from more than 50 artists, including Beyoncé, Bob Dylan, Lady Gaga, Bono, Keith Richards, John Lennon, Aretha Franklin, Bruce Springsteen and Stevie Wonder.
The song made its public debut at the 2001 CMA Awards, shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It went on to win ACM, CMA and Grammy Awards and has remained a part of Jackson’s set list.
Miranda Lambert Will Release “Vice” To Radio On Monday
/by Craig_ShelburneMiranda Lambert. Photo: Becky Fluke
Signed to RCA Nashville, Lambert is at work on her sixth album. She released her prior album, Platinum, in 2014. Singles from that album included “Automatic,” “Somethin’ Bad” (with Carrie Underwood) and “Little Red Wagon.”
She is currently on the road as a special guest of Kenny Chesney’s stadium tour. Upcoming concerts include Rogers, Arkansas, on Friday night (July 15) and Kansas City, Missouri, on Saturday night. She is also headlining the Keeper of the Flame Tour this summer.
APA Signs Scooter Brown Band
/by Jessica NicholsonFront (L-R): Ray Shelide, David Corlew, Steve Lassiter, Scooter Brown Band’s Scott Brown, Chris Looney, Bonnie Sugarman. Back (L-R): Frank Wing, Cass Scripps, Scooter Brown Band’s Brian Rowe, Tiffany Awtry, Jim Butler, Miles Hayes, Jeff Hill
Nashville talent agency APA has signed Texas group Scooter Brown Band. APA Nashville will handle the band’s domestic and international bookings, with consulting by David Corlew of David Corlew & Associates, who also manages The Charlie Daniels Band.
“Scott and the Scooter Brown Band were a pleasant surprise to me. How they present their music and the approach to playing live is reminiscent of the way it happened in the 70’s with the Charlie Daniels Band, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and the Marshall Tucker Band,” said Corlew. “Their work ethic is unbelievable. The sound of Southern music is alive and well.”
Led by Marine Corps combat veteran Scott Brown, the band has released the singles “Hard Times” and “Olivia” from their self-titled album.
“We strongly believe in introducing young acts to new markets, and it’s always exciting to develop one as invigorating as Scooter Brown Band,” commented Steve Lassiter, Partner and Head of Concerts for APA Nashville. “With their current fan base and infrastructure, I’m confident we will reach new heights together.”
“We’re extremely excited to be signing with APA,” added Brown. “It’s a huge step for the band, and pretty awesome to see our name on a roster full of many of the artists who’ve inspired us. We’re all looking forward to a long, successful relationship with the APA family!”
Amanda Shires Sets Album Release, Nashville Tour Dates
/by Jessica NicholsonSinger/songwriter/violinist Amanda Shires will release her third album My Piece Of Land on Sept. 16. The project was recorded with producer Dave Cobb at his Low Country Sound studio in Nashville. She previously worked with Cobb while recording Jason Isbell‘s previous two albums; Isbell and Shires married in 2013 and had a daughter in September 2015.
While balancing touring with new motherhood, Shires worked towards a M.F.A. in creative writing from The University Of The South (Sewanee) over the past five years. As part of her studies she has workshopped poems, three or four per week. The process helped her learn the value of editing while strengthening her songwriting. That experience led to writing tracks like “I Know What It’s Like,” “Harmless,” “You Are My Home,” and “Mineral Wells,” which speaks to her home state of Texas.
Shires will begin a national tour on Wednesday (July 20) when she’ll open for Ryan Adams in New York City’s Central Park. She also has a trio of shows in Nashville over the coming months. She will perform Sept. 22 as part of Americanafest, and then on Sept. 30 at the Ryman Auditorium with John Prine. She returns to Nashville Oct. 29 with a show at City Winery.
Rascal Flatts Swing By Ballpark For “I Like The Sound Of That” Party
/by Craig_ShelburnePictured (L-R): Gary LeVox; Amy Schoch, VP Human Resources, Nashville Sounds; Joe Don Rooney, Jay DeMarcus. Photo: John Russell
Rascal Flatts gathered their team on Wednesday afternoon (July 13) to celebrate their newest No. 1 single, “I Like the Sound of That.” The trio hosted the party inside the club level of First Tennessee Park, the minor league stadium that is home to the Nashville Sounds.
“I Like the Sound of That” was written by Jesse Frasure, Shay Mooney and Meghan Trainor. Although Trainor was on tour and unable to attend, Frasure and Mooney shared the stage with the Flatts members Jay DeMarcus, Gary LeVox and Joe Don Rooney for nearly the whole afternoon.
Going with the baseball theme, Bradley Collins of BMI showed up with black streaks on his cheeks (known as eye black) to congratulate BMI songwriters Frasure and Mooney. Tina Crawford of Major Bob Music said it was her first time to present an award — in this case, to Frasure — and asked the crowd not to throw tomatoes or baseballs.
Before presenting a plaque to Mooney, BJ Hill of Warner/Chappell noted, “I think this song was really a home run,” eliciting groans from the crowd. ASCAP’s Evyn Mustoe chatted about Trainor’s achievements, and her passing reference to “All About That Bass” (or would that be “Base”?) caused the guys to break into song.
Carla Wallace of Big Yellow Dog Music pitched the song the day after it was written and beamed with joy that she had finally landed a cut with Rascal Flatts. After admitting that Trainor cried after hearing their rendition of the song, DeMarcus interjected, “Can she put me in her meet and greet line?”
Sending in a peppy video, Trainor cheered on all of her collaborators: “Jesse Frasure, I hope you’re there. Shay Mooney, I love you guys so much. I wish I was there so bad! Congrats, Rascal Flatts, this is literally a dream come true, a No. 1 country song. We are pretty awesome! Take a shot for me, have fun, and get crazy!”
Amy Schoch of the Nashville Sounds presented customized jerseys to the Flatts fellows. Avenue Bank did not make a presentation but did drop off a donation for Nashville Humane Association on behalf of the songwriters. Holly Lane of Country Radio Broadcasters was greeted with whoops and hollers when she said “I Like the Sound of That” made 1.1 billion impressions at country radio.
Big Machine Label Group executives Scott Borchetta and Jack Purcell presented enormous plaques to the musicians. Borchetta said he’d wanted to sign Dan + Shay and Jesse Frasure before they got scooped up by other companies. He also recalled the negotiations it took with the band to make sure “I Like the Sound of That” got recorded, then added, “That’s all right, we’re all on the same team.” Purcell said the radio staff sent the tune “out of the park.”
Next, Frasure and Mooney stepped to the plate. Frasure said his parents flipped out when Rascal Flatts cut the song, because it was a band they actually knew about. (They were cheering from the crowd.) Mooney told the audience that he grew up listening to Rascal Flatts and quipped, “They’ve been like grandparents to me.”
Of course, the Nashville industry knows you can’t one-up DeMarcus with one-liners.
During his speech, DeMarcus first noted, “It’s awesome to wake up every day and get to do what you do for a living — and get paid about a third of what you used to.”
After the laughter subsided, he continued, “It’s really great to be in this city. I love this town and I love collaborating. And I love my Flatts brothers. I am a sucker for talent and we knew we had to cut this song when we heard Shay’s vocal [on the demo] and all the licks he stole from Gary.”
Following another round of laughter, DeMarcus remarked, “Hey, that’s for that ‘grandparent’ comment, buddy! I love this dude so much, and he is such a talented singer. And Jesse Frasure, you are a bad, bad boy. Just when I think this town can’t handle any more talent, somebody comes along and blows you away again.”
Rooney took a more serious approach in his comments, saying, “We’re writers, we try to write, but the benchmark is that you’ve got to put your heart on a shelf when you go into a song meeting and you’ve got to go, ‘What is the best song for Rascal Flatts?’ And as a writer, that’s not always easy because you’re like, ‘My stuff over here is pretty good too, man!’ But at the end of the day, a song like ‘I Like the Sound of That’ spoke to us.”
Rooney also gave thanks to management, label, publishers, his wife and especially to DeMarcus as a producer. “He tackled the last six or seven songs we had on this project and he said, ‘Guys, let me do this, I know I can do this,’ and he literally knocked it out of the park.” Before handing off the mic, he also commended LeVox as a lead vocalist and the “safe landing” he delivered on the song.
LeVox also effusively thanked Big Machine Records, country radio, and the publishing community.
“Every time that we go into cut, like we are right now, we just appreciate you thinking enough of us to pitch your writers and their music to us,” he said. “We know each song becomes their baby and we’d be good grandparents to them! So, they’re in good hands with grandpa, grandpa, and grandpa. We’d love to have your children!”
Pictured (L-R): John Zarling, BMLG SVP Partnership Marketing and Promotion; Jay DeMarcus; Erik Powell, Big Machine Records National Director of Radio Promotion; Joe Don Rooney; Scott Borchetta, BMLG President and CEO; Jack Purcell, Big Machine Records SVP Promotion; Gary LeVox; Evyn Mustoe, BMI writer Shay Mooney; BMI writer Jesse Frasure; ASCAP Associate Creative Director; Bradley Collins, BMI Executive Director. Photo: John Russell