CJ Solar
CJ Solar landed his dream job right out of college. While completing his degree in songwriting from Belmont in 2014, he was offered a songwriting deal with Sea Gayle Music, where he happened to be interning at the time.
Since then, he’s had several holds from major artists and Jerrod Niemann released “Blue Bandana” (which Solar wrote with Ben Goldsmith and Andrew Scott Wills) as a single in 2015.
Solar has also wrapped up sessions for an EP arriving in April through Sea Gayle. The first single, “Tall Boy,” debuted on Spotify in March.
In the meantime, Solar is playing a hometown show on Friday night (March 25) in Baton Rouge, La., opening for The Cadillac Three, a band that treads similar country-rock territory. His upcoming shows in Nashville include a Tin Pan South appearance on April 7 at The Listening Room and an EP release party on April 21 at The Basement East.
Dropping by MusicRow offices, the good-natured 23-year-old chatted about his lucky break, the terrible band he had with his brothers, and the college assignment he didn’t want to do.
MusicRow: Tell me about the vibe in the studio while you were recording the new music.
Solar: I’ve always played electric guitar in my bands, and whenever I’m on tour, usually I’m the main guitar player, especially lately because I’m doing three-piece. But I wasn’t sure if I should play, but Brent Anderson, who co-produced it with me, said, “You’ve definitely got to play.” It was really cool to play a lot of the electric parts, and I played all the solos, and a bulk of the rhythm stuff. It was really cool to get to do that on my first EP.
Don’t take that for granted. It doesn’t always happen that way.
Yeah, fortunately Sea Gayle was cool with it, and I think it gave it a different sound. We cut the five songs from 10 to 5-ish, and I played the solos when everybody left. That was about it. We did it all in one day, and did the vocals about a month later, over the course of two days. Everything happened organically with it, and it came out pretty fast.
You sound relaxed on the record.
Yeah, it was a no-pressure kind of thing, which made it a lot easier on me playing. It was definitely a lot of fun and I am really proud of how it came out. I’m really glad that I did play on it because it sounds a little different. I mean, there are so many great players in town, and so many guys that I do love on electric, but I think it makes it sound more like me, having me on it.
At what point did you become interested in playing guitar?
I was about 8 and I found my dad had a guitar in his closet. He had it kind of hanging around and I started playing on it. Pretty soon after that, I started taking some lessons. My little brothers were like, “Oh, we want to play music too.” So, both of them started playing drums and one started playing bass. We made a little band and started practicing together, and we’d learn songs and take turns singing. We were obviously pretty terrible but it was a lot of fun.
Our practice was learning songs and we played mostly Southern rock, Creedence, stuff like that. As I got into high school, we started playing more country music. My brothers still don’t like country music. They don’t play music at all anymore, and I decided to come here and try to make country music for a living.
You came here to go to Belmont, right?
Yeah, I started at Belmont in 2010 and graduated in 2014. I signed with Sea Gayle around the same time, after interning there, which was really…I don’t want to say “lucky,” but… (laughs)
How did you get discovered by Sea Gayle?
What’s crazy is that Freeman Wizer, who is a plugger over there, is my neighbor. I literally had never talked to him about music stuff at all, and said, “Hey, I need another internship. Do you know somewhere I can intern?” He said, “I used to be at Universal and I could get you in over there, or you could come to Sea Gayle.” And I was like, “I would LOVE to be at Sea Gayle.” I had read Brad Paisley’s book [Diary of a Player] a couple years ago, so I knew a little bit about Sea Gayle. I was really excited to get in and learn over there.
Shortly after getting in over there, Mike Owens, who also song-plugs, said, “Well, if you’ve got any music, we’ll listen to it.” I was like, that’s cool. This doesn’t happen at my other internships. (laughs) I just had a recording session right before I started interning so I had five songs, and two others, so I brought seven demoed songs. About a week after showing them to Mike, he was like, “So, we kind of want to sign you.” I was like, “Oh gosh, this is crazy!”
I had to finish interning and graduate. I guess I signed before I graduated but I didn’t start writing full-time until May, and that was almost two years ago. It’s just been really great getting to write. I still feel like I have a similar sound to what I’ve always wanted to have, but the songs aren’t bad anymore. (laughs) Or at least I’m proud of these songs, so it’s really cool to be able to write songs for two years.
I think some people in Nashville might be skeptical of getting a college degree in songwriting. How did that pay out for you?
Well, I would say it paid out pretty good because it helped me get the internship, and I definitely feel like I learned. Obviously there are a lot of people that didn’t go to college at all, especially for songwriting, and still write songs professionally, but I definitely enjoyed it and made a lot of good connections and had a lot of great teachers, like Drew Ramsey and James Elliott.
At that time, [some of the teachers] were like, “Learn how to make tracks because everybody wants to sign a track guy.” I was like (quietly), “I’m not gonna do that.” Actually, I tried and I was just not good at making beats. That’s not my thing. My music doesn’t really want beats on it. (laughs) One of the other things at Belmont that they were talking about is that you want to have a professional, pitchable product. And with my tracks not being any good, I was like, “OK, I’m going to have to save up and have a session.” (laughs)
How did the landscape in Baton Rouge affect the way you play music?
Especially in Baton Rouge, when I was playing out, in high school, country music wasn’t what people wanted to hear. It was really weird. I knew people liked country music, but I was not getting requests for country music normally, which was odd. It’s a lot more now than it was, and I think the whole country is that way. It’s a whole lot more of a “country music country” now, but Baton Rouge wasn’t super big on it. I would sprinkle the songs in there, but I think it made me play a little more classic rock. I definitely love that stuff and it definitely influenced my sound a whole lot. I think Baton Rouge had a lot to do with that.
What do you think people will hear in your music when they see you on tour now?
I hope people will listen to the songs a little bit and can relate to them, and like them, and rock out a little bit. I mean, my show is an electric three-piece, so we’re rocking out pretty hard, just to fill out the sound. My guitar is cranked. I just hope people come and have fun and party a little bit.
Queen Extravaganza’s Marc Martel Signs To Music City Management
/by Craig_ShelburneMarc Martel
Marc Martel, the voice of the Queen Extravaganza, the Official Queen Tribute Band produced by Queen drummer Roger Taylor, has signed with Music City Management. The announcement was made by Josh Peterson, who founded the management company in 2012.
A Nashville resident, Martel will release a new album, The Covers LP, Vol. 1, on June 17. He will perform songs from the project on Mon., March 28, at The High Watt at 8 p.m. The project will feature fan-requested songs, such as Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now” and Dolly Parton’s “I Will Always Love You.”
Josh Peterson
“Marc is a top-tier entertainer, and one of the best vocalists in the world,” says Petersen. “When you get to experience him singing live, even once, you know there is something unique and special about his talents. I could not be more thrilled to work alongside Martel to share his music with people everywhere.”
In addition to Martel, the company’s roster includes Grammy–winning multi-instrumentalist Ron Block of Alison Krauss & Union Station.
Martel is the former lead singer of Christian pop band Downhere, which disbanded four years ago. In 2011, Martel’s cover of Queen’s “Somebody to Love” was submitted to the Queen Extravaganza competition by Martel’s wife, and then became a multi-million sensation when posted on YouTube. To this day the video has over 12 million views.
ACM Party For A Cause Festival’s Activations, Brand Partnerships Announced
/by Craig_ShelburneThe Academy of Country Music has announced the partners, activities and special events taking place during the 4th ACM Party for a Cause Festival, a three-day music festival from Fri., April 1 to Sun., April 3 at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds. The festival will feature two stages for ongoing country music performances, interactive games, and a country marketplace.
The outdoor festival will feature more than 30 country artists performing on the Ram Trucks Main Stage and Cabela’s Stage. Attractions such as the inaugural Cause Way, Cabela’s & ACM Tic-Tac-Toe Archery Event, Cracker Barrel Content Creators Studio, MillerCoors Beer Garden, Ram Trucks Country Music Experience, and more will be popping up throughout the festival.
The ACM Party for a Cause Festival will feature RFID Wristbands for festival entry and exit. After the passes are purchased, guests will be shipped their RFID Wristbands, which can be activated online before arrival to the festival. The RFID Wristbands will also feature ACM Cashless, a program which uses RFID technology to allow attendees to link their credit card to their wristband, set a PIN for security, and then use it to purchase beverages, food and select merchandise at the event. ACM Cashless is the recommended payment method, but credit card and cash will also be accepted by vendors at the festival.
Additional details on the events, activations and partners for the 4th ACM Party for a Cause Festival can be found below and in the ACM App. The official app, available for download at the App Store and Google Play, offers fans the latest on performers, concert schedules, artist meet and greets, food, drinks and shopping at the ACM Party for a Cause Festival. New to the app this year, users can turn on bluetooth to receive location-targeted messages as well as an interactive map designed to give fans the most out of their experience at the Festival.
BIG GREEN EGG
Big Green Egg is proud to join The Academy of Country Music in their support of ACM Lifting Lives. Stop by the ACM Booth next to the Cause Way to find out more about this important philanthropic effort. And while you’re there, register to win a Big Green Egg MiniMax package that includes everything you will need to get started with The Ultimate Cooking Experience.
CABELA’S & ACM TIC-TAC-TOE ARCHERY TOURNAMENT
Luke Bryan and Justin Moore will return to host the celebrity archery tournament event taking place on Saturday, April 2 from 11 a.m. to noon. Watch country music stars and Cabela’s pro staff archers participate in an archery exhibition featuring Cabela’s state-of-the-art digital archery equipment. Team Luke and Team Justin will compete head-to-head to see whose archery skills will take home the trophy.
CABELA’S BOOTH
Visit the Cabela’s booth for a fun and interactive outdoor experience, including a green-screen photo booth, safe archery, vintage-photo kiosk, a Luke Bryan 32 Bridge display, artist appearances, camping displays, wild-game food samples and more.
THE CAUSE WAY FEATURING ACM LIFTING LIVES BOOTH
Cause Way will feature booths of the charitable beneficiaries of the 4th ACM Party for a Cause Festival. For the first time ever, festival goers will have the opportunity to learn more about each organization’s mission and impact onsite at the festival.
BASE CAMP 40
Base Camp 40 Warriors in the Wild gives back to our nation’s brave Veterans via all expenses paid outdoor adventures throughout the country and British Columbia. Come visit the booth to meet the great volunteers, find out more information on sending a veteran on a trip, view previous hunts and veterans honored, as well as enter for an opportunity to win a customized ACM and BC40 Weatherby Rifle or a signed Kurt Busch and Rusty Wallace NASCAR hood.
BEAUTYKIND
Visit the pop-up shop for demonstrations of the latest beauty tips and tricks, get free gift cards, take pictures in the photo booth, and enter to win beauty products and the grand prize of a Carrie Underwood signed guitar.
THE GIVING KEYS
The Giving Keys, a Los Angeles-based social enterprise, exists to employ those transitioning out of homelessness to make jewelry out of repurposed keys that are sold and shared around the world. Each key is unique and carries a message like HOPE, STRENGTH, DREAM or COURAGE. At their booth, The Giving Keys will sell their classic keys as well as the “POWER” key. A portion of the proceeds of all keys sold during the weekend will be donated to ACM Lifting Lives.
KENDRA SCOTT
A mystery jewelry pull with 100 percent of proceeds benefiting ACM Lifting Lives will be hosted by Kendra Scott on Friday, April 1 at the ACM Cause Way.
PROJECT 615
Visit the booth for T-shirts and apparel hand screen printed by those on a path to recovery from homelessness, addiction, and mental illness.
PURPOSE JEWELRY
Hand-crafted by young women rescued from human trafficking. All proceeds go to International Sanctuary providing holistic care for survivors. Purchase with PURPOSE and join the movement to spread hope.
STRINGS FOR HOPE
Check out the recycled guitar strings turned into one-of-a-kind jewelry. Handmade by formally incarcerated women transitioning into community life again. Proceeds support healthcare, education, and food banks.
CRACKER BARREL – CONTENT CREATOR STUDIO
Make sure to visit CrackerBarrel.com/ACMparty for exclusive videos & photos from the ACM Content Creator Studio powered by Cracker Barrel. See today’s top country acts interacting with favorite social media influencers.
BAREFOOT REFRESHER SPRITZER TENT
Guests will be able to try Barefoot Refresh Spritzers, now in a new convenient can.
MILLERCOORS BEER GARDEN
Sit down, relax and enjoy a cold one at one of the many Party Bar locations, while watching one of their many big screen TVs and listening to great country music.
RED BULL
Red Bull is proud to be the official energy drink of the ACM Party for a Cause Festival. Check out the rest and relaxation activation and make sure to grab a free Red Bull Energy Drink upon exiting the festival each night.
LAS VEGAS CONVENTION & VISITORS AUTHORITY (LVCVA)
The 4th ACM Party for a Cause Festival will be held at the all-new Las Vegas Festival Grounds from April 1- 3. The three-day outdoor music festival will feature country music all-stars such as Carrie Underwood, Dierks Bentley and Kenny Chesney.
MAUI JIM
Party for a Cause with aloha spirit. Visit the Maui Jim Sunglasses Flying Jimmy booth and become a part of the Maui Jim ‘ohana—check out the latest styles and experience Maui Jim’s patented PolarizedPlus2 technology.
RAM TRUCKS
Fans attending the ACM Party for a Cause Festival in Las Vegas can “Ride Country” on a free interactive Ram Ride & Drive Test Track featuring the Ram Rebel, Ram 1500 & Ram 2500 trucks. Professional drivers will guide attendees through a course of various on- and off-road obstacles and capability challenges including a hill climb providing Ram truck riders the best view of the PFAC landscape. Participants of the ride & drive will receive free gifts, be registered for a chance to win $45,000 toward a new Ram Truck, will have an opportunity to win Main Stage VIP truck bed seats to see their favorite artists perform live at the festival and have the opportunity to meet country music artists making appearances at the Ram Ride & Drive throughout the weekend. The Raminator Monster Truck Team will be on hand to entertain attendees with car crushing demos, photo opportunities and autographs. Ram Trucks is the official sponsor of the main stage at PFAC where the hottest names in country music will be performing all weekend.
ROLAND & BOSS BACKSTAGE LOUNGE
The latest from Roland and BOSS, manufacturers of the world’s leading electronic musical instruments, will be onsite and showcased in an exclusive, hands-on “petting zoo” area backstage.
ACM PARTY FOR A CAUSE “SOCIAL MOSAIC”
Fans can join the ACM Party for a Cause Festival conversation by tweeting or posting to Instagram using #ACMparty to see their posts onsite via huge Festival screens.
YETI
YETI is pleased to provide artist hospitality backstage at ACM Party for a Cause Festival. YETI coolers help keep the cold ones frosty from load in to well beyond the after party. See how YETI helps the music play on for longer with coolers, drinkware, and more.
Weekly Chart Report (3/25/16)
/by Troy_StephensonClick here or above to access MusicRow‘s weekly CountryBreakout Report.
Stevie Erickson Joins Red Vinyl Music, Weds Jesse Frasure
/by Jessica NicholsonJesse and Stevie Frasure
Stevie Frasure (formerly Stevie Erickson) has joined Red Vinyl Music as Sr. Creative Director.
Frasure formerly served for three years as Sr. Creative Director at Patrick Joseph Music. Prior stops have included EMI Music Publishing and ole.
“I am excited to welcome Stevie into the Red Vinyl Music family,” says VP, Creative, Eric Gallimore. “I have every confidence that her enthusiasm and passion for music, coupled with years of experience and extensive relationships, will continue to move Red Vinyl to a new level of success.”
Additionally, she wed songwriter/publisher/producer/DJ Jesse Frasure (VP of Major Bob Music) on March 12 in Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic.
She can be reached at (615) 377-0495 and sfrasure@redvinylmusic.com.
Four Bands Move To City Finals On The Road To Roo
/by Jessica NicholsonThe Road to Roo, presented by BMI and hosted by Lightning 100, has announced the four bands that have made it through the city semifinals and are moving on to the city finals.
Kid Freud, OJR, Jess Nolan and Roots of a Rebellion will compete Thursday, March 31, at 8 p.m. at 3rd & Lindsley. Fans are encouraged to arrive early and get a ballot to vote on the four finalists. The state finals will take place on April 4 at Mercy Lounge.
Kid Freud. Photo: Anna Webber
Roots Of A Rebellion. Photo: Jake Giles Netter
Jess Nolan. Photo: Jake Giles Netter
OJR. Photo: Jake Giles Netter
Exclusive: Sea Gayle Music’s CJ Solar Steps Out With Debut Single
/by Craig_ShelburneCJ Solar
CJ Solar landed his dream job right out of college. While completing his degree in songwriting from Belmont in 2014, he was offered a songwriting deal with Sea Gayle Music, where he happened to be interning at the time.
Since then, he’s had several holds from major artists and Jerrod Niemann released “Blue Bandana” (which Solar wrote with Ben Goldsmith and Andrew Scott Wills) as a single in 2015.
Solar has also wrapped up sessions for an EP arriving in April through Sea Gayle. The first single, “Tall Boy,” debuted on Spotify in March.
In the meantime, Solar is playing a hometown show on Friday night (March 25) in Baton Rouge, La., opening for The Cadillac Three, a band that treads similar country-rock territory. His upcoming shows in Nashville include a Tin Pan South appearance on April 7 at The Listening Room and an EP release party on April 21 at The Basement East.
Dropping by MusicRow offices, the good-natured 23-year-old chatted about his lucky break, the terrible band he had with his brothers, and the college assignment he didn’t want to do.
MusicRow: Tell me about the vibe in the studio while you were recording the new music.
Solar: I’ve always played electric guitar in my bands, and whenever I’m on tour, usually I’m the main guitar player, especially lately because I’m doing three-piece. But I wasn’t sure if I should play, but Brent Anderson, who co-produced it with me, said, “You’ve definitely got to play.” It was really cool to play a lot of the electric parts, and I played all the solos, and a bulk of the rhythm stuff. It was really cool to get to do that on my first EP.
Don’t take that for granted. It doesn’t always happen that way.
Yeah, fortunately Sea Gayle was cool with it, and I think it gave it a different sound. We cut the five songs from 10 to 5-ish, and I played the solos when everybody left. That was about it. We did it all in one day, and did the vocals about a month later, over the course of two days. Everything happened organically with it, and it came out pretty fast.
You sound relaxed on the record.
Yeah, it was a no-pressure kind of thing, which made it a lot easier on me playing. It was definitely a lot of fun and I am really proud of how it came out. I’m really glad that I did play on it because it sounds a little different. I mean, there are so many great players in town, and so many guys that I do love on electric, but I think it makes it sound more like me, having me on it.
At what point did you become interested in playing guitar?
I was about 8 and I found my dad had a guitar in his closet. He had it kind of hanging around and I started playing on it. Pretty soon after that, I started taking some lessons. My little brothers were like, “Oh, we want to play music too.” So, both of them started playing drums and one started playing bass. We made a little band and started practicing together, and we’d learn songs and take turns singing. We were obviously pretty terrible but it was a lot of fun.
Our practice was learning songs and we played mostly Southern rock, Creedence, stuff like that. As I got into high school, we started playing more country music. My brothers still don’t like country music. They don’t play music at all anymore, and I decided to come here and try to make country music for a living.
You came here to go to Belmont, right?
Yeah, I started at Belmont in 2010 and graduated in 2014. I signed with Sea Gayle around the same time, after interning there, which was really…I don’t want to say “lucky,” but… (laughs)
How did you get discovered by Sea Gayle?
What’s crazy is that Freeman Wizer, who is a plugger over there, is my neighbor. I literally had never talked to him about music stuff at all, and said, “Hey, I need another internship. Do you know somewhere I can intern?” He said, “I used to be at Universal and I could get you in over there, or you could come to Sea Gayle.” And I was like, “I would LOVE to be at Sea Gayle.” I had read Brad Paisley’s book [Diary of a Player] a couple years ago, so I knew a little bit about Sea Gayle. I was really excited to get in and learn over there.
Shortly after getting in over there, Mike Owens, who also song-plugs, said, “Well, if you’ve got any music, we’ll listen to it.” I was like, that’s cool. This doesn’t happen at my other internships. (laughs) I just had a recording session right before I started interning so I had five songs, and two others, so I brought seven demoed songs. About a week after showing them to Mike, he was like, “So, we kind of want to sign you.” I was like, “Oh gosh, this is crazy!”
I had to finish interning and graduate. I guess I signed before I graduated but I didn’t start writing full-time until May, and that was almost two years ago. It’s just been really great getting to write. I still feel like I have a similar sound to what I’ve always wanted to have, but the songs aren’t bad anymore. (laughs) Or at least I’m proud of these songs, so it’s really cool to be able to write songs for two years.
I think some people in Nashville might be skeptical of getting a college degree in songwriting. How did that pay out for you?
Well, I would say it paid out pretty good because it helped me get the internship, and I definitely feel like I learned. Obviously there are a lot of people that didn’t go to college at all, especially for songwriting, and still write songs professionally, but I definitely enjoyed it and made a lot of good connections and had a lot of great teachers, like Drew Ramsey and James Elliott.
At that time, [some of the teachers] were like, “Learn how to make tracks because everybody wants to sign a track guy.” I was like (quietly), “I’m not gonna do that.” Actually, I tried and I was just not good at making beats. That’s not my thing. My music doesn’t really want beats on it. (laughs) One of the other things at Belmont that they were talking about is that you want to have a professional, pitchable product. And with my tracks not being any good, I was like, “OK, I’m going to have to save up and have a session.” (laughs)
How did the landscape in Baton Rouge affect the way you play music?
Especially in Baton Rouge, when I was playing out, in high school, country music wasn’t what people wanted to hear. It was really weird. I knew people liked country music, but I was not getting requests for country music normally, which was odd. It’s a lot more now than it was, and I think the whole country is that way. It’s a whole lot more of a “country music country” now, but Baton Rouge wasn’t super big on it. I would sprinkle the songs in there, but I think it made me play a little more classic rock. I definitely love that stuff and it definitely influenced my sound a whole lot. I think Baton Rouge had a lot to do with that.
What do you think people will hear in your music when they see you on tour now?
I hope people will listen to the songs a little bit and can relate to them, and like them, and rock out a little bit. I mean, my show is an electric three-piece, so we’re rocking out pretty hard, just to fill out the sound. My guitar is cranked. I just hope people come and have fun and party a little bit.
Eric Paslay Joins Toby Keith Tour
/by Eric T. ParkerEric Paslay. Photo: Joseph Llanes
Academy of Country Music (ACM) nominee and EMI Records Nashville artist Eric Paslay has been tapped as a special guest for 14 dates of the Toby Keith Interstates & Tailgates Tour Presented by Ford F-Series Tour.
Paslay’s performances will start on July 8 in Virginia Beach, Virginia at the Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater and continue through September.
“[I am] really excited for the opportunity to be on the road with Toby this year,” said Paslay. “He sure knows how to put on a show. I can’t wait to take it all in and learn from one of the best.”
Next week, Paslay heads to Las Vegas where his “She Don’t Love You” is nominated as ACM Song of The Year. Later this year, he will release his highly-anticipated sophomore project which includes lead single “High Class” co-written with Jesse Frasure and Corey Crowder.
Eric Paslay Dates on The Toby Keith Interstates & Tailgates Tour Presented by Ford F-Series Tour
July 8: Virginia Beach, VA Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
July 9: Bristow, VA Jiffy Lube Live
July 10: Raleigh, NC Walnut Creek Amphitheatre
July 14: Toronto, ON Moison Canadian Amphitheatre
July 15: Darien Lakes, NY Darien Lake Performing Arts Center
July 16: Hartford, CT XFINITY Theatre
Aug 12: Chicago, IL Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Aug 13: Pittsburgh, PA First Niagara Pavilion
Aug 14: Sarasota Springs, NY Saratoga Performing Arts Center
Sep 8: Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center
Sep 9: Indianapolis, IN Klipsch Music Center
Sep 10: St Louis, MO Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Sep 23: Tampa, FL MIDFLORIDA Credit Union Amphitheatre
Sep 24: W Palm Beach, FL Perfect Vodka Amphitheater
Vince Gill To Receive E.W. “Bud” Wendell Award
/by Jessica NicholsonVince Gill
Vince Gill will receive one of the hospitality industry’s top awards for contributions to the success of the tourism and convention business in Nashville. The Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp announced today that Gill is the third recipient of the E.W. “Bud” Wendell Award, joining former Gov. Phil Bredesen and former Mayor Karl Dean.
“Whether he is playing guitar for All for the Hall, advocating for the Women’s Final Four or serving as Mayor of Smashville during the NHL All-Star Game, Vince Gill has contributed mightily to who we are as Music City,” said Ken Levitan, board chair of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp and co-president of Vector Management. “There is no better ambassador to represent the diversity of music that is thriving in Music City than a musician who can go from traditional country to bluegrass to western swing to gospel to just about any kind of musical style with the ease that Vince does. Most of all, Vince embodies the kind of warmth that makes Nashville the friendliest city in the world, and Music City would not be who we are today without his numerous contributions.”
Gill will be presented the E.W. “Bud” Wendell Award at Nashville’s National Tourism Week Hospitality Industry Celebration, which will take place on May 3 at 11:30 a.m. at the Karl F. Dean Grand Ballroom at the Music City Center. Nashville Mayor Megan Barry will offer the keynote address. Registration to attend the luncheon is still open.
The E.W. “Bud” Wendell Award honors the work of a Nashville business executive who helped make Nashville into the music entertainment center it is today. Wendell began his career with the National Life and Accident Insurance Company (then the parent company of WSM and the Grand Ole Opry). He was named manager of the Grand Ole Opry in 1968 and was ultimately named president and CEO of Gaylord Entertainment in 1991. He expanded the Opryland Hotel into Nashville’s largest convention facility, and he oversaw Gaylord’s renovation of the Ryman Auditorium and the opening of the Wildhorse Saloon dance club, which helped revive a declining downtown Nashville. Wendell is a member of the Country Music Hall of Fame.
NSAI Song Contest Winners Announced
/by Jessica NicholsonThe Nashville Songwriters Association International (NSAI) and Country Music Television (CMT) have revealed the winners for the 16th annual NSAI Song Contest Presented by CMT.
The grand prize winner this year is “PatiOasis,” penned by Blaine Younger of Olathe, Kansas. Younger will receive $5000 cash, and a mentoring session with EMI Records Nashville artist Eric Paslay. Additional prizes include a one-year single song contract with Warner/Chappell, live performances at the 2016 Tin Pan South Songwriters festival and Bluebird Cafe, and a three-day trip to Nashville.
This year’s Lyric-Only winner is “No Country For Old Men,” written by Jeff Tiffin of Aubrey, Texas, and co-writer Steve Geery. Tiffin receives a mentoring session with artist and Creative Nation writer Lori McKenna, along with additional prizes.
Twenty others songs received “Runner-Up” or “Honorable Mention” status. More than 2,000 entries were received, and judged by a panel of industry professionals. All of the top songs and entrants can be seen at nashvillesongwriters.com.
Sponsors this year include ASCAP, BMI, CMT, Loews Vanderbilt Hotel Nashville, SESAC, Warner/Chappell Music and We Make Tapes & Discs.
Legislation Aims To Make Touring In U.S. Easier For Canadian Artists
/by Jessica NicholsonThe Bringing Entertainment Artists to the States (BEATS) ACT hopes to speed the process of obtaining a P-2 visa, bringing the process more in line with similar streamlining recently set in place by the Canadian government for American artists visiting Canada. This reform will make it easier for Canadian artists to bring their talents to American consumers while not compromising U.S. security or border protection procedures.
The P-2 classification applies to persons entering the U.S. temporarily to perform as an artist or entertainer, individually or as part of a group, who will perform under a reciprocal exchange program between an organization in the United States and an organization in another country.
The BEATS Act was introduced by U.S. Representatives Dave Trott (MI-11), Chris Collins (NY-27) and Peter Welch (VT-AL).
The BEATS Act has been supported by the American Federation of Musicians (AFM), The Recording Academy, the American Association of Independent Music (A2IM), and their member labels.
Rep. Trott
“Canadian entertainers and the economic impact they bring are important for communities in Southeast Michigan and throughout our country. This simple, common sense reform will allow these artists to bring their skills to the U.S. and provide entertainment for millions of American music fans. The concerts, tours, and music sales created by these artists mean a lot to Michigan’s economy and I’m hopeful this legislation will continue to garner bipartisan support in Congress,” said Trott, a lifelong resident of Southeast Michigan.
“Small businesses and communities across Western New York need a dependable visa process when booking Canadian artists. This common-sense legislation is vital to ensuring entertainment venues and all the American jobs they bring are not economically impacted by a slow and unreliable admissions process,” said Collins.
“Vermont and Canada share much more than a border. Our economies are interwoven and our citizens share a deep appreciation of the arts and culture on both sides of the border. When Canadian artists book performances in Vermont, they provide diverse entertainment for Vermonters as well as a boost to the local economy. Our legislation will streamline the visa approval process for Canadian entertainers so that ticket holders and local businesses won’t be harmed by last minute show cancellations due to excessive red tape,” said Welch.
“We commend Representatives Trott, Collins, and Welch for their bipartisan leadership and recognition of both the economic and cultural benefits this legislation will provide Americans and local businesses,” said Richard Burgess, CEO of the American Association of Independent Music. “It’s an issue of special importance to independent record labels, many of which are small businesses that depend on a predictable and reasonable visa approval timeline. The BEATS Act is a bipartisan, common sense proposal that will create jobs in the American music industry.”